What’s Next?

Goal setting, Inspirational, Nanowrimo, Novels, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
Usually in the first week of December I write a post discussing what to do when you've finished your novel. In the interest of organization and planning ahead, this year I've decided to write the post before November ends. So what should you do after you finish your novel? You can do just about anything, but I have two main suggestions which I hope you'll take seriously. The first is that you should keep your momentum from November. The second is that whatever you do, you shouldn't start editing your novel. Now, before you get all righteous and tell me how your family needs some love and your novel is horrible and needs editing like some people need heart surgery, let me explain what I mean. I don't mean for…
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Week Three Pep Talk

Inspirational, Nanowrimo, Novels, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
Today's guest is a long time Nanoer and a dear friend, known lovingly by the ToNano community as Tabs. Though she hasn't actually lived in Toronto for the last many years, she is just as much a part of my Nano family as all the people who do. Please give her a warm welcome. * * * * It's ironic that this year has been the hardest year for me with NaNoWriMo and yet here I am, writing a pep talk. But the thing with NaNo is that not every year is going to be your golden year. We're rounding into the last week, which I always find is my toughest. I get frantic, I get upset, and as I look at my word count goal, I find myself feeling…
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What to do When You Can’t Stand Your Novel Anymore

Nanowrimo, Novels, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
Whether it be due to your characters rebelling, your story shifting, your muse abandoning you or a dull ache in your wrists, at some point this month you will hate your novel. In fact, you've probably already had a moment like that. At some points during the drafting process--both inside and outside of Nanowrimo--you will be unable to look at your novel anymore. The key is to remember that these moments pass, prepare yourself to play catch up and then go off in search of something better to do than look at your novel, because staring at your novel at these times will probably give you the intense urge to delete the whole thing. Today I'm going to suggest an activity to distract you entirely from the awful draft you've…
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10K in 4 Hours?

Nanowrimo, Novels, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
At my best, when I took this challenge, I reached the 10K easily. The first two or three times I did it, I wrote a little over 12K in the four hours I had been assigned. This Saturday, I devoted four hours as fully to writing as I was able--and I wrote 8.9K. I'd already been feeling slow this year, but this challenge really brought it home for me. I just can't keep the pace I used to. So what changed? It's not that I became a slower writer. I still type just as quickly as I did then. My story is falling from my fingertips as easily as any novel ever has--maybe even more easily at times. What changed is not my typing speed or my level of inspiration.…
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The Week Two Writing Challenge

Nanowrimo, Novels, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
We're entering the second full week of November, and with any luck, you're almost halfway through your novel. Of course, not everyone is lucky. If you're one of the unlucky ones, you might be sitting three, five, even ten thousand words behind. You might not even have started, or you might be considering throwing your novel away and trying for a completely new one. No matter what the case is, don't despair. Remember that even if you don't reach 50, 000 words, you're still a winner for trying and you've still written more than you would have otherwise. Also keep in mind that it depends more on your dedication than the number of days you have left--I've hit 50, 000 words in three days before and I've met people who…
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Getting into the Writing Zone

Nanowrimo, Novels, Prompts, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
Since you're planning to write a 50, 000 word novel next month--dividing into 1,667 words per day--it's a good idea to get warmed up by doing some writing exercises over the next few days. A good goal would be to write at least 400-500 words every day until Nanowrimo starts, so you're already in the writing groove on November first. This warms up your writing muscles without leading to burn out before Nanowrimo begins. Today I'd like to share three exercises designed to help you do just that. These exercises can be done with your Nanowrimo characters or completely different characters. I usually use them to flesh out the characters and world I've already started creating for my novel, because I find that you discover many things while writing that…
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One Cannot Be Ready for Everything by Allison Cosgrove

One Cannot Be Ready for Everything by Allison Cosgrove

Guest Post, Nanowrimo, Novels, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
Today's author is Allison Cosgrove, several time Nanowrimo winner, former word war captain, mother of three, hard worker and recently published author. I've already interviewed her here and am currently reading her mystery novel, Sacrifice of Innocence, which I'll be reviewing sometime in the upcoming months. Today she's decided to do us all the honour of sharing her realization that none of us are ever truly ready for Nanowrimo. * * * * One thing I have come to realize, as a long standing WriMo Veteran, is that in preparing for the wonderful thing that is NaNoWriMo is that we are never truly ready for it. I mean there are things we can prepare. We can plot and outline and make notes for just about everything, pre-cook and freeze meals,…
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Final Preparations

Nanowrimo, Novels, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
As we hurtle towards the first week of November, you should have your main characters figured out, the foundations of your world built, and a basic plot line figured out. If you're one of the lucky ones, you'll have already done all this stuff and be able to spend this week relaxing. If you're scrambling to get ready still, never fear; thousands of Nanowrimo participants don't find their plots until November's already begun. That said, there are some things you should try to do this week. With just a few days left before November 1st, it's important to make sure you're prepared--and not just on a story level either. So what should you do this week? Check out my handy to-do list: 1. Name all important characters. Even if this…
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Mapping Your World and Creating a Factsheet

Inspirational, Nanowrimo, Workshops, Writing, Writing
With only twelve days before Nanowrimo start, there isn't much time to finish building your world and planning your novel, so you have to focus on the important details. Creating a map for your world--anywhere from a basic map establishing cities and borders to a complete road map--and a fact sheet to bring together all your knowledge of the world you'll be writing your novel in is a great way to figure out what you need to know to begin your novel without hours of hard labour. The fact sheet also provides you with a place to put notes when you discover new things about your world. Today I'm going to walk you through the process of creating a bare-bones world with these tools. Mapping Mapping is incredibly easy, though…
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Character Creation

Nanowrimo, Novels, Workshops, Writing, Writing, Writing: The Process
You might have already gotten a few ideas for characters during your brainstorming last week. Or you might be scrambling to figure out who might fit into the plot you've been trying to plan. Whether you've got a host of characters and are trying to figure out who will be your main character or you're just starting to delve into character, there are a few simple questions you can ask yourself to create the best characters to match your story and your world. But first, a warning. The best characters take on a life of your own, and will do unexpected things, occasionally drastically changing your plot. This can happen even in later drafts. If this starts happening--or you realize during this line of question that the person you thought…
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