Last Friday, I talked about my first go-to method when I inevitably get stuck in a draft. I lay out my character’s emotional dominoes and see where they ought to fall (which is often not where I’ve made them fall)… But that trick doesn’t always work. Sometimes it’s not an emotional/goal issue that’s halted my […]
Every path has its puddles. We just have to hop over them. Or power through. Possibly even scoot around. But remember this: no one is going to show up and drape a coat over the puddle so you can cross un-splashed. You’re gonna have to get muddy, and that’s part of the fun. Tromp through. Embrace […]
I tend to have a lot of false starts or write-my-characters-into-inescapable-corners when I’m drafting. It doesn’t matter how meticulously I outline or how freely I try to fly by the seat of my pants, I always get stuck at some point. Maybe what I’d thought should come next (and what I had written on my pretty […]
Remember this quote. We may only be starting NaNoWriMo, but it’s our daily 1667 words–or whatever we manage to eke out each day–that will get us to the full 50K. And then onward, to the end of the novel. And then even further beyond after that. Just keep typing, keep dreaming, and keep shooting for […]
The perfect time to start something never arrives…UNLESS it’s NaNoWriMo time. It is truly the most perfect moment to start writing that novel you’ve always wanted to write. Never will there be so many people braving the same terrifying path at your side, ready to commiserate and ready to cheer. So let’s DO THIS, guys. […]
I touched on keeping a writing journal last NaNo, and though this doesn’t only apply to planning–I use a journal throughout my planning/drafting/revising process–I thought I would tack it on to the end of this series. I can’t live without my journals on writing, and perhaps you’ll find them as useful a tool for planning/drafting/revising as […]
Read Part 1 in this series: Of Plotters and Pantsers. Read Part 2 in this series: Before I Start Drafting. Read Part 3 in this series: Scene-Level Planning. Read Part 5 in this series: Writing Journals. Today’s post on “coaxing out the magical cookies” might be more aptly titled “What to do when you get […]
Note: If you need information on WHAT a scene is, I will direct you to these resources: my own very basic breakdown of scenes, this post by my fave author who talks about writing, and this post by another amazingly helpful writing teacher. Okay! Onwards to today’s post! In case you missed the previous parts of this series, […]
So as I mentioned last Friday, I only recently realized that I’m actually a planner and not a pantser. But my method of planning is erratic at best. Disclaimer: this may not help YOU plan a book at all. It’s my method, right? And it’s a very fluid, not-too-organized, definitely not-too-strict method. But then again, perhaps […]
I’m not a traditional outliner when it comes to writing my stories. Actually, up until a month ago, I actually would have labeled myself a straight-up pantser (i.e. writing a novel entirely by the seat of my pants). But I realized that wasn’t really true. I also realized that many of my so-called “panster” friends […]