NaNoWriMo Tips

Hello NaNo-Nerds! It’s that time again. Beginning today, our veins will be over run with caffeine and all types of sugar in order to keep us tapping away at the silicone keyboards. Since finishing a book during this time-frame is extremely difficult, this post is going to be really short.

1.    Outline the basics.

Come up with one or two sentences that will express the idea of the book. Then create a small outline consisting of just basic information. Outline should have, at minimum, the opening, middle, and climax of the story. Use these to keep the story on target, but also allowing creativity to flow easily.

2.    Create multiple character sheets.

Write down some basic attributes for the main characters. Things like the color of their eyes and hair, height, weight, personality, and some sample favorites of the character. I have mine on a dry erase board that hangs over my writing desk. Feel free do come up with another way that’ll work best for you.

3.    Set up deadlines.

Create goals with everything. Make them small ones like write 2 to 3 scenes or 1k of words a day. Then stick to it. 

4.    Reward your self.

When you complete a task, give yourself something special. The more difficult the goal, the better the reward. They can be anything. Maybe an hour of your favorite TV show, or indulge in some sinfully wonderful dark chocolate. 

5.    Get help!

I can’t stress it enough. The stress is going to be bad. Find help and lean on them when you need it the most. Lots of time, a good Nano supporter will know when we’re stressing too much and nip it in the bud.

6.    Write and have fun.

This is perhaps the most important tip I can give anyone. Sit your ass down, get writing, and have fun doing it.

If anyone else has tips, we’d love to hear them. Till next time, have a happy NaNo!

Auzy

Quicksand

World building is a bitch. No, that’s not quite right. It’s more like quicksand and at it’s center is the biggest diamond we’ve ever seen. Of course we know it’s a dangerous game to try and cross over to the where the gem laying for us, but we can’t help it. The prize is just too overwhelming to let go.

            Everyone crosses over differently. Some do a quick sprint around the area, getting a good lay of the land and hoping to find the best way to make their trek. Some won’t even give the death trap a second thought and walk right on top, taking every sinking step in stride as a job hazard that just can’t be helped. Others will be hesitant, testing the sand by prodding it with their feet.

            The most interesting thing about quick sand is that everyone is in danger. We can take in too much of every detail, regardless of how fast or slow we move, and get sucked into the hot earth.

            How do we avoid getting buried alive with the hot sandy grains? It’s probably different for everyone. But for me, it was talking it out with anyone who would listen. The more they got me talking, the easier it was to see just what was wrong and how to fix it. Now I can see my diamond. I still have some distance to go before I can hold it, but I’m almost there.

            So tell me, how do you guys avoid death by quicksand?

            Auzy

NA: Will it last?

            There’s been a lot of talk about NA. Some say it the erotica equivalent of a 64-calorie beer, while other feel so strongly for the section that they’ll scream down your throat if you say anything even sort of negative about it. So, is it or isn’t it a fad?

Honestly, I don’t give a flying frak.

            NA, just like everything else, is a marketing scheme. It’s only there to sell to a certain audience. Right now, that audience is those ladies that want romance and the YA feel of a book, but don’t want to feel like they jumped into the teenie-bopper section to buy one.

            Will NA change and not become so romance centric? It’s possible considering that everything changes, but who really knows. NA is still a baby when it comes to an age section of a bookstore.

            But that’s enough about my thoughts. Let us know how you feel about the NA section? Romance only, or does it have multiple genre staying power? And if you’re a fan, why or why not? Inquiring minds of the Rejects want to know….

            Auzy

Genres

Recently N has tweeted about some interesting things about NA and it’s sparked some fun arguments between us all. Apparently there have been some comments about how NA is really just porn for teens. Though I find that an amusing concept, it was an idea that NA is a genre that caught my attention. 

Now I’m not going to get into my opinion on the subject (at least not yet), but I thought it’d be fun to see what everyone here thought about genres. Some think that YA, MG, and NA are considered actual genre, and some do not. Let us know what you think and why.

PS. As much as I love a good devils advocate in any argument, please remember your netiquette when posting.

            Auzy

Blurry Vision

            Outlining a story is a great way to keep myself from going off on wild tangents and causing everything to get side railed. So typically, when I write, I’ll work out the bare bones, which is the beginning, middle, and end, and maybe a few tidbits in between. With my most recent novel, I’ve run into an interesting little barrier.

            Here’s what happened. Instead of only outlining the bare bones, I ended up outlining the whole story. I didn’t mean too. I just got over excited (yeah, it won’t be the last time you hear a guy say those words). After putting that together, starting to write the first chapter was extremely difficult for me. I kept seeing where I was going instead of where I was.

            This caused major issues for me. I would start to write, and then scrap it. Try again, and tossed that also. It kept going on and on like that to the point like I felt as if I was in purgatory for writers. It was hell.

            It wasn’t easy seeing outlining almost everything as a mistake. Mainly cause of the fact that I felt like planning everything in case of being able to make the story a series would benefit the story later. What it really did was make me feel like a time traveler who could see someone’s entire lifespan but unable to enter a specific point. In other words, my vision was blurred.

            Once I came to my senses, I stripped everything away from the entire story and work solely with the bare bones of the story. For me, it was the right move because everything is flowing much better.  

            So, tell me, what do you guys do when you see way too much of the story and can’t seem to get the beginning written.

            Auzy