NaNoWriMo: An Alternative Challenge

It's almost that time again. November is just around the corner, which means it's NaNoWriMo again. Are you ready to pump out 50,000 words in 30 days? It's a great way to work on that novel or novella you've been putting off. It's a great challenge to see what you are made of and how far you can push yourself. I did the challenge in 2009 and managed to complete 50,000 words with two days to spare! It was fun, exciting, as well as, an eye-opener of my limitations and capabilities as a writer (when I started it, I really didn't think I would be able to make the 50,000 word goal, but I pushed through anyways). It taught me how to write without the inner editor, the creative benefits of writing everyday, how to organize my life so that I could write everyday and that I could push myself to reach any goal if I wanted it bad enough. It also taught me how exhausting writing 50,000 words in a month is and that I really don't need to do that again any time soon. One time was enough, but I highly recommend the challenge if you have not tried it before. If you want to learn more about the official NaNoWriMo check it out here.

Website Spotlight: Jane Friedman

I recently stumbled across a website and I liked it so much I thought I would share. Jane Friedman has a wealth of information for the writer/author looking to publish, wonderful inspirational posts, and writing craft techniques. There is also a post that has a free market listing where you can find publishers and agents at no charge. Below are just some of the listings. Go to her site to see a full listing.

Update to the Writing Resource Page

I recently updated the Writing Resources page to add the following information. Enjoy!


Writing Motivation
Dr. Wicked Write or Die This website supplies an easy to use program that forces you to write without the inner editor. It forces you to keep typing, because if you stop it erases your words! A great way to learn to free write.

Free Listing For Book Publishers (information from Jane Friedman)
Be aware that most New York publishers do not accept unagented submissions, so sometimes “searching for a publisher” really means “finding an agent” (see next list).

• Duotrope.com. For fiction and poetry only. About 3,500 listings total, which includes many types of publications.
• QueryTracker.net. About 130 listings.
• Preditors & Editors. Hundreds of listings; been going since 1997. Waves a red flag on publishers to avoid. However, unclear how often the information is updated.
• Ralan.com. About 100 listings, focused on SF/F.
• AgentQuery.com. Bare-bones list (no submission guidelines), but offers embedded links to publishers’ sites. Useful to preview the landscape.
• WriterMag.com. If you subscribe to The Writer magazine, you get 3,000 online market listings for free. Vetted list.
• Poets & Writers. Hundreds of listings, serving primarily the more literary side of the writing community.

Writing Prompt: Are You A Good Liar?

Here's a writing prompt to try. Write four to six sentences on something unusual, startling, or amusing that happened to you or that you did. Create three different scenarios, but one of them must be true. Make sure to include some details!

 
Example 1: I cursed my overheated car as I stood on the side of a busy highway. I had forgotten my cell phone at home and the nearest gas station was at least a 10 mile walk down the road in either direction. I'd never make it in these damn heels. I was already running late for work so didn't have time to waste. I spotted a Doge Ram speeding down the road towards me, I had a moment of inspiration and pulled up the bottom of my blouse to flashed the driver. A minute later I was in sitting in the cab of the pickup beside a grinning redneck, leaving my heap of scrap metal on the side of the road.

What is Deep Third or Deep POV?

You may have heard the term Deep Third or Deep Point Of View, but what does it really mean?

"Deep POV is to the writer what method acting is to the actor. It requires the writer to submerge herself in the character from whose point of view a scene is being seen. It requires a casting off of all inhibitions. The writer becomes the character." (Exert from an article by Maeve Maddox at www.dailywritingtips.com).

 Deep Third is writing in the Third Person but taking it further by slowing down time and showing the reader what's going on from the character's point of view. It uses the surroundings, thoughts, feelings, or anything else to steep the reader with what's going on in the characters head. Sensory detail (the use of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste) can play a role in this as well. But it's the thought process of the character that the reader needs to be plugged into. It's about giving the reader an opportunity to "step into" the characters head and be the character without even realizing it (if the Deep POV is done right).

Let the Dark Side Take Control

There are thousands of stories that fill books, computers and magazines, but what makes one story standout above other stories? Why are we drawn to some and not others? What makes a story memorable? You might say excellent writing style, stellar plot, fabulous characters, or unique content? I for one believe that even more than all those things a great story involves something more. It is the writer making the hard choices and deciding to torture the hell out of their characters, the writer that isn't afraid of upping the stakes just a little bit higher, the writer who doesn't shy from letting their dark side take control.

Writing Prompt: A Doggone Good Book

Free download from office.microsoft.com

Here's a writing prompt for today. Does it inspire a thought or a story? What is the dog reading? What happens when when the dog wakes up? Who is behind the camera? Is this the beginning of the Doggy Revolution- Planet of the Dogs? Have fun with it and see where it leads you!