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Primal Fear 2008-11-19 04:23:00 Another NaNoWriMo Writing Desperation Suggestion: And you thought Halloween was over. No, the truly scary fun just keeps going all through November since it's National Novel Writing Month. Chris Baty, you have a lot to answer for!Anyway, I've been suggesting all kinds of ways to raise the level of conflict in your story. Today, I have one more idea:Play on ancient, primal fears. We have hard-wirin Read more:Primal
Conflict on Every Page (Is Easy) 2008-11-18 04:22:00 Another NaNoWriMo Writing Desperation Suggestion: You know you need conflict in your novel. You know you need it on every page.Actually, if you don't know you need it on every page, run and get a copy of Donald Maas's Writing the Breakout Novel. It might be the best book on writing ever written, and it will help you.However, we don't have time to read an entire book on writing, today. We have 1,66 Read more:Conflict
A Dangerous Writing Suggestion 2008-11-17 04:20:00 Another NaNoWriMo Writing Desperation Suggestion
: Here's an idea that could either save your bacon, or fry you to a crisp. I don't often offer up writing ideas that could get you into trouble, but desperate NaNoWriMo days call for desperate measures.Here's the thing. If you can sit down, cold, and write a twenty page biography of each major character in your novel off the top of your head, you're
A Trick to Keep Your Novel on Track 2008-11-16 04:20:00 One more NaNoWriMo Writing Desperation Suggestion: You're having a hard time. I know you are. Believe me when I tell you that I am feeling your pain. I want to help you, so I have another idea I want to share with you.What kind of story is your novel? Is it a western? A romance? A horror novel? One of the most common problems with NaNoWriMo novels is that they often go off the rails. It's really, Read more:Track
, Trick
Hold Your Readers by the Neck. 2008-11-15 08:18:00 Another NaNoWriMo Writing Desperation Suggestion: You're really only going to have success as a writer if you can write compelling scenes. Writing compelling scenes are really the key to holding readers.There's a really good trick to writing page-turning fiction, but when I tell you what it is, your going to immediately dismiss the idea as part of horror writing. You'll tell me it can't possibly w
The NaNoWriMo Site That Can Help Save Your Bacon 2008-11-14 04:15:00 Another NaNoWriMo
Writing Desperation Suggestion: The Language Is A Virus Random Line Generator is a godsend. I highly recommend it. It doesn't actually generate sentences. It just gives you a string of words. However, if I'm stuck, I can skim the list of words and get a feeling of what might be missing, which often helps me keep writing."pink lemonade shining ferry twinkle ghostwhite starry for Read more:Bacon
Mid-month NaNoWriMo Update 2008-11-13 04:11:00 NaNoWriMo is... going. I'm bleary-eyed, I'm tired, but I'm honestly surprised at all of the things that have seemingly appeared in the story. I suppose the subsconscious mind can get more out when the conscious mind is face-down in the kitchen in front of the kettle.Earplugs are helping me enormously. For some reason, I can type more when I can't hear myself type. Sometimes I listen to quiet jazz Read more:NaNoWriMo
, Update
A Novel in a Nutshell 2008-11-12 04:10:00 You did it! You wrote twelve chapters, and you have a novel!12 Chapters to a Finished Novel:Chapter 1: Menace!Chapter 2: Run Away!Chapter 3: The Old Guy.Chapter 4: Welcome to the Crazy World!Chapter 5: The Inferior Friend.Chapter 6: Look at the Big Scary Castle.Chapter 7: Surprise!Chapter 8: Kill Your Hero.Chapter 9: The Kiss.Chapter 10: The Chase Scene.Chapter 11: Victory!Chapter 12: The Blissfu
Thank You, Veterans!!! 2008-11-11 11:26:00 I don't often talk about freedom of speech, or other freedoms that we enjoy, but I am truly grateful for the men and women who have risked, and in many cases, given up their lives in protection of what we all hold dear. I do not take their sacrifices for granted.I am a woman who is able to have a voice today because of veterans.I am a woman is able to dress, marry, and live as I choose because of Read more:Thank
, Veterans
Novel Writing Secret Formula - Ch. 12: The Blissful End 2008-11-10 04:09:00 In today's episode of 12 Chapters to A Finished Novel, we've reached Chapter Twelve: The Blissful End.Ah, Chapter Twelve. Who would have thought we'd ever reach lovely Chapter Twelve? We've laughed together. We've cried. We've tried to kill Our Hero at least two or three times. Now, it's time to wrap up all those loose ends and let Our Hero hug, be hugged.And if you still have a creative cell left Read more:Formula
Novel Writing Secret Formula - Ch. 11: Victory! 2008-11-09 04:07:00 In today's episode of 12 Chapters to A Finished Novel, we've reached Chapter Eleven: Victory
!You're almost finished with the novel! Not much left, now.Chapter Eleven is the biggest, baddest, most bodacious chapter. This chapter happens in waves of climaxes. Hidden Enemies are finally revealed. Inferior Friends prove just how inferior or wonderful they are. But most importantly is the final defeat Read more:Formula
Novel Writing Secret Formula - Ch. 9: The Kiss. 2008-11-07 04:05:00 In today's episode of 12 Chapters to A Finished Novel, we've reached Chapter Nine: The Kiss. Ooo-la-la.Wasn't Chapter Eight fun to write? What could be more fun than almost killing Our Brave Hero? Well, there is something better.That's right. Nookie. Well, that's not necessarily what has to happen, but that's the idea. It's a celebration, or a love scene. It's everyone slapping their friends on th Read more:Formula
It's my birthday. 2008-11-06 04:03:00 Today is the birthday of Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Hawke, Maria Shriver, Sally Fields, John Philip Sousa, and me.When most people think about birthdays, they think about cake. Maybe you should think about PI. At Am I in PI? , you can find out where your birthday falls in the full number of PI... sort of. Apparently I'm in it. That's good, right?We can't have a birthday without the Beatles . And maybe
Novel Writing Secret Formula - Chapter 8: Kill Your Hero. 2008-11-05 04:02:00 In today's episode of 12 Chapter
s to A Finished Novel, we've reached Chapter Eight: Kill Your Hero.Yes, you're going to kill your hero, today. Today, Our Brave Hero buys the farm.Well, not completely, but it's going to appear that way, at least for a little while.Pick your poison. Any poison. I've even included a few suggestions on how you can do it, but it's best if it's His Greatest Fear. The Bi Read more:Formula
Novel Writing Secret Formula - The Ties that Cut Off Circulation 2008-11-04 04:01:00 If you're low on ideas for your novel at the moment, maybe this will help.In his book, The Writer's Journey, Christopher Vogler decided not to talk about some information in the middle of Joseph Cambell's book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. You and I are going to quickly go over a couple of these ideas in the hope that it might help you.Campbell talked about, "Meeting with the goddess," "Woman a Read more:Formula
Novel Writing In 12 Steps - Ch. 7: Surprise! 2008-11-03 04:59:00 We've reached Chapter Seven: Surprise
!Today, we storm The Crazy World Castle, right? No."What?" you ask.Chapter Seven is the second place where I differ from the story-telling blueprint in Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces. I already explained why I combined parts one and two into Chapter One. Here is where I suggest you add something in. Believe me, you need it.You see, this is rig
Novel Writing Secret Formula - Ch. 6: Look at the Big Scary Castle. 2008-11-02 04:58:00 In today's episode of 12 Chapters to A Finished Novel, we've reached Chapter Six.In Chapter Six, Our Brave Hero:1. sees Vlad the Impaler's Crazy World Big ScaryCastle
,2. realizes she has to get inside,3. and she says, "You have got to be kidding me."No, really. There's a nice quiet moment here where Our Brave Hero sees just how large the villain has been living. There are more Evil Minions, here. Read more:Formula
Novel Writing Secret Formula - Ch. 5: The Inferior Friend 2008-11-01 05:57:00 You're probably not even reading this on the date it was posted. On November 1st, you were jumping into the deep end of Day One of NaNoWriMo - National Writing Month. Well, this post is here now that you've managed to crawl to Chapter Five of your manuscript and you're willing to grasp at this straw. You've got 1,667 words to write today! Yipes! "Tell me what to do!"Well, in today's episode of 12 Read more:Formula
Happy Halloween! Now, buckle up, Buttercup. 2008-10-31 05:55:00 Happy Halloween
! Today is the perfect day for Chapter Four. (Okay, it would also be the perfect day for Chapters Eight or Chapter Eleven which are both about death, but we're here, now, and things are about to get hairy for Our Brave Hero.)In today's episode of 12 Chapters to A Finished Novel, we've reached Chapter Four: Welcome to the Crazy World!Today is the day we put our main character on The Read more:Buttercup
, Happy
, Happy Halloween
Novel Writing Secret Formula - Ch. 3: The Old Guy. 2008-10-30 05:51:00 In today's episode of 12 Chapters to A Finished Novel, we've reached Chapter Three: The Old Guy.The Old Guy? Well, your Old Guy might not be an actual Old Guy, but the person who shows up in Chapter Three is Wisdom. Gandalf is in the building. Yoda in on line two.Chapter Three is where our Brave and Noble Hero is told, "Deal with it." In the immortal words of Douglas Adams, "Don't panic." This mes Read more:Formula
Novel Writing Secret Formula - Ch. 2: Run Away! 2008-10-29 05:00:00 In today's episode of 12 Chapters to A Finished Novel, we've reached Chapter Two: Run Away
!"I don't want to do this. I really don't want to do this."No, that isn't you speaking after doing all those writing tasks in the past few days. That's your main character who has seen The Big Bad Scary and now has a deep-seated urge to organize his sock drawer. Or maybe take a sudden vacation to the other si Read more:Formula
Today's worst book cover. 2007-12-04 12:01:00 And you thought Ellora's Cave covers were explicit. "Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" And he's sooooo happy. Read more:Today
Worst book cover ever. 2007-12-03 11:40:00 Suffer in pain, my darlings. Boone sent this link to me. It's an article on the worst book covers ever. The article is funny. Some of the comments below it are even better.I actually own a paperback that has a cover almost as bad as this. Perhaps I can get to my scanner on Wednesday.
You're About to Win Trivial Pursuit 2008-12-17 00:48:00 Well, it's turned out to be General Knowledge Day here on the blog.
Here's a pop culture/history reference that I know you'll want in your head. Don't miss it. It's only 1 minute and 39 seconds long and you'll be glad you watched it. It's "2001: Why Kubrick used 'Daisy' for HAL's death," by Beckspacering.
Way cool.
Read more:Trivial
We Are Amused. 2008-12-16 06:08:00 I could tell you that this is a very important lesson about setting and maintaining a tone in your writing, but I'd kind of be lying. I'm posting this clip because it's FUNNY.Bless Boonehams and the Inappropriate Soundtracks he creates. This is my husband's favorite. (I don't have one. They're all good.) It's only 1 minute and 16 seconds long. Ah, go on!
You're Really, Really Not a Reader. 2008-12-15 06:29:00 You're a writer. You need to be able to keep all of the plates spinning at the same time: main plot, character change, interpersonal conflict, inner conflict, scene setting, symbolism, etc., etc., on every page. You desperately need to know how to craft every kind of scene imaginable.That's because you're a writer. You're not just a reader, anymore, and only readers have the luxury of turning up t Read more:Reader
We Don't Talk About Money. 2008-12-13 06:32:00 You find ambitious people in every profession... but fewer in writing than any other profession I've seen.
If anyone sits down and writes a 400-page manuscript, it makes sense that they should aim to be paid as well as possible for their efforts. Time is money, after all. Children need.. well, everything. Adults need food and shelter, as well.
I have brought up the topic of publication at writin Read more:Money
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