Tag: Camp NaNoWriMo

I Finally Did It (Midweek Novel Update #10)

Meg DowellLeave a comment

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It only took three years of confusion, rewrites and anxiety, but I’ve finally done it.

I’ve finally figured out which genre my book belongs in.

Ha. You thought I was going to say I finished writing the book. Ha. Haha.

HA.

Not even close, my friend. But you see, there’s been something holding me back a little: not knowing which genre I was even writing in. I floated between YA and sci-fi and I just couldn’t figure out what I wanted the story to be. It’s a story with mostly realistic elements, but takes place in the future. I wasn’t sure that could be a thing. I was almost afraid I would have to change something, choose one thing or the other, even.

Then I discovered soft SF.

Basically, and I’m both paraphrasing and simplifying from multiple web sources here (okay fine, Wikipedia came first), soft science fiction is a sub-genre of sci-fi that deals more with social and behavioral issues, character development and plot than most of the science fiction you’re probably used to. The “science” part of the story is just that: a part. It’s not the primary focus.

I felt relieved when I made my discovery, and okay, pretty embarrassed that I run a writing-focused blog and didn’t know this existed before now. My book has a place. If I ever get to the point where I feel ready to start sending out queries, I can narrow down which agents might actually give me a chance. I can actually explain the kind of story I’m writing, instead of “it’s kind of like Divergent but not really” (yes, direct quote from yours truly). I can keep my storyline and my character development without having to add more explosions and tech. (Though it’s tempting, especially the explosions. Explosion Wednesday? Anyone? Anyone?)

So I still have a long way to go. I’m a little over 30,000 words in and am starting to connect more and more of the literary dots. The thought of giving up crossed my mind only once, back in April, when I was only four months into my second major story revision and feeling like nothing I wrote was working.

There’s no reason to quit now. I can’t imagine giving three years of my life to something I truly cared about and then throwing it all aside the second things started getting harder. It’s the same reason I finished my fourth year of college even though my junior year was a train wreck and I wanted out.

I think writing a book is about more than just writing a story. If you’ve never written a book, I’m not sure it’s possible to completely understand what it means to do it. Half the time I find myself so engrossed in what I’m working on that I forget about the outside world. I forget I’m not getting paid for this (a thought that crosses my mind about 500 times a day amidst other tasks).

You start writing a book, and you become too involved with your characters to back out when you know things are about to get good. You can’t just leave them to their own devices. It is still sci-fi, after all. Anything could happen.

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter. 

It’s Okay to Write and Cry

Meg Dowell2 Comments

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Some of you are probably going to judge me for admitting this, but as I was pouring through my daily 500-word goal this morning, something happened: I cried. Not because I hit my word count goal for the month, but because sometimes writing just consumes all of you, even the emotional parts.

I cried through the scene and I cried as I validated my word count to earn this top photo. I probably could have kept going, but it’s Monday and I have a lot more on my to-do list I needed to finish before going back to it. I’ll continue 500 words a day until the end of Camp, because, as you’ve probably guessed by now, I have fallen in love with my book all over again. But I needed a break. I didn’t expect to react to the scene the way I did.

If you’ve experienced intense emotions while writing, you’re not alone, and, good news: you’re normal. You should be glad you’re having such strong reactions to the things happening inside your head and out on the screen in front of you. Here’s why.

If you feel, your readers will feel

Not only do you want your readers to enjoy the experience of reading your work: you want them to react to it. Whether that reaction is good (“Yes! Harry lives!”) or not so good (“HEDWIG!!!!!!!”) it’s still a reaction. Sometimes we write to inform. Sometimes we write to entertain. But no matter the overall, we should always aim to nail a reader right in the heart.

How can you tell if your words will produce a reaction? By evaluating your own. Your emotions can not only fuel your words, but can help you gauge how someone else might feel at the same parts of the story. If a scene is supposed to make someone sad, but you don’t feel sad writing it … make it sadder!

Writing about emotional experiences is good for you, too

We write for ourselves, and in turn we often offer something of value to the people who read what we write. But in a lot of cases, you would still write if no one ever read your work. Wouldn’t you? Even journaling counts (have you cried journaling?). For some of us, writing heals. A positive byproduct just happens to be the act of giving someone else that same opportunity to deal with their own past experiences.

You can use storytelling as a coping mechanism for just about anything, and as you work through those story elements and put your characters through certain hardships (or it can be good things, too), it gets easier to make sense of the things that happened in your own life just by sitting at a computer and thinking of the best way to recount those moments in someone else’s point of view.

A few months back I wrote a post about funerals, and in that post I mentioned how my current book has two separate funeral scenes in it. I told you about how I’d been avoiding those scenes because I wasn’t ready to write them, but that at that point I felt I was finally ready to try.

I finally got to one of them today, and even though it’s not finished, and it’s not completely based on something that actually happened to me, the overall message resonates with me—apparently enough to make me cry while I was just trying to finish a scene and move on.

There are hidden rewards to writing. You’ll find them, as long as you keep going. Even if it requires a box of tissues.

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Image courtesy of Camp NaNoWriMo.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter. 

How I Really Feel About WriMos (31DBBB Day 19)

Meg Dowell3 Comments

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Each November, April and July, and maybe some months between here and there, writers gather in a virtual space to do one thing: write a certain number of words in a cramped, month-long time span. In 30 days or less, stories come to life faster than the average set of hands can type.

WriMos, or “writing months” aren’t new to me. I decided on a whim to try my first one back in 2008 and, because I’m addicted to writing and don’t get along with the slumber gods, have won every consecutive year since. I don’t like admitting that. I only do it for credibility reasons, so when I talk about WriMos, readers don’t think I’m just some random blogger writing about writing.

I mean, I am just some random blogger writing about writing. But I don’t have any major publications to my name (anyone can blog). So I need something to show for all the work I’ve done. Something that maybe might impress someone.

The problem is, WriMos don’t impress too many people these days. I don’t write to impress. But I’m a big advocate for being on the Internet for a good cause, not just to post random things with my name on them. Everything I do, there’s a reason I do it. I dish out writing advice because I know what it’s like to be a writer and feel like my art isn’t worth anything. I started Novelty Revisions to give writers new opportunities to take their ideas and make beautiful words out of them—no matter what they write, no matter how fast or slow they want to go.

Tomorrow marks the end of my first summer Camp NaNoWriMo, and this November I’ll attempt and maybe even finish my eighth consecutive National Novel Writing Month (50,000 words in 30 days). I do it for motivation and to keep my larger writing projects on track. But honestly, I could probably do without.

I want to do 10 consecutive years of NaNo and then re-evaluate whether or not to continue. More likely than not, 2017 will be my last year. Even though the few books I have finished have all at least started during a WriMo.

Why WriMos Don’t Impress Me Anymore

Your first year doing a WriMo is new and exciting. 50,000 words seems like a lot—and it is, if you’ve never paid attention to your word count all that much before. And finishing, if you do, is even more exciting. That is, if you pace yourself, play by the rules and actually end the month with something worth your effort.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people claim to write 10,000 words a day for a week straight. I don’t care who you are, that’s not possible. I’ve written over 10,000 words in one day before, but you can’t keep up that pace for long. You just can’t. If you’re going to fudge your numbers, why bother participating in the first place?

You could argue here that we shouldn’t worry so much about what other people do, but isn’t the whole point of a writing community supposed to be, I don’t know, working together? Not specifically on projects, but as support? Something fun? Everyone in my cabin this month disappeared after about a week. Writing itself is an individual effort, but I don’t know a lot of other writers, and for some reason I always start off every WriMo thinking I’ll actually “meet” some.

So Why Don’t I Just Stop?

Because I’m stubborn. Because I look forward to those few months out of the year I can make writing my main focus. Because the project I’m working on right now, a YA sci-fi something-or-other, has been through multiple WriMos and has survived multiple complete reconstructions. I’m so busy and overwhelmed these days, I honestly don’t know if I would have made as much progress as I have over the past few months without the promise of a WriMo always lurking in the shadows.

I don’t use WriMos for word count, honestly. I use them to keep me on track, to give me a measurable goal to reach. If you’re the kind of person that needs that kind of motivation, then you understand what I mean. So even though I could do without them, even though I get really tired of writers making a huge deal about how much they can write in so little time (myself included), I’m sorry to admit that because WriMos are sort of where I first started writing longer stories, I’m almost dependent on them to keep my work flow steady.

I’m sure some of you reading probably have different views on the subject, and I’d really love to hear from you in the comments. I’m not saying WriMos are good or that they’re bad. We just have a love-hate relationship, and half the time I don’t even know if I should keep putting them on my calendar.

So, fellow former or current WriMo participants. How do you feel?

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter. 

When Will It End? 30,000 Words and Feeling TERRIBLE (Midweek Novel Update #8)

Meg DowellLeave a comment

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How many midweek updates will I have to post before we get to the one where I tell you there won’t be any more midweek updates about this book, because it’s done?

I’ve been asking myself that a lot this past week. Not because I don’t enjoy updating you on my progress (I do, most of the time) but because I’m losing patience and motivation and, yes, even confidence.

Ironically, I’ve written more in the past week than I have in the past three months. It’s very easy to set a general daily goal of “write some,” write a paragraph or maybe even just a few sentences and move on to something else “more important.”

At least now, with Camp NaNo and a word count goal (my daily average is a little over 500 words) I’m getting somewhere.

But not fast enough, my head says. Not nearly fast enough.

I know there’s no rush, and if I continue on with this daily word count, I won’t have any problems finishing by the end of the year. That’s my goal: to finish the first draft of this novel by the end of the year.

Why? Because it’s been too long. I first had this flicker of an idea over three years ago now. I’m coming up with other ideas. I’m not bored, I’m just ready to be done, to move on to the revisions stage, to see if it’s worth searching for an agent yet. To evaluate how much more work it needs before I might be able to get excited about publishing it someday.

The pieces are coming together slowly; they always do. I know all the surprises and some of the twists. I know I need to connect the dots and fill in the holes and bulk up the action sequences. It’s not going to be a super long book; honestly, I’m guessing I’m probably about halfway done at around 30,000 words (I don’t know exactly; there are some things I already know I need to take out and just haven’t yet). A book doesn’t need to be long to be good. But I’m struggling. I’m not used to it.

It’s really different, writing a book as an adult, compared to writing a book as a teenager. I’m still a “young” adult, but I’m out of college and I’m trying to find a job and I’m well aware of the fact that writing alone can’t support me right now. At the same time, I’m in graduate school so I can eventually get a really good job so I don’t have to worry quite as much about money and can still afford to write for fun.

There’s not as much time, and definitely not as much motivation, as there used to be.

In high school, writing was all I wanted and it was basically all I knew. So spending hours upon hours writing books was like a no-brainer, I guess. I was going to make a living doing this someday! Of course I was! No! Because now I would love to be able to spend all that time writing, but I can’t. I have a magazine to manage and a full-time job to find and classes to pass and tuition to pay. I literally could never afford not to live with my parents right now. Actually, I guess I could look at it as, I live with my parents so I can afford to spend a few hours a day blogging and working on my book.

It’s not going to get any easier. I know that. As I’ve “grown up” I’ve realized how easy it is to have faith in the promises of your ideas when you’re younger. When you’re older, so much gets in the way.

I’m a good writer, but I’m not great. That pretty much means I’m always going to have to work to support myself, aside from writing, if I ever even get paid for doing that as a side gig. I’ve accepted that. I’m sure my future spouse will learn to accept that, too, wherever he’s hiding (ha). I’m one of those people who does eventually want a family, and a decent career and the luxury to be able to write and enjoy it.

That’s pretty much one of those dreams you have to latch onto knowing it may never come true. I know that, too.

Finishing this book will mean a lot to me. Because I know it won’t be the first book I ever publish; it needs a lot of work and I’m still learning. So to me, finishing means I’m one step closer to being able to write something that’s good enough for an agent. With every project you finish, you get a little better, not just with your writing but because you’ve proven to yourself, again, you can finish something and not give up in the middle no matter how many times you’ve wanted to.

This week, I’ve wanted to give up on this book.

But it’s not finished yet. I’ve invested too much time and effort and tears to abandon it now. I’m past the point of no return.

Still, I can’t help wondering when it will end.

This month? Definitely not. I have about 30,000 words to go. I have too many other things going on to be able to crank out that many more words in three weeks.

This year? I really hope so.

What do I keep telling you? The 30,000-word slump EXISTS and I am DEEP IN IT.

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter.

My First Day of Camp [NaNoWriMo] (Midweek Novel Update #7)

Meg DowellLeave a comment

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322 words.

That’s what stands between me and a successful first day of Camp NaNo, otherwise known as the month I, and many others, dare to write fearlessly. And continuously. Probably a bit recklessly.

Since the demise of July Novel Writing Month (RIP), I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if trying a different summer WriMo would be worth it. Some “experienced” writers apparently don’t see the value of cranking out a certain number of words in a fixed amount of time.

They’re entitled to their opinions. I have a close relationship and deep respect for WriMos (“writing months”). I first joined the NaNoWriMo community my sophomore year of high school. This November will be my eighth consecutive participation year, and hopefully my eighth win.

This month is technically my second round of Camp NaNo—if you were following me back in April, you know I hit a 10,000-word goal and had a pretty rough time doing so. But most of the completed works I can vouch for have come from WriMos. There’s something about the numbers game for me. It makes me pay more attention to my story and characters. It makes my brain feel, well, alive.

322 words. That’s all I need to write every day this month to hit my goal of 10,000 words. That’s not so bad. Fairly manageable, right?

A significantly lower mark than usual for me, though. Considering that one summer I wrote an 130,000-word novel in 14 days. According to my TimeHop this morning, I was passing 8,000 words already today, four years ago.

How did I do that?

Well, I was just an English major back then. I was home for the summer with no job or internship or classes. They yanked my wisdom teeth out. I was growing apart from my high school friends (as most post-freshmen do). I had a lot—a lot—of down time. And the words just kept coming.

It won’t be like that ever again, and honestly, that’s fine with me. This is the same book I’m still thinking about sending queries out for, by the way, which isn’t the worst idea—I wrote it fast, but my mind was on over-creative drive or something. I’ve gone back and read a few pages. It’s not terrible.

But I have other things to do now, besides write, which is why I picked up a second major and internships galore in the first place. I love writing, but not all day long. Besides, how can I help you figure out how to balance time, relationships, work, school, etc., and writing, if I don’t practice myself?

I’d love to crank out 50,000 words (or more) this month. But it’s just not necessary.

I’m looking forward to getting to know my cabin mates, something I didn’t take advantage of this past April (it was my first time “camping”—I don’t think I knew what cabins were). I’m looking forward to getting better at writing a little every day, and more than just a paragraph or two. It tends to be all-or-nothing for me. I want to work on that. I like having multiple goals.

I also want to continue posting here every day (June was successful, mainly because I haven’t had a job … it’s fine) and focus more on mainstream content rather than the plethora of blog posts you’ve been getting lately. It’s taken a little bit for my brain to recover from exam mode. I have a lot of ideas for posts in my notes app. As always, you’re welcome to suggest ideas, if there’s something about your writing process you want to improve this month (or any time).

Oh, I’m also participating in Problogger’s 31 Days of Building a Better Blog. If you’ve read our About page, you’ve probably noticed we know what we’re doing, but have yet to nail down a decent elevator pitch. Thanks to yesterday’s podcast, I’ll be updating that page shortly so you don’t have to sift through the fluff to figure out why we exist.

Hurray!

It’s going to be a good month. I have a goal of hitting 100 followers here, too, so if you like what we do and know someone else who might benefit, pass our posts along. I love writing, but even more than that, I love helping other people write better. Ideas aren’t hard to come by, but getting them on paper, well, is.

That’s not the elevator pitch. It’s being—ha—revised.

322 words. On top of everything else on my ever-growing to-do list. I can do that.

But first, let me publish a blog post.

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter.

New Ideas Are Your Motivators, Not Your Enemies

Meg Dowell4 Comments

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Yesterday afternoon, I got a new idea for a book.

Like most ideas, it came to me in the middle of doing something else, something that just so happened to be rather important. I suppose it didn’t come from nowhere; it’s more of a loosely woven thread of feelings and experiences that all of a sudden became worthy of a story.

Like most ideas, it wants my attention. Desperately.

But as you may or may not know, I’m already writing a book, one now over three years in the making.

If there is ever a time to follow my own advice, friends, it is now.

Remember: ideas have a life cycle

Sort of. They begin as microscopic fragments of names and dialogue and events. They slowly, very slowly, mature into storylines suited enough to write (or at least attempt to). They need time to grow before they’re ready to work with you. It is a partnership, your relation to your ideas. Neither of you can function all too well without the other. I might even dare to say it’s dangerous to start developing them too early.

So why am I so tempted to?

July 1 is approaching

This is the main source of my conflict and worry. After all, what better time to leap into a new story than a WriMo? Camp NaNoWriMo is supposed to motivate us to take our ideas and put them to paper (word processor?). Why not this one?

I’m not a huge supporter of abandoning current projects to start new ones on a whim. I never have been. After years of practice, I’ve become one of those people that finishes what she starts (I wasn’t born with the instinct, trust me). My biggest fear is that, if I put my current project aside, even for 10,000 words, I won’t want to go back to it once this new, shiny story starts unfolding.

I know it’s too early to run with it

 The idea, the kind you can hold in your hand and begin shaping into a plot with characters and climaxes and mysteries and words, only became so clear in my mind yesterday. Not even 24 hours ago. I’ve told all of you plenty of times not to jump into something new without giving it time to solidify in the depths of your mind.

It might not even be a book idea; it might be a short story idea or a poem or a haiku, for all I know. The thing is, this early on in the process, you don’t know. You can’t know right away. So closing out my current Word document and starting a new file, starting a new book, would be foolish. Reckless. I’d pretty much be going against everything I have ever taught you about idea management.

Yet it’s keeping me awake at night

Okay, only one night. But if you’ve been there, you know how awfully long those nights can be. It isn’t that I’m itching to write down my thoughts as much as I’m dying to know if the idea will ever become something more than this.

I’m still so committed to my initial project; that motivation has not left. Yet I have toyed with the idea of working on both at once, in smaller pieces each, to see if I could handle it. I don’t think I could. Our brains are powerful, but I’m not sure mine can keep track of two stories at once. I don’t want to diminish the quality of both because I’m trying too hard to make them both come to life.

I didn’t ask for this, you know. We never do. Ideas appear when we least expect them to. Sometimes they are unwanted. Yet they stay.

I am grieving a loss, and I really think giving this idea a chance could really help me—help me get the closure I need and at the same time honor the life of someone I really cared about.

I think it’s this—knowing it could change me, knowing it could give him a voice even now—that has given me the answers I needed today.

It’s a good idea. Good ideas never leave you. I think I have an obligation to my current project. And I think, if I keep pushing forward and finish it to the best of my ability, this newer idea will still be there waiting.

At least, I sincerely hope it will be.

Have you been here before? Have you survived this? Have your ideas stuck with you even after putting them to the side?

I’d love to know I’m not alone.

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter.

 

Solution Saturday: I Can’t Write 50,000 Words in One Month

Meg Dowell1 Comment

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Oh, yes you can.

Or you can at least try.

Camp NaNoWriMo is merely days away now (!), and you could be in one of multiple places: signed up but scared out of your mind (understandable), not signed up because you’re not interested or legitimately can’t give up other lifestyle commitments, like breathing (also understandable) or our least favorite: not signed up because you’re not sure you’re going to be able to write enough words in such a short amount of time.

Stop right there. We need to have a chat.

As we’ve discussed previously, there are three reasons writers fail to develop and refine their skills. One of those reasons is time. Associated with this: being too busy, treating writing as a hobby (which some do, and there’s nothing wrong with that, please, no flailing tentacles in the comments) and just not knowing how writing fits into your long list of life-long ambitions.

Participating in a WriMo is voluntary and often, let’s be honest, a terrible idea. Until you get started. It’s the kind of stress we need to thrive—a combination of terror and excitement particularly difficult to describe. But if you give up before you’ve even signed up—you’re not doing yourself any favors.

Not sure you can handle it? Here are a few solutions that might motivate you to change your mind.

Solution 1: Set a reasonable word count goal—for you

Unlike National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short), which takes place in November, Camp NaNoWriMo—April and July—does not have an automatic 50K word count goal you have to reach in order to win. The system lets you set your own word count, so if you really think you’ll struggle making 50,000, you’re allowed to shoot lower.

A lot of your cabin mates might keep their word count at 50,000—or they might even set a higher goal. Cheer them on—but don’t let them intimidate you. If 10,000 words is all you think you’ll be able to handle this July, that’s still a huge accomplishment. And here’s the beauty of setting a lower word count: if you hit it before July ends, no one’s going to stop you from writing more!

Solution 2: Accept that you might not be able to write every day 

Here at Novelty Revisions, we’re all for the concept of trying to write a little every day, even if it’s not your best work. The truth is, this philosophy doesn’t always apply quite as well during WriMo months. You can try to write a little every day—1,667 daily words on the 50K track—and if that’s the strategy that works best for you, and you’re not too concerned about quality (or your own sanity), get those fingers ready and go for it.

If you’ve found that writing every day doesn’t work as well for you, use this next month as a trial run for yourself. What about writing every other day, or select days of the week only, such as weekends? The important thing to note here is, it’s not the end of the world if you can’t update your word count every day. That chart is there to help motivate you to keep going. If it flatlines a few times (too morbid?), just breathe. It’s going to be okay.

Solution 3: Turn “have to” into “want to,” “can’t” into “can try”

Writing is a lifestyle, and just like taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle involves positive thinking and positive self-talk along with diet and exercise (sorry), reaching toward word count and similar goals takes more effort than coaxing your brain into squeezing out its best ideas.

No one is making you do this. So getting into the habit of “have to” writing, when you really think about it, doesn’t even make that much sense. Take that have to and make it a want to. You want to write these words. You want to get closer to finishing this book. The same goes for the infamous “can’t” attitude. It’s in the title of this post, for goodness sake. You CAN. It might take lowering your set point (SORRY) and combating all the voices inside you screaming that it’s not possible, but honestly, if you can’t convince yourself it is in fact possible, no one can.

You don’t have to do this. But if you want to, don’t stress if you can’t reach 50K. And if you do shoot for that count and don’t end up making it—you tried. Never forget that trying and falling short is so much more fulfilling than giving up before you even start reaching. 

Can’t wait until Wednesday? Get ready to embark on your word-writing journey by checking out our summer 2015 “packing” checklist.

Do you have a “writer problem” that you can’t seem to find a solution to? Leave a comment or tweet @MegDowell with the hashtag #NRSaturdaySolutions and we might help you solve your problem in next week’s post!

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

Summer 2015 Camp NaNoWriMo Packing Checklist

Meg Dowell3 Comments

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Five days remain before you’re assigned to a cabin and can start getting settled. July 1 seems like it’s awfully far away, but you know how time flies.

If this is anything like summer camp IRL—okay, it’s not, but work with me here—you probably shouldn’t wait any longer to start packing your virtual suitcase.

Thankfully, no one likes packing, so I’ve compiled a list of things you’ll want to remember to bring with you to Camp.

Ready—set—pack!

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(Rough) plot outline

You don’t need to know exactly where you’re story is going to—in fact, not knowing how all the pieces of your story fit together when you start is half the fun. It’s a good idea to have a general direction to travel in, though. It can be as simple as one crumpled-up Post-It note with key plot points listed on it.

Coffee, tea or snacks

You might need something to keep you awake, but you might also need something to remind yourself you’re still a living, breathing human who has basic biological needs. If you’re on a roll, sometimes hours can go by before you realize it’s past dinnertime and you haven’t stopped to feed your brain. (I’d gone on a rant about choosing healthy snacks, but alas, I’ll refrain.)

Running shoes

Excuse me, what? Yes, have a pair of good tennis shoes/running shoes/sneakers (wherever you are, whatever you call them) nearby. You won’t need to run from your own villains—they’re make-believe, remember. But as you write, you’ll have “brain droughts” and need to give yourself time to refresh. Get outside for a while and do something active to set your thoughts in healthy motion.

B.U.G. spray

Otherwise known as, “bashful ubiquitous ghost” spray. Ever wonder where that sudden onset of doubt and panic while working on your novel comes from? Bashful, ubiquitous ghosts like to think they’re hanging around to help you, but they’ll only slow down your progress. They build nests in our brains and make us believe we’re writing mush instead of gold, and B.U.G. spray is the only way to keep them at a safe distance from your writing space.

Check out Camp NaNo’s writing resources for more tips on how to boost your literary confidence and get your ideas ready to play nice. 

Calendar

A great way to track your Camp progress, if the built-in stats tracker isn’t enough to keep you going, is to create your own month-long calendar to write down your daily word goals and motivate yourself to reach them (and reward yourself for passing them, on a really good day). This can also be a nice creative DIY project to keep you occupied while you’re waiting for July to hurry up and get here already.

Distraction eraser

If it’s not your phone, it’s the wireless Internet connection on your laptop. Distractions are the number-one cause of NaNo non-winnery (or at least, I like to believe so), but you don’t have to fall into the trap. Apps like OmmWriter can help you keep your Camp project in focus and at the top of your priority list (I happen to like it, no OmmWriter beasts are compensating me for saying so).

Last but not least—this didn’t make the actual list, but it’s worth mentioning—you are more than welcome to join me on this fun-filled literary adventure! Maybe we’ll even be able to “meet up” once cabin assignment day arrives!

So what are you waiting for? Sign up and start packing!

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Logo courtesy of Camp NaNoWriMo.org.

Images courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter.

So I’m Getting a Book Published … Sort of (Midweek Novel Update #4)

Meg Dowell1 Comment

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I’m afraid of what you’ll think of me.

I want to be honest with you, and promise you I’m not giving up on my book. Just because I haven’t made much progress this past week doesn’t mean I’m quitting for good. I’m not stopping, I’m still writing, I don’t care how slowly my word count goes up.

There’s a lot going on in my professional life this month and it’s okay to take it slow.

But … something else has been on my mind, too. Another book. A book I’ve already written and shelved a single proof copy of.

I don’t want you to think I’m betraying the story I’ve been working on for the past three years. You know I don’t give up easily and am always quick to encourage my followers to finish one project before starting another.

I guess this is a little different. But I wanted to start off telling it like it is, because I’m kind of terrified.

However, I am an aspiring writer just like many of you reading this post. I feel obligated to be open about my struggles of the literary variety because we all have them, and if we don’t talk about them, how will we ever overcome them?

So here’s the deal: I’m opening up an already finished book. 

I’m breaking my own rule. I’m returning to a project I already put aside. Some of you don’t care, won’t think twice about it, won’t understand where the worry comes from. Some of you are shaking your monitors/screens/phones/whatever pieces of technology through which you’ve accessed this web page.

Why are you doing this to yourself? Why are you being so stupid?

Because. Because I worked really hard on it, and wrote it without holding myself back, from the deep (dark?) depths of my soul, and all it’s been doing for the past four years is sitting on a shelf in my closet, read by few … but relatively liked by those few. I mean they have to say that, they’re my family and friends. But the book, while not the best story ever written, deserves more than a lifetime on a shelf.

I think I want to give it the chance to do more. I think I’m ready to introduce it to the world.

For years, I’ve wanted to start looking for an agent.

The book is called Queen Bee. It’s the last book I actually wrote from start to finish. It’s also edited, bound and shelved as a proof copy from CreateSpace, which is my self-decided signal for putting a full-length project behind me and moving on. I don’t think it’s the best story out there, but it’s the best book I personally have ever finished. And I think that counts for something.

I wrote it over one summer, between my freshman and sophomore years of college. Once I received the proof and let it sit on my desk for a few weeks, I shelved it to keep it safe and went back to school that August.

I got busy. I added a second major. I forgot about it, sort of. Excuses, excuses. By the time I came home the next summer, I had a new story idea, a new project … the same project I’m still working on today, many revisions later.

One of my goals this year is to finish my current project. It’s still a priority for me. I’ve signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo (join me?) and I’m ready to commit to 10,000 words of progress or more. I still love this story and am still dedicating it to my high school creative writing teacher.

As great as small goals are, though, I’m always looking at the big picture. And working with an agent/publishing a book are both on my Bucket List. Yes, I have a lot going on, but that’s the way I like it. That’s when I’m at my best and at my absolute happiest. I’m at the point of my life where anything is possible and no dream is too big. The only thing that can hurt me is never bothering to try.

It’s not going to happen this year, or maybe even next year or the year after that.

A lot of “experts” spend a lot of time talking about query letters and how you shouldn’t get discouraged if no one responds to the first x number you send out. If publishing a book was the only thing I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime, I would probably spend hours writing and emailing letters. I’d be in a constant state of worry when I didn’t hear anything back.

There’s a good reason I added a second major and have other career goals to work toward: I don’t want to depend on an unlikely circumstance to make me feel fulfilled.

For me, if it happens, it happens—if agents don’t like my book, I’m not going to curl up into a ball and forget about all the other things on my Bucket List I want to accomplish. I’m in no rush.

The story is already written and, though I might go back in and do a few touch-ups, it doesn’t need a complete revision overhaul—not yet, anyway. Okay, so it’s not as good as something by J. K. Rowling, but have you ever seen her first drafts? Exactly.

I’m not the most confident writer out there. But I think having a dream is more motivational than having a supersaturation of confidence inside you. I guess, I just don’t want to have to say I never tried.

So I’m trying. I’m getting a book published.

Well. Sort of.

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter.

How to Spend Hours Writing Without Really Trying

Meg DowellLeave a comment

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9,000 words and counting.

There are four hours standing between me and the end of Camp NaNoWriMo. I set my goal at 10,000 words and I’m going to get there even if I have to drink 20 more cups of coffee. Okay, maybe that’s a little extreme. A writer’s gotta do what a writer’s gotta do.

Those of you who have been following me for awhile know it’s not my tendency to set low word count goals. I chose 10,000 words because I’m still getting used to this whole adulting thing, and my sleeping patterns are all wacky, and also, not knowing what the heck is going on with this book I’m trying to write this year.

I’ve written more words in the past three days than I have in the past three months. Things just kept getting in my way, work and school and, probably the most significant, hating my book. I’m much happier with the story I’m writing now, a sort of spinoff of the story I was trying to write just a week ago.

So before you start yelling at me about “cheating on” my other novel, simmer down. In some bizarre way, writing this story is helping me make the other book a more promising pitch later in my career. If I ever have one.

Writing this post is difficult; I’m on a roll and know I could easily hit 10,000 words within a few hours if I kept writing now. And I will, once I finish this post. I’m doing so now because, like I wrote in my previous post, I think it’s important to be honest with you about the writing process. The process of getting published, gaining readership, that’s not the focus here. Writing a book, that’s not so hard. Writing a good story, preferably book length, is nearly impossible.

Yet thousands of authors have done it. I think we can, too.

My Latest Discovery

My book, so far, does not contain a lot of description. Other than the necessities—eye color, facial expressions, things that, for reasons that are difficult to explain in one post, are vital to the story itself in this case—mostly what I have is intertwined exposition and dialogue.

Some of my favorite scenes so far are mostly dialogue, and even though dialogue takes up less space on a page, it’s apparently very easy to get caught up enough in an imaginary conversation that you end up spending an hour or more writing when you only meant to write for 10 minutes.

If there’s a conversation in your head, and you start writing it out, you might find it easier to get a lot more done, which honestly, until very recently, I didn’t even realize was possible.

How to Write More Words in One Sitting

I’m telling you, fluffy descriptions and hyperactive adjective use are not the way to go when you’re trying to bump up your word count … er, at the last minute. Everyone adds extra (read: unnecessary) words here and there; for example, I add a lot of extra “thats” even though it drives me bonkers. Pages upon pages of description … skip it!

To me, adding the little bit of fluff you do need to add to a novel, that comes later. I want to ge the story out on paper first. If I know Character A and Character B need to have a certain conversation at some point, and I’m in the mood to write it, I’m going to write it.

Dialogue has the potential to carry you away. I’m not saying I’m a great writer, or even proud of most of or any of the work I’ve ever completed, but some of the most profound things I’ve written have come from dialogue. These are the moments when I look up at a clock and realize hours have gone by.

Conversation between two people is so important, especially in books. I want to contribute to that importance. If it’s not your thing, and you hate it, that’s your style and I’m certainly not here to criticize you for it. What’s important is that you figure out which element of writing your story gets you most excited, and focus on that. If your book ends up being more dialogue than anything else, fine! Some readers will adore that.

As writers we have to do what we have to do to get the words in. Me, I’m going to make this post look semi-professional, get more coffee, and crank out the last 1,000 words of April before watching more Vlogbrothers videos.

It’s all I need, really. Hank, John and coffee, probably in that order.

Love&hugs, Meg<3

Image courtesy of Novelty Revisions.

A recent graduate with a B.A. in English and a completed major in nutrition, currently seeking a graduate degree in health communication, Meg is a twenty-something workaholic with a passion for writing, coffee and dietetics. In addition to her status as an aspiring novelist and Grammar Nazi (and the mastermind behind this site), Meg is an editor for College Lifestyles magazine and a guest blogger for Food & Nutrition Magazine’s Stone Soup.  She is a seven-time NaNoWriMo winner and has written several creative pieces for Teen Ink magazine. Follow Meg on Twitter.