Anyone who tells you that writing a novel is easy has probably never written one. Here are the five most common statements I hear from people who are struggling to write a novel: I don’t know where to begin. I’ve written a few chapters, but I can’t figure out where to go from here. I…Continue reading How to Get Past Fear and Procrastination and Write Your Novel
Category: Nanowrimo
Revision: first draft vs. final draft
No one writes a perfect story, essay, or novel the first time around. That’s where revision comes in. The first draft contains everything you wanted to say. The final draft contains everything you needed to say—those things that are essential to the story. The first draft is likely to have more abstractions, while the final…Continue reading Revision: first draft vs. final draft
NaNoWriMo Day 7
It’s day 7 of National Novel Writing Month. If you’re following the plan of writing about 1,660 words per day, you’ll have just shy of 12,000 words by the end of the today. If all is going well, by now, here’s what you have established in the past seven days: Your protagonist’s motivation Your setting–where…Continue reading NaNoWriMo Day 7
NaNoWriMo Day One 2013
Are you ready to draft a 50,000 word novel in 30 days? If so, you’ll be pleased to note that Thursday is the first day of the annual brouhaha known as National Novel Writing Month, or Nanowrimo. On November 30, I’d like to catch up with the 160,000 or so folks who have signed up…Continue reading NaNoWriMo Day One 2013
NaNoWriMo Writing Prompts Week One
We’re five days into NaNoWriMo. Have you written every day? Have you found your protagonist? Have you established conflict? Try this: Today’s NaNoWriMo Exercise: Not All Bad, an Exercise in Character & Complexity Write about a terrible deed from the point of view of someone who doesn’t find the deed objectionable. Why: literature, like life,…Continue reading NaNoWriMo Writing Prompts Week One