IWSG: November and Links!

{Note to followers: if you want an email when a new post goes up, go the right column and subscribe for emails. Thanks.}

Insecure Writers Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Co-Hosts: Tonja Drecker, Diane Burton,  MJ Fifield, and Rebecca Douglass!

To NaNo, or not to NaNo? That is the question.

I'll not make the Bard roll any longer, but the question still stands. Tons of writers will join in the writing orgy that is November and the National Novel Writing Month. I'll be cheering them on, but I'll only be participating from the side. See, I know myself. To get obsessed with numbers of words drafted is a sure want to shut my production down. I've leaned to participate unofficially. I'm actually in the midst of a drafting stage, so I'll be putting down words. Only, I will not total them up. The words will still be drafted, but I will never know how many were added. That way, I can join the push without losing my way into the counting of words at the expense of writing them. Back in 2010, I wrote 22,000 new words using this method. (I see your question...how do I know how many there were that year? As a member of a group who posted our raw words to threads, the counting was done for me. See, no counting on my part. ;-) 

Let the word flood begin! And good luck of all of us toiling with story stuff this month. 

Links!

• First up, a bit on editing--what to find and replace: "Words and Phrases to Cut from Your Writing Right Now: The Definitive Test"
• We all hope we need this info: "So You Received an OFFER OF REPRESENTATION"
• We all need this one: "Setting Self Doubt On Fire"
• And if you're thinking about a small publisher, read this one: "What to Look for in a Small Publisher"
• "How to Vary Your Sentence Structure" is another good one.
• Dear Diary has a great post about why "Some People Will Hate Your Book and That's Okay"
• When everything goes splat, try this from Oprah and find your "Next Right Move"

Next Post: Why a great big list of Mini Book Reviews, of course! What did you expect?

November Snips Week: NaNo Edition

To NaNo or not to NaNo. That is the question...

Are you participating in the National Novel Writing Month? AKA NaNoWriMo. Though, many novelists shorten that to NaNo.

Trying to make this... (Source)

into this!

The rules are simple:

• Come up with an idea
• Aim to write a 50,000 word rough draft in November
• Track your progress on the NaNoWriMo site
• Earn badges

And then brag about it in December when you have to take a breather. There's a month dedicated to editing the new manuscript too. The idea is to take the solitary task of writing and create a way to share and challenge each other along.

So, if your writer buddy has all but disappeared from all the usual social media haunts this month, they might be madly scribbling down words or clicking their way through a rapid start on their latest book.

Now for the nitty gritty--Am I aiming for 50,000 new words this month? 

And the answer is: No. My hands would never forgive me. ;-) I did write 28,000 new words in 2010 by playing along with my NaNoing buddies at the Forum.

This year I have another goal in mind. I'm very near a goal that is very dear to every writer's heart--a complete manuscript. It's been said that most writers never finish a first draft. It maybe as high as 95%! I have finished two devotionals and I'd love to add a novel to the list. I'm nearly there and my November will be dedicated to completing MOTHER'S DAY.

Mother's Day Update: October was a very good month. I entered a contest, edited 70 pages, and wrote 2000 new words. To say I'm pleased would be an understatement. ;-) 

Next week is Tip Week. Drop in and share your opinion on whether books move or manipulate you. 

New Book Releases:
Kerry Lynne's second novel in The Pirate Captain Chronicles--NOR GOLD--is out.
Joanna Bourne's newest in the Spymasters Series--ROGUE SPY--comes out today. 
I interviewed Kerry on March 12, 2013 and will have an interview with Joanna on November 18. Be sure to check them both out.

Get Ready!



October will be here next week and with it will come ocean-deep skies to get lost in, crisp cool mornings, and the skittering of dry leaves across the ground. The birds and animals know what to do--they're preparing for winter. Squirrels hide innumerable nuts, the butterflies are sucking in nectar and laying eggs, and the birds are eating us out of house and home at the feeders. All of them know they have to be ready for the change that is coming.



copyright Zan Marie Steadham 2013

Writing is no different. A lot of us are preparing for the annual marathon of NaNoWriMo. Not me.  I know my limits and how slowly I write, but I do try to ride on the coattails of my buddies who do push to put up as many words as possible every year. I find that if I've prepared, I can add a lot of words to my manuscript. October is the perfect prep month. I'm going to try to get my soggy middle to stop darting all over the place like a bucket of minnows. If I'm really lucky, one of those darting ideas will pan out to be a tasty way to go to tighten the story and fill in the holes my summer reread found.

Wish me luck! And good luck to all of you who are planning to attempt 50,000 words during November.

To NaNo or Not to NaNo...

...that is the question. (With apologies to the Bard. ; )

All writers have heard of the National Novel Writing Month and either plan to jump in with both feet, grateful for the camaraderie, or shake in a cold sweat at the very idea of attempting to draft 50,000 words in a month.

Me? I'm in the latter group. ; ) But that admission doesn't mean that I don't love to play along on the outside of the "official" NaNo. My beloved Forum provides just such a way to play. Check out the Mini-NaNo thread.

Thinking about attempting even the Mini-NaNo made me think about journeys and what it takes to accomplish one. In the past, our ancestors packed up and moved great distances over rugged terrain in wagons. Planning for a trip, even for a few days, requires planning, so to plan to write for a month does, too. Listing what will be needed for the "trip" is important. Some writers work from extensive outlines. As I'm a bit allergic to formal outlines, I find a list of possible scenes to be enough. But the fact that I list them out, means my brain is already primed to work...at least I hope so. ; )

A ready access to research, paper, pens, and computer is necessary. Some writers even cook ahead and freeze soups, stews, and chilies. Others do a major cleaning before starting so that they don't feel pulled from writing to dust the blinds. (I'm not in that category, but I have gotten the unpacking done from the renovations...or will before Thursday gets here. ; )

What about you? Are you planning on doing NaNo in any form?
What preparations do you make before starting?

Here are some bonus notes from the Surrey  Conference Live:

• Character-Driven Fiction--Hallie Ephron
• Pacing--Boyd Morrison
• Standout Characters--Donald Maass

My thoughts and prayers to all affected by Hurricane Sandy. Have a safe Halloween and get your pens and computers ready.

Happy Middle of November

~~It's a gorgeous fall day. The leaves are lovely. Just look at our maple and the ginko at John's mother's house. The weather is changing, though. The forecast is for one to two inches of rain by the end of the day on Tuesday and by then, the leaves will be nearly gone. In fact, the maple tree has dropped three-fourths of its leaves today. Be glad I took the photo yesterday. ; )

~~Today marks the end of NaNo week 2 as well. I'm excited to report that I'm officially over ten thousand words for the month. 10,120 to be exact. And they're mostly good words with very little dreck. Now don't get me wrong, there's still a lot to do on these new scenes, like adding bits of underpainted setting and emotional feelings. Still, I'm very pleased with my month. I've typed all these words in and they're ready for play later. On to new words. At this rate, I'll break 20,000 by November 30. ; )

First November Update

~~It's the seventh of November and I'm widing up my first week of NaNo inspired writing--4900 new words for Friendly Fire. And I like the words. John does too and that's a wonderful thing. Now if I can keep writing at this pace for the rest of the month, I'll add 19,600 words by November 30. Cheer me on. ; )

NaNoWriMo

~~If you looked at my blog title and said, "Huh?" you might not be a novelist. National Novel Writing Month (Here) is a concerted effort for novelists to turn out words on their novels. Some opt to start on something new. Others work on their novels-in-progress. Which ever plan a writer has, the goal is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. That's an average of 1,667 a day. It's a staggering number of words. To do it, the writer can't stop and edit. Words have to flood onto the page.
~~Before you question my sanity, I'm not an official participant in NaNo. I know the physical limits of my wrists. But I do have a group of friends on the Forum who are. We have a thread going so that we can share our output and number of words created every day. I'm piggybacking on the energy and momentum of the group. Some of then have already written nearly 10,000 words in two or three days. I'm proud to say, I've been productive if nowhere near their output. I wrote 600 new words on Monday and 900 new words on Tuesday. If I maintain an average of 600 per day for the month, I'll create 18,000 new words for Friendly Fire by the end of November.
~~I'm going to try. Keep your fingers crossed. ; )