writing tips -

18Nov 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Tuesday Tips & Tricks

Week three of Nanowrimo is already here and if you're anything like me, you're filled with a combination of excitement and fear. Can you actually reach the lofty goal you've set for yourself? Is your novel garbage? Will you ever actually want to look at it again? Are you going to cross the finish line? It's completely normal to doubt yourself at this point, and it's completely normal to think you'll have to throw away your novel. In fact, I'd go so far as to say throwing away your novel is fairly standard among Nanowrimo participants. I'm certainly not trying to salvage every single novel I've written during Nanowrimo. Whatever your feelings are about your novel, you can overcome them and you can write a novel in a month. All you need…

11Nov 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Tuesday Tips & Tricks

Nanowrimo, Writing

Can you believe we're already in the second week of Nanowrimo? It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun--or when you're freaking out about an upcoming deadline... With any luck you haven't actually started freaking out yet and your word count is soaring well above where it's supposed to be at this point in the month. Either way, I've got a tip, a trick and a quote that should help see you through to the other side of this crazy novel writing adventure: A Tip If you keep stopping to edit, maybe it's time to turn your monitor off while you write--or at least tape a piece of paper over it so you can't see most of what you've written. This will help your words flow more freely and…

16Sep 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

5 Great Resources For Writers

Writing

As September draws to a close the time has come for me to really start planning for Nanowrimo--and to help other aspiring novelists do the same. Next week I'll be diving into the subject of how to plan a novel and prepare for a crazy month of quick writing. Of course, not every writer wants to do Nanowrimo. Some people are naturally slow writers, other people are deep in edits, and others simply don't like the idea. And some of you will simply want to continue reading about other topics. Since I know you all have different writing processes--and different goals--I've compiled a list of writing resources to keep your mind busy while I'm focused on Nanowrimo(after signing up for my newsletter so you can be reminded when it's over). The…

21May 2014 by Dianna L. Gunn

Author Interview: Karen Kennedy Samoranos

Author Interviews, Reading Related

I actually had the opportunity to interview Karen back in 2012, when Road Apples, her first release through Musa Publishing, was fairly new. Since then she's published four more novels through Musa Publishing. So I thought I should get all caught up with her and see how things have changed--and how her approach to the writing process has grown. Please give her a warm welcome. 1. Can you tell us a bit about your books? The five novels released through Musa Publishing fall under the genre of Adult Fiction, which call “Fiction Noir.” The books were written stand-alone, with interconnected characters and events, and in the fictional setting of an actual rural town—Susanville, located in northeastern California. Many of my themes address religious dogma and interracial romantic relationships. In Road…

29Nov 2013 by Dianna L. Gunn

Writing a marathon

Inspirational, Nanowrimo, Writing

Nanowrimo pep talks have often compared the challenge to a marathon, and it makes a lot of sense. Writing a book in a month is about both writing quickly and having the energy to write every day or as close to every day as possible for an entire month. That's a long time when you've just begun your writer's path, and even for someone who's been writing for years it can be hard to stay productive all month long. But now the last 48 hours have hit, and it's time for a different kind of marathon, the one where instead of writing every day for a month you write as much as possible in one day. If you've got the day off and an unfinished novel, can you finish your…

30Oct 2013 by CaptainQuirk

Tips from Nanowrimo veteran CaptainQuirk

Nanowrimo, Workshops, Writing, Writing

Hello, fellow WriMos. I’m a five-time NaNoWriMo winner (plus one Camp NaNo). Here’s my advice for crossing that 50,000 word finish line. 1. Socialize Writing can be lonely. The fun of NaNo is that you’re embarking on your quest in tandem with a bunch of other people who love writing just as much as you do. Go to events. Make friends. Share your tales of joy and woe. Having fun with other writers really does make it a lot easier when you sit down alone to write. 2. Set The Tone In Your Writing Environment It can help you get into “writing mode” if you set up your writing space according to whatever makes you feel creative. For example, you can post sticky notes with inspirational quotes on the wall…

28Jan 2013 by diannagunn

On Overwriting

Editing, Editing: The Hard Part, Novels, Writing

I don't often discuss the technical side of writing in depth, but after reading the self-published works that inspired last Monday's post, I've decided to discuss the biggest problem I've seen in these novels: overwriting. What is overwriting? There are two ways authors overwrite: with excessive details, and with particularly wordy phrasing. Even a perfectly spelled piece with flawless grammar can be made frustrating if the author overwrites them. It makes a book frustrating to read and in today's fast paced society, most readers will walk away. I'm particularly forgiving of this if the story captivates me, but enough of it will make even me gash my teeth. So today I'd like to discuss some of the things that can--and should--be cut from your writing whenever possible to make it…