If there is any silver lining to the current situation, it may be getting our time back. No errands to run, no events to go to, and for some, not even their day job. Now you have what you always claim to have too little of to devote to writing, time. And what a writing prompt. Did any of us ever think we would live in times with "social distancing?" Maybe this is mother nature's way of telling the world to slow down, stop being busy, and remember what's important.

Need more inspiration?: nanowrimo.org/what-is-camp-nanowrimo

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

Another NaNo is under wraps, or at least for me it is. Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it this time and had pretty much given up on finishing this year because of some setbacks midway. But, that's the beauty of NaNo. It gives you a definite goal and helps you track your progress so well, that even after you fall behind, you can still clearly see the end point.

Again, I have to thank my friends and family for understanding my need to do this. I couldn't have done it without your support. Thanks again everyone for a great NaNo. See you next year!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

Well, I'm late with my post again. No surprise considering it's NaNoWriMo and all words should go to the NaNo word gods. The good news: I've now written for 22 days straight. The bad news: I'm a little more that 7,000 words less than I should be right now. This may be the first NaNo in over 5 years I don't finish.

If you're in the same boat, I'm here to tell you there's still time! Pull out all the stops this weekend and write like you've never written before! That's my plan. Quash that inner editor and just put words on the page! Editing is for December...or maybe January.

I'm going to try to make up time and words this weekend and see where I am come Monday. Thanksgiving is looming, but hey, write while everyone else is watching football. NaNo is also a great excuse to avoid helping clean up after Thanksgiving dinner. ;)

And don't forget the last virtual write-in on Wednesday, November 27th!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Don't Give Up!
Keep Calm and NaNo On!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

Today's the day! NaNoWriMo is here! If you don't know what that means, check out my previous blog post: NaNoWriMo is Here!!! If you do know what this means, then why are you procrastinating and reading this blog post instead of writing? ;)

Today's tip: Carve out your writing time.

Pick a specific time during the day that you'll most likely be able to be productive. Don't know how to accomplish this? Try watching this video on how to Find the Time to Write.

Good Luck!
Start Strong!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer.

Sorry for the hiatus. So much going on, and 2019 just seems to be slipping away. For everyone finding time a precious commodity in their lives, I will keep this post short and sweet.

Certainly as a NaNoWriMo advocate I'm a fan of big, fast accomplishments with lots of words. However, another good strategy for writing is just a little everyday. If you don't have a deadline staring you in the face and are finding it hard to get motivated, try writing a paragraph today instead of trying to write a whole chapter or a whole scene. Getting a few words on the page is better than being overwhelmed by the task and getting nothing down at all.

Cheers

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

SO, big news post NaNoWriMo is that the publication date for my three book deal may be moving up to spring 2019! This means that after the holiday craziness - still haven't put up our Christmas tree or finished Christmas cards or finished Christmas shopping - I get to finish fleshing out WHISPs II and get that off to the publisher by February 1st, then start on the first draft of book three. No rest for the weary, but deadlines can be great for productivity! May not get in a post on the 24th, so Happy Holidays! See you in 2019!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

One of the hardest things to do about this time during NaNoWriMo is to just keep going. Thanksgiving is fast approaching and whether you're ahead in your word count (gravy) or behind (ketchup), often the grueling pace is starting to wear and enthusiasm wane. Here are some tips to get you the writer past this "muddy middle."

1. Raise the stakes. If you're getting bored with your novel, readers might too.
2. Reward yourself. You might have a big carrot waiting for you at the end of the journey, but everyday you hit your word goal should have some small reward. Mine? Leftover Halloween candy.
3. Write the ending first. There is no law which states a novel has to be written in chronological order. If the middle is getting to be a slog, skip to the exciting conclusion then work your way back.
4. Get ahead so you can slack off. If at all a possibility, I've found that getting ahead so you can relax over the holiday makes Thanksgiving a much less stressful endeavor and provides a nice break from writing.
5. Try shorter writing sprints. I find that when I'm getting stuck it helps to try to just write at least 200 words at a time, then take a break. Roughly 8 of these sprints a day will fulfill your daily requirement. Maybe writing 1,667 words all at once isn't your style.
6. Take advantage of Write-Ins! Whether virtual or in-person, write-ins are a great motivator. Just to see and hear other writers clicking or scratching away builds a sense of community and camaraderie.

Happy Writing.
Let's all try for 50,000 words before November 30th (poutine)!
#NaNoWriMo2018

What is NaNoWriMo?

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

Okay, now that I've gotten your attention, why are you reading this and not writing!?

What is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month is a personal challenge to all potential novelists to write 50,000 words during the month of November, but it is so much more than that too. It is a chance to make your writing goals public, social, and most importantly fun!

NaNoWriMo hosts virtual write-ins on YouTube and also live writing events all over the world. Their website has forums to help you with character creation, world building, writer's block, and any other writing issues you might be having.

If you've ever dreamed of writing a novel, I feel NaNoWriMo is your best opportunity to give it a try. Even if you don't make the goal of 50,000 words, how ever many word you write will be more than you had before.

This year will be my seventh NaNoWriMo for a total of 3 published novels, one self-published novel, one unpublished novel, one mostly written novel, and a ton of novel research.

Even if you haven't started yet, you've only missed 1 day, so start NOW!

Happy writing!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!
Writing is Magic.
The First Rule of Write Club is You Talk About Write Club.
If You Aren't Writing, You Aren't a Writer

Life after NaNo for me has mostly been getting back to all of the things I put off during the month of November like holiday shopping, cleaning the house, dentist appointments, etc. Everybody needs a little break from writing sometimes, so this is fine. However, be forewarned it is a dangerous and slippery slope!

Making "getting back to writing" a New Year's resolution risks your writing becoming another failure of good intentions. Now, I'm not saying you need to be editing your NaNo novel during holiday dinner, but you should still be doing a little writing or at least planning and organizing of your writing a few minutes a day from now until the end of the year. This will keep your mind focused on writing being a thing you do everyday and not just a thing you do during the month of November or when you have more time for it (i.e. after the holidays).

I know you're busy, we all are, but writing is a pipeline and just like with an oil pipeline, breaks are bad. Breaks kill momentum, and worse, kill a reader's enthusiasm. While it may be okay for George R. R. Martin to go several years between writing books, it is probably not okay for you. We've all had a bit of a breather now and that's great. Time to slowly ease ourselves back into that oh so important writing habit.

Happy December writing. :)

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!

So today I am at 35,720 words. Doing the math, I am now only one day behind schedule after being behind six days earlier in November. So much for finishing early this year, however, the moral of the story? Don't give up! You have more than a week left and you can make up any deficit a few words at a time. Even if you are only at 1,000 words, don't just stop and say it's impossible to make 50,000, sprint through to the end! Even if you end up with 5,000 words, those are 5,000 words you didn't have before.

Don't worry if your plot has taken a weird turn or doesn't seem to make sense anymore. Don't worry if that fiery romance hasn't really gotten off the ground yet. These are editing worries for 2018. All you need right now are the words. Worry about whether or not they're the right words later. :)

Helpful: NaNoWriMo Virtual Write-In, there will be another on 11/28/2017
Not Helpful: Feeling ookie. :(

Good luck! Finish strong!

Keep Writing and Edit On.
I Write, I Edit, I Write Again. Witness!
We're Making Better Words, All of Them, Better Words.
I Write to Burn Off the Crazy.
A Good Day Writing is a Day Writing.
It Puts the Words on the Page or it Gets the Hose Again.
Just keep writing...just keep writing...writing, writing, writing!