Tag: Tips and Tricks

Hey there! What do you do after NaNoWriMo?

AM Devine

Hi folks!

It’s that time of the year again, just after NaNoWriMo and you’re sitting there just staring at your monster of a manuscript. And you’re wondering what to do.

I’ve been nano-ing for 8 years now, no matter what my NaNoWriMo profile says.

And I have one habit that sticks with me.

First, my story is never completed during November. Sadly enough.

Second: I take a break. During November, I do let a few things pile up. Some dishes, unnecessary laundry things like that. I’ll take care of all of that in the first week of December. I also watch movies and get caught up on my tv shows.

I will only rarely return to a NaNo project in the year it’s started. In fact, I think I have only once. It was the first piece of the space saga that I’m writing now & that I wrote the bulk of two more pieces of it this November. Note: I also enjoy the hell out of this series, so I may go back to it before dec 31st.

My suggestion for you:
Take a break.
Do something non creative for a while.
Your brain will thank you later.

NaNoWriMo 2013

AM Devine

It’s day 27 and I’m finally back on schedule.

I know I haven’t posted much this month, but I haven’t had a great month.

For starters, I still have no internet at my house.
I also had a death in the family, which lead to a great deal of travel over four days.

I’m currently sitting at around 43,000 in words. I have 3 days.

I can do this.

Anyone who is doing NaNo and honestly, isn’t much more than 15k behind, can probably do this. I’ve never been able to pull up if I’m more than 15k behind.
Though, I have seen it done.

My name is Adrienne, and I am a writer.
I’ve got this.

I’ve got this more than I had my nerves settled when I did the radio interview.
It’s about the space saga. It’s also the first time you officially hear a title.

(LINKO)
You can tell I’m mildly freaked out by how squeaky my voice is.

Okay, mildly freaked out is not the right phrase there. I was petrified.

Shit happens though. It never fails to happen during november to me and my family. November and April, the original two OLL months of the year.

I also had a day about a week ago where I spent more of the day doing hard reboots with my laptop than I did anything else. Talk about not fun.

Last week, I had 3 blue screens over the course of two days.
(I run windows on this computer, fyi).
This was followed by a day where I did 9 hard reboots.

Here’s to hoping that I can get the job I applied for this past weekend, so that I don’t have to worry about money anymore. *holds up wine glass*

If I get the job, my take home dollars nearly triple.
That means I can pay off debt and start saving for a house.
Seriously, it would be so freaking amazing. So, positive thoughts my way, please.

All right:
So, I’ve indicated a writing tip can be found in this post, so here it is:

No matter what, don’t stop writing.
It may not have anything to do with your current main project, but it will have value.
That value is keeping your ass in the seat. Keeping your fingers moving.
The minute you stop, the minute you say, I don’t have time today, is the day you stop writing and it takes a long time to get back into the groove. Trust me. I have been there more times that I care to admit to. I have had years in the past where I didn’t write a damn thing. Those years felt terrible. I felt boring and worthless. I am neither.
GET OFF YOUR MENTAL ASS AND GET THOSE FINGERS MOVING.
WRITE, BITCH.

Writing Prompts, week of Sept 1st-Sept 7th

AM Devine

Prompt Time!!

Each prompt is valued at 250-500 words. However, one of them I won’t be bothered if you can’t make it.

Sunday: write a December memory.

Monday: Free Write!

Tuesday: write about your neighborhood at 5pm. (What its like at 5pm, not sit down and write at 5pm)

Wednesday: you eavesdrop on a conversation. What do you hear?

Thursday: the time between dusk and dawn.

Friday: write about a fragrance.

Saturday: write about a place you long for.

Writing Prompts: Week of June 30th- July 6th

AM Devine

Here we go, back on track. Mostly.

Like usual, the old school rules apply. 250-500 words per prompt. For those of you participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this year, expect some weird posts from me about that later in the week.

 

Sunday: Long after I encountered (you fill in the blank here) the first time, I came across it again. Describe how (your fill in the black) changed if it did at all.

Monday: The possibilities are endless, what would you do with a lotto jackpot?

Tuesday: Write a short bit about a veteran space cruise Captain answering questions that he is tired of answering.

Wednesday: Name a good something possible. Now, how would you go about making it inevitable?

Thursday: Write about a voice that most people refuse to hear.

Friday:  ~ FREE WRITE ~

Saturday: Open a short with this line of Dialogue: “So, it has come to this.”

Writing Prompts: Week of June 23rd – June 29th

AM Devine

One thousand and one apologies for the fact that this is coming in at the end of the week, for real.

 

Here we go! If I don’t tell you how many words in the entry for the day, remember it’s 250-500 for the normal word count range.

 

Sunday: Write about an hour of the day where nothing goes right.

Monday: This is what you can see by starlight.

Tuesday: It was sunday, the time it happened.

Wednesday: Write about a massive digital projection clock, one you can see from across town.

Thursday: This is where I went wrong, but everything turned out alright.

Friday: Write about small changes.

Saturday: Write about what kind of life you’d expect to see in an alien subterranean water world, such as under the Ice of Europa, one of the moons of Juipter.