Can You Write A Novel In 30 Days?

It's that time of year again. On November 1st thousands of people will embark on the seemingly impossible task of writing a novel in 30 days as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). If you have never heard of this challenge I strongly advise checking out the website here.

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / freedigitalphotos.net

The first time I took part back in 2009 I had never written anything longer than flash fiction. I had always wanted to write but at that time it was a dream I had kept hidden for years, jotting down flash fiction pieces every now and then but never really taking it seriously.

So what changed in 2009? I had my son. I wanted him to grow up to believe that he could do anything if he set his mind to it and put in the work and when I heard about the challenge I figured it was my job to lead by example. With only a week to go before the start of the challenge I played around with a few ideas and jotted down some notes but I basically started with very little idea what I was going to write. Even so, I did it. At the end of November I had a completed first draft of my first ever novel, I was over the moon and so proud of myself. I even admitted to those closest to me that I dreamed of being a writer.

Unfortunately, when I read back through what I had written, I hated it. There were some great elements in there but it was too meandering and there wasn't enough structure to it. At the time I didn't really know enough about the craft to even start fixing it, so I put it away in a draw with the promise I would get back to it one day.

Roll on November 2010 and while I had written a few more flash fiction pieces and worked a little on craft, I still hadn't really achieved very much. I decided to give NaNoWriMo a go again. This time I plotted out quite a bit of the novel before hand and once again I finished the month with a complete draft. Although much better than my first attempt at writing a novel, it still needed a whole lot of work and probably a complete re-write.

A little disheartened I decided I would concentrate on learning the craft before attempting another novel length piece. Unfortunately, reading about the craft seemed to take over and I spent less and less time actually writing. If anything, I think I read so much writing advice that when I was faced with the blank page I became paralysed, how could I ever live up to all that advice? Everything I wrote felt wrong.

This year I decided it was time to make a drastic change. I stopped keeping my dream a secret and told everyone. I started this blog to try and encourage other writer's to have more belief in themselves and their dreams as I was trying to do. I took several writing courses that actually involved me writing instead of just reading about the craft, and the feedback I received really boosted my confidence (one short story was compared to Stephen King!!!). I became a book reviewer (another long held dream), and with all of the craft knowledge I have gained over the past couple of years I could easily work out what worked or didn't and why. In fact, being a reviewer and picking these books apart to see how they tick has probably been the best training yet. I also discovered #ROW80, and the goal setting and support that comes with it has been immensely helpful.

Now, November is nearly upon us again. I have a fully formed story road map and I am better prepared than ever before. This time I am confident that I will come through the other end with a draft that I will actually be able to work on and polish into something great.

Although those earlier attempts were cringeworthy, they were a necessary part of the process. Writing them taught me so much and with every project I take on I get better and better. 2012 has been a great year for me professionally, but it was that first NaNoWriMo that kick-started it all. If you have never taken part before, I can highly recommend it.

How about you? Are you taking part this year? Have you taken part in the past? If so, what was your experience like? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you.

If you want to connect with me on the NaNoWriMo forums my username is Polgara.

Weekly Inspirations #25

Image from Animal Talk

Here are my favourite links from the past two weeks. Have a great weekend.

Here's How Maria Popova of Brain Pickings Writes: http://www.copyblogger.com/how-maria-popova-writes/ …

Pan to Take It All In http://buff.ly/15ZP22D  via @LiveWriteThrive

15 Cats That Should Be Superheroes http://buff.ly/13ThAZR 

Bookshelf Porn - StumbleUpon http://buff.ly/1446CwT  Wow, I want them all!!!!

There's a reason dogs are mans best friend - StumbleUpon http://buff.ly/1d0uatv  Love these

Improving Cause and Effect http://buff.ly/16WV4xI  via @mooderino

25 Steps to Being a Traditionally Published Author: Lazy Bastard Edition http://buff.ly/18K9KkV  via @ChuckWendig

When To Show Character Emotions & When to Tell http://buff.ly/16cFPOJ  via @JodyHedlund

Why Saying "I'm Too Busy" Is Just an Excuse http://buff.ly/150OWIQ  via @JodyHedlund

10 Ways Plot Structure Influences Character Arc http://buff.ly/16yAFjG  via @KMWeiland

Turning Days Out Into Story Ideas

"People always want to know: Where do I get my ideas? They're everywhere. I'm inspired by people and things around me." Gwendolyn Brooks

These past few weeks I have been making the most of the summer holidays and having lots of family days out. Although this has taken time away from my writing in terms of words on the page, it has helped me come up with so many new story ideas I don't know what to do with them all.

As an example, a trip to local lead mine gave me the idea for a murder taking place there. The section of mine that we went in had a constant flow of water running through it (about 6 inches/15cm). This water flows out of the mine and is channeled down to the washing floor, where young boys had the job or washing and sorting the rocks and picking out the galena (mineral form of lead). I suddenly had an image of the blood from a murder victim washing out of the mine and over these rocks where the boys were working. 

We also took a walk along the forest trail behind the mine and came upon a derelict 17th century cottage (see image). I have about ten different stories I want to write that are set in this house, ranging from a witch's tale, to one about a group of teenagers staying here for a dare.

So far, every day out that we have had has led to a new idea (not all of them involving murder), inspired by the places and buildings and the stories they hold, as well as the people we met.

If you haven't done it already, think about the last day out that you had and mine it (pun intended) for ideas. I can guarantee that no matter what genre you write in, there will be a story in there somewhere. Don't believe me? Leave a comment telling me about your last day out and the genre you prefer to write (unless you have no preference), and I'll help you find the story.

How Even Bad Writing Days Can Be Good

"This is a strange thing, but I've noticed it many times: a bad day's work is a lot better than no day's work at all." Philip Pullman

Image courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net

Let's face it, when it comes to writing, everyone has bad days (trust me, I'm having a lot of them lately), whether it's life getting in the way and you seemingly have no time, or you have the time but nothing will come, or everything you write is awful. But maybe, just maybe, that bad day isn't as bad as it seems.

No Time to Write

Even in the busiest of days there will be five or ten minutes when you don't have to be anywhere or doing anything. It is amazing what you can fit in when you write in short bursts throughout the day. If you only manage to get one line written, it is much better than having written nothing at all.

If you really can't find five minutes to write, you can still be thinking about your writing while doing other tasks that don't take your full attention (taking a shower, cooking tea, washing up). Use this time to think about the next scene you need to write, character names, plot twists, blog posts. Take the time to daydream and see where it leads, you could come up with a new story idea. All of this will help when you finally do have the time to sit down and write.

I have written in more detail on this problem in these two posts Turn Those Spare Minutes into Gems and Creative Writing in One Minute a Day.

Drawing a Blank

You have the time, you sit down at your computer, and ... nothing.

There are few ways that you can turn around this kind of bad day:

Revise what you have already written. It could be that you have written your characters into a corner and you don't know how to get them out of it, maybe you have made them do something out of character and now they are refusing to move forward. Take this time to read back through what you have written already and see if you can find where the problem stems from.

Edit another piece of writing. Writing and editing use different parts of the brain, if you are having problems writing maybe your brain is in an editing state, make the most of it.

Journal/Free-write. If you can't think of anything to write about, or you are stuck on a particular scene, journal about the problem. Set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and just start writing. Don't think about it, just put words on paper/screen, you may be surprised by what you discover. It may be that you manage to work through the problem and know what you need to do next.

Use writing prompts/exercises. Even if what you write has nothing to do with your current project it could be just enough to unlock that creative part of your brain and get things flowing again. If not, at least you have written something, it's all good practice.

Read. Take this time to read a craft book, you may discover just what you need to get you writing again. Alternatively, read a fiction book and pay attention to how the writer uses description, setting, pace, dialogue etc. Whether the writing is good or bad, you can always learn something from it.

Everything You Write is Awful

Every writer goes through this and chances are, it really isn't that bad. The important thing is that you are writing. Even if it is awful, it can be edited. You can't do anything with a blank page.

So, before you wollow in self-pity/loathing, remember this: even bad writing days can be good.

How about you? How do you get yourself through those bad days? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.

Weekly Inspirations #20

Image from Animal Talk

My RSS reader is playing up this week after Google Reader closed down so I only have a few of links for you. But I will be posting again on Sunday with something related to the second link. Have a great weekend.

#IWSG "You're Not A Real Writer" -- RUBBISH! http://goo.gl/GC5bN  via @LissaBryan

Setting Writing Goals. #ROW80 http://goo.gl/T28Eu  via @emilyjeanroche

Tuesday's Inspiration ala Margaret Chittenden http://goo.gl/qmskO  via @JanetL717

Inspired Writing

"If you only write when inspired, you may be a fairly decent poet, but you'll never be a novelist." Neil Gaiman

Image courtesy of rose zombie / freedigititalphotos.net

I can't comment on what it takes to be a decent poet, but I do know from first hand experience that waiting for inspiration is a fools game when it comes to writing novels.

I have had plenty of opportunity over the past couple of weeks to put in some dedicated writing time, even if it was just 30 minutes here and there. Unfortunately, inspiration was in short supply and I fell into the trap of doing other things, waiting for the feeling to take hold. Obviously that magical inspiration never came and very little work got done.

I know just as well as anybody that the only way to feel inspired is to start working. When I am busy writing I find that I am flooded with more and more ideas (not always relevant, but I write them down and squirrel them away for later). So why do I, and many others I am sure, keep falling into this trap?

Maybe it's because we are worn out and need a break, or maybe we just want to goof off for a while and it's easier to tell ourselves it's because we need inspiration to write. Whatever the reason, this week I am making a concerted effort to create my own inspiration and gets words down on paper/screen.

How about you? Do you only write when inspired, or do you become inspired by writing in the first place?

When the Writing Spirit Falters

"The majority of people perform well in a crisis and when the spotlight is on them; it's on the Sunday afternoons of this life, when nobody is looking, that the spirit falters." Alan Bennett

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / freedigitalphotos.net

This quote seems to sum me up pretty well. I have always performed so much better when I am under pressure and when there is a deadline to work to. Without that pressure it is all too easy to let things slide.

I have tried imposing my own deadlines but they never seem to work, it is too easy to keep moving the boundaries. I have also tried setting a joint deadline with my brother (also a writer), our own little version of NaNoWriMo with spreadsheets and daily reporting and pep talks. We lasted about two weeks before things began to slide again as we let life get in the way.

I tried keeping my word count displayed in the side bar of this blog but I kept forgetting to update it and then when my computer died I lost the spreadsheet with all the data on it, so now I have had to remove the widgets. (Thankfully I always save my writing in dropbox so that was saved.)

When it comes down to it though, I don't think there is any magic formula that you can follow that will give you more self-discipline. I think it is more like a muscle and the more we use/exercise it, the stronger it becomes.

How about you? What methods have you used to get yourself writing when the 'spirit falters'? Have any of them worked? Let me know in the comments section below, I'd love to hear from you.

Weekly Inspirations #17

Image from Animal Talk

Here is a round-up of my favourite links from the past week. Have a great weekend.

Ten Stupid Writer Tricks (That Might Actually Work) « terribleminds/buff.ly/18Xm5Ts  via @ChuckWendig Some excellent tips here

Starting With Subplot/buff.ly/19WPU7S  via @mooderino

The Pace Race/buff.ly/19kB2l2  via @mooderino

Paperback Writer: Story Improvement/buff.ly/11cDN0b  Really interesting, may have to give this a try myself

An Original Way to Make Any Story Plausible/buff.ly/12CCwWx  by Dr John Yeoman over on the Blood-Red Pencil blog. Loving the examples!

Weekly Inspirations #16

Image from Animal Talk

Here is a round-up of my favourite links from the past week. Have a great weekend.

Pretentious Title: How I Manage Large Casts of Characters/buff.ly/137iyj9  via @Rachel_Aaron

Achieving Writing Goals the SMART Way/goo.gl/LkogH  via @andyraneauthor

When To Let The Reader Into The Character's Head/buff.ly/ZkaGKr  via @mooderino

3D masterpieces on pavement by Tracy Lee Stum on Flickr Blog/buff.ly/15o6T0c  Amazing

The Difference Between Idea, Premise, and Plot/buff.ly/ZlRZWL  via @Janice_Hardy

#IWSG Insecure Writer's Support Group: Discouragement/goo.gl/3dTZY  via @LissaBryan

How to Fake Your Way Into More Freelance Writing Gigs/buff.ly/15BmDfC  via The Renegade Writer

Review of Vivid and Continuous by John McNally

Description (from NetGalley)

Cover links to Amazon

Taking off from The Creative Writer’s Survival Guide, John McNally’srelentlessly blunt, bracingly cheerful, and immensely helpful map to being a writer, Vivid and Continuous is an equally blunt, cheerful, and helpful map to learning to be a writer. While acknowledging that many fine books cover such essentials of fiction writing as point of view, characterization, and setting, McNally sets out in this new book—intended as a supplement to beginning fiction-writing classes or as the sole text for upper-level or graduate courses—to solve the tricky second-tier problems that those books cover only in footnotes.

Vivid and Continuous takes its inspiration from John Gardner, whose essential truths in On Becoming a Novelist clarified McNally’s goal of communicating a “vivid and continuous dream” with his own writing. In fifteen concise, energizing chapters, he dispenses advice gained from almost thirty years of studying, writing, and teaching. How do you avoid the pitfalls inherent in the most common subjects for stories? How do you create memorable minor characters? What about managing references to pop culture without distracting your readers, revising a story to bring its subtext into focus, or exploring the twenty most common craft-related quirks that lessen immediacy for your readers? How do you keep from overdosing on similes and metaphors or relying on too many flashbacks to provide necessary backstory? How do you learn to listen when your story tries to talk to you? Finally, how can you resist “John McNally’s Sure-Fire Formula for Becoming Funnier in 30 Days”?

McNally cites many novels and short stories as examples that best illustrate the lessons he wants to impart, the writer’s life, or the writer’s craft, as well as his own favorite authors’ novels and short story collections. Exercises at the end of each chapter reinforce its point and serve as practical catalysts for new writings and directions.

Just blunt enough to get your attention but not blunt enough to crush you, challenging but not discouraging, personal but not ego-ridden, snarky but not mean, John McNally will prompt you to think more deeply about a variety of issues that will push you toward writing more meaningful, more accomplished work.

My Review

This was an interesting and enjoyable book, taking a different approach to many other writing guides. Most of the essays provided me with some food for thought when it comes to my own writing and I have bookmarked all of the exercises that come at the end of each one, in no doubt that working through them will improve my writing no end. There is also a comprehensive list of further reading that illustrates any examples given in the essays.

Admittedly, some of the areas seemed to ramble a little for me and you will have heard much of the advice before, so it's not completely original - but then no book on writing is and this one is still worth a read. 

I give Vivid and Continuous 4 out of 5.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Showing A Character's True Nature

"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." James D. Miles

Image courtesy of Dave Robinette / flickr.com

This is a great quote to bear in mind when you are trying to show the the true nature of one of your characters, whether it's your protagonist selflessly helping other's, or your antagonist killing someone he no longer has need of.

That being said, be careful not to make it cliched. How about switching it around? No-one is truly bad all the way through, or good and selfless all the time. Give your characters more depth by having you antagonist save a child or help the homeless. Maybe your protagonist bumped into someone and knocked coffee all over them but didn't even stop to say sorry, that someone could have been the antagonist and is the spark that sets him on a path of revenge. Ok, a revenge story based on a spilt coffee may be stretching credibility a little but you get what I mean; everyone has their flaws and their saving graces, it's your job to find them in your characters and then exploit them.

Now over to you - how do you show the different facets of your characters personalities? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.

Get Writing: A Timely Reminder

Image courtesy of nuttakit / freedigitalphotos.net

"Inspiration usually comes during work, not before it." Madeleine L'Engle

These are wise words, and ones I sorely needed to hear/read this week. Last month was so busy with the A-Z Challenge and everything else I had going on in my life that my fiction writing didn't so much take a back burner as get put in cold storage, and it's taking some time to thaw out.

As I mentioned in A to Z Reflections post last, my macbook decided to give up the ghost and I am having to make do with an old windows laptop from the stone ages. Although all my writing is saved in the cloud (thank god!) it is all in Scrivener files and I don't have that on this laptop. I'm waiting until I get a new macbook next month and then I can install it on there. Anyway, I have been kind of using this as a way of justifying why I haven't been doing any writing this month, that and the fact that I am totally lacking in inspiration at the minute.

Reading this quote though made me realise that the inspiration is never going to come back until I start putting in the work. It's one of those things that we all know as writer's but conveniently forget every now and then. I don't need access to my old writing to be able to produce new writing, and even if this computer is slow and takes forever to boot up, there is always good old fashioned pen and paper.

So, this week I am making a concerted effort to get back to my writing so that I am in the right place when my inspiration does finally come back.

How about you? Do you find yourself making excuses when inspiration is lacking? How do you snap yourself back out it? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.

Y is for Yearning

Image courtesy of tcjakob / www.flickr.com

What do you yearn to be/do? If you are reading this blog I am guessing the answer is a writer. Now think about how this affects what you do on a daily basis. What we yearn for impacts our lives, who we are, how we act, our relationships, the choices we make.

Now think about your characters. What do they yearn for? How will this affect their lives and those around them? This doesn't have to be the same as their story goal, but it is integral to who they are. You don't necessarily have to include this information in the story, but being aware of it yourself will help you understand your characters on a much deeper level and this will come across in the writing. Your characters will feel more fully formed and three-dimensional.

What do your characters yearn for? Let me know in the comments section below, I'd love to hear from you.

X is for X-ray

Image courtesy of renjith krishnan / freedigitalphotos.net

You've written your first draft and let it sit for a while, now what?

One of the first things I do is perform an x-ray to ensure the skeleton/structure of the story is intact.

I very often write a scene list in the planning stages before ever writing a single word, but I rarely stick to this completely as things change and develop during the drafting stage. So, on this first read through I write up a new scene list, making a note of all the important things that happen in each scene. Once this is complete I can see the bare bones of the story all in one place. I will highlight the scenes where all the basic plot points (inciting incident, turning point, climax etc) take place in a different colour and then I will be able to see at a glance whether the structure is balanced.

For example, if the inciting incident is happening too late then I know I need to either rearrange the scenes in the beginning to bring it forward, or delete them altogether and start later in the story.

I can also tell by looking over this list whether there are any plot holes that need to be addressed, whether the pace needs adjusting, and whether the character arcs are complete. I can also play around with the order of the scenes, without actually changing the manuscript, to see what would work best.

Having the whole novel compressed into a scene list like this also helps you to focus on the plot and character arcs without getting distracted by correcting a bit of dialogue here, a spelling mistake there, or adding some description. It also makes it easier to cut a scene when you aren't looking at all those words you spent hours over.

Once the bones of the story have been straightened out and put in the right place I know the structure works and I can now focus on making the writing itself better.

How about you? What process do you use when you begin the revision stage? Do you perform an x-ray? Please share in the comments section below, I'd love to hear from you.

A is for Advice (from the greats)

Image courtesy of Simon Howden / freedigitalphotos.net

To kick of the A-Z Blogging Challenge here are a few of my favourite pieces of writing advice from the greats.

"Don't just plan to write - write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style." P.D. James

"Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable." Francis Bacon

 "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." William Wordsmith

"Don't say you were a bit confused and sort of tired and a little depressed and somewhat annoyed. Be confused. Be annoyed. Don't hedge your prose with little timidities. Good writing is lean and confident." William Zinsser

"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things." Ray Bradbury 

 "The nearest I have to a rule is a Post-it note on the wall in front of my desk saying 'Faire et se taire' (Flaubert), which I translate for myself as 'Shut up and get on with it'." Helen Simpson

"Keep writing. Keep doing it and doing it. Even in the moments when it's so hurtful to think about writing." Heather Armstrong

"You can fix anything but a blank page." Nora Roberts

"The first draft of anything is shit." Ernest Hemingway

"It takes a lot of bad writing to get to a little good writing." Truman Capote

Do you have any favourite snippets of writing advice? If so, please share them in the comments below.

As his name fits with today's letter I would also like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to Arlee Bird for creating such a fantastic challenge and helping to connect so many fellow bloggers.

Weekly Inspirations #11

Image via www.animaltalk.us

Here is a round-up of all the links that I have tweeted this week. Have a great weekend.

Writing/Blogging

Game of Thrones' George R.R. Martin: Yes, I Need to Write Faster http://mashable.com/2013/03/22/game-of-thrones-george-martin/ … via @mashable

Good advice RT @CSLakin How to avoid the dreaded adverb: http://awe.sm/gaak 

3 tips to inspire you - syndicated from @JeanNicole19 http://goo.gl/fg9t0  via @MasqCrew

How Storytelling Is Like Tantric Sex http://buff.ly/16MLSh3  via @ChuckWendig

Writing - Old vs New http://goo.gl/j9IAY  via @BertCarson

Word count per day. Everyone’s different. What’s your target? http://lawrencewray.wordpress.com/how-many-words-a-day/ … via @lawrence_wray

"7 Great Writing Tips For Bloggers" | #blogging | http://wp.me/p1xtdt-1xz  via @GeoffTalbot

Writing - Find The Ones Who Will http://goo.gl/aIful  via @BertCarson

Writing Game #13 - Salted Chocolate Peanuts http://goo.gl/wzES6  via @OliNejad

A Series of Series http://goo.gl/801EW  via @TMCanada1

Writing Game #14 - Five Synopses http://goo.gl/Ej8bL  via @OliNejad

Friday's How She Does It with Meg Benjamin http://goo.gl/MKYvY  via @JanetL717

3 Tips To Help You Contact Book Reviewers via http://BookPromotion.com  http://ow.ly/jmDn6  via @RachelintheOC

Why Not Blogging Is Stupid by @RachelintheOC aka Rachel Thompson http://ow.ly/joZPu  // what do you think?

The Fifth #Authorship Commandment: Know Thy Worth What we can learn from the alligator http://ow.ly/joH1K  via @A_K_Taylor

Writing - The Lombardi Method http://goo.gl/aJOhe  via @BertCarson

Writing - Credentials http://goo.gl/shJ2d  via @BertCarson

17 Links I Loved To Pieces http://goo.gl/TNWTK  via @MonaKarel

Check out Jenna Storm's Fantastic Forty Interview on Jane Wakely's blog http://goo.gl/UkOXr  via @JennaStormWritz

Tuesday's Inspiration ala Helen Van Slyke http://goo.gl/ZSRFf  via @JanetL717

The Key to Successful Storytelling http://buff.ly/XG160x  via @JodyHedlund

4 Questions To Consider When Deciding Whether To Traditionally Publish Or Self-Publish http://goo.gl/ZBICf  via @EmilieHardie

Writing A Novel - Final Creative Piece: Blurb Outline and First 500 Words http://goo.gl/ejrDo  via @OliNejad

Writing Game #15 - Wacky Places http://goo.gl/MwEwl  via @OliNejad

The Absolute of Writing http://goo.gl/bvmWj  via @BertCarson

Quotes

Creativity requires the courage 2 let go of certainties. Eric Fromm via @pauljsmith

Writers and artists are magicians. They have a real magic wand to conjure up images in the mind's eye @KhaledTalib

For some writers, a nightmare can be a good thing @KhaledTalib