Nov 6
Are you getting in your reader’s way? Getting in the way can take many forms. At the Vegas Valley Book Festival Saturday, young adult author Matt de la Peña presented a workshop about this very topic.
Here’s what he had to say:
Don’t bog down your story’s beginning. Be wary of loading it down with too many details, characters and too much backstory. Let the story unfold in a timely way. Read more
If you’ve entered the NaNoWriMo zone, you may find it useful to draw inspiration from published authors.
These novelists reveal the details of their daily writing routines.
Tim Lott, Emma Donoghue, Esther Freud, Ian Rankin, Lionel Shriver, and Maggie O’Farrell.
The interviews were published as part of a feature The Guardian published called How to Write a Book in 30 Days.
Feel free to share how you write in the comments below.
Nov 1
Congratulations! If you’re participating in this year’s Nanowrimo, today is day one of your writing success.
To help you along the way, below are two inspirational treats:
Bestselling author and writing mentor Bob Mayer has a great blog that he’ll update during the month with more posts for us Nanos. This post is about what to write.
For a quick 3-minute break to lift your spirits listen to Nanowrimo A Capella here:
Just in time for the NaNoWriMo kickoff Nov. 1, I found a series of articles on The Guardian online outlining a six-stage plan for writing a book in 30 days. The series is part of a 32-page supplement delivered free to Guardian readers in its Oct. 20 edition.
The 30-day plan includes handy worksheets and details about:
I’ve just signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to help me write my next novel. One of my personal weaknesses as a writer is that I think too much in my first drafts when I should just be writing. So I’m using this NaNoWriMo to help me make a breakthrough.
Even if you’re not participating in NaNoWriMo, the seven tips below can help you finish any project:
Tip # 1: Write from the heart. There will be times when you’ll get stuck. Some days, your prose will sound like garbled hamster hash. When this happens, stop and take a few deep breaths. Remind yourself what you love about your project. I have an index card on my desk with my original idea for the story—it’s the tag line that got my juices going in the first place. Then go back to your page and write from that space of passion. Read more
What’s more important: A good story or good writing?
My cousin asked me this question recently as I was giving him tips to build out a series of travel essays he’d been working on.
I want to be able to say that both are equally important, but I think a good story is the first priority. Good writing comes in the revision.
Here are a few pieces of advice I gave him as he sets out on his writing journey to ensure he’ll write a good story AND write it well.
Create a reading list. We should always be reading but when I start a writing project, I like to create a custom reading list for that project. I advised my cousin to read books in the same genre as he expects to write. I always like the “Best American Series” books, so I suggested he add The Best American Travel Writing 2012
“How you do one thing is how you do everything.” I can’t remember who originally said this but I’ve heard it many times.
Learning to write or do any art is like peeling an onion. A concept or craft technique I learned two years ago will continue to unfold and grow to a deeper level in my understanding.
One of many of these moments came to me last weekend at the Surrey Writers Conference. I heard over and over that, as writers, we should only send out our best work.
I know this, of course, but it resonated at a deeper level of understanding for me this weekend. Read more
onewildword 