Winter NaNo Challenge Update

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Yes, I can!

I am keeping up to date with the daily word count to reach the goal of 40K words in 5 weeks. My goal today is to do a little extra and reach 30K before I lay my head on my pillow tonight.

What I've learned about my writing through this challenge is amazing. I write much better detail and characterization and really take my time in each scene by writing without an outline. I'm not rushing to get from point A to point B to point C, because I have no idea where those points are! I don't know what my characters will do next, so I am taking my time with exploring what they are doing right now.

Wow! Living in the moment. Now there's a lesson for living life that I need to learn better.

Caution: Big Challenge Ahead

My monthly writer's group in Grand Rapids is doing a modified NaNoWriMo from January 9 to February 13. In five weeks I've been challenged to write 40,000 words. Oh, my!

I've been busy working on the prewriting/plotting for the story I'm going to tackle. It's a story idea that came to me in the middle of the night this summer when I was dedicating all my waking hours to Networking in the Office. I got out of bed, typed up the scene that was playing in my head and ended up with nearly 2000 words. Then it went on the shelf until I was done with Networking. Now it is time to brush it off and see if I can make it fly.

I'll be posting as the challenge gets underway to let you know how I am progressing. I expect the first day or so will be big numbers with all the prewriting I have done. Then I'm sure it will slow down as life interruptus.

Bummer, more work ahead

I've been cogitating on my recently finished manuscript. And I've decided it's not finished material yet. My character arc is a gentle slope and not the steep arc it should be. I kinda realized I had some problems when I was attempting to write the synopsis. I couldn't readily identify four key turning points in the story. Everything just kind of goes along for Sierra until about three quarters of the way through the book, when things get bad.

So it's back to the salt mines to dig a little deeper into Sierra's life.

I'm back

Sorry I've been gone so long. October was a crazy month. It started with a huge battle with the inner demons of self-doubt as I slogged my way through the mess of submitting my recently finished manuscript to agents. Then I went away to a writers' conference where I had a blast, but came home with a 2-day stomach flu. Two weeks at home, then a weekend at a writers' retreat, from which I came home with another stomach flu! Egads! Enough already!

So, I'm back. I'm working on some new stuff. And trying to stay healthy!

Time for the Synopsis

I've finished my edits and revisions in my current WIP. It's printed, and my four trusted readers are flipping through my pages as we speak.

Now comes the hard part. Condensing 55,000 words into a 5 page synopsis. UGH! Have I told you how much I detest writing these things?

I've never been good at summarizing. I'm much too long winded for that. I remember writing book reports in grade school where I always ended up retelling the whole story in nearly the same length as the book. Fortunately they were shorter books back then.

One submission I made to an agent required a one page synopsis for my first manuscript. ONE PAGE! for my 88,000 words!

So, what did I do?
I searched the internet and found this great webpage with directions for writing a one page synopsis. The directions are written for screenplays, but works just as well for novels. If you ever find yourself needing to write one of these beasties, check this webpage. I found it extremely helpful.

Writing Tip 101

At the first writing conference I ever attended, I heard the most important writing tip. READ!

In order to find my place within my genre, I need to know who else is out there and what they are writing. There is a lot to learn by studying the work of other writers – how they handle descriptions, inner thoughts, love scenes, conflict, the final words on the final page, and so much more.

As I write my current WIP, a contemporary romance, I keep several books within that same genre on my desk. When I get stuck, I flip through one of the books and see what the author before me has done. Like how many pages should this kiss last? And what vocabulary is appropriate for this imprint line?

I heard at that first conference that if I didn’t have time to read, then I didn’t have time to be a writer. I make time for both, and I watch a whole lot less TV!

Time Management - The Myth

We all have the same 24 hours in the day, as I'm sure you've heard before in numerous discussions on how to better manage your time. But finding the time to write or do whatever else is important to you is not really about finding time or making time. Rather, it is about Energy Management.

Our bodies have a natural energy cycle. Some people are 'morning people' and feel energetic as soon as they bounce out of the bed in the morning. Whereas, other people don't begin to feel a surge of energy until lunchtime or later in the day. Of course, we can force ourselves into a false sense of energy by using stimulants like caffeine.

Throughout the day our energy ebbs and flows. Certain things in our life, besides caffeine, can give us more energy, like laughing with our girlfriends or feeling the sun and wind on our faces. And other things can drain our energy, like naughty children who make us yell and scream at them. (Not that my angels would EVER make me yell at them.) The biggest energy drain for women is doing things for other people. How many people or commitments in your life do you take care of? Husband, children, parents, friends, school, work, laundry, cleaning, cooking, shopping...

So what does this have to do with Time Management?

If we are constantly giving away our energy reserves to others, we won't have energy to do the things for ourselves that matter to us, like writing. We may find ourselves with an hour in the afternoon alone, but with no energy to concentrate on writing. And a nap will sound so much more productive, or TV, or reading a relaxing book, or browsing the internet, or eating...

So, really what we need to focus on is managing our energy. Don't give away more than you can spare. Learn to say no. And find something that recharges your energy reserves when they get low, preferably caffeine free. (Don't get me started on the dangers of caffeine.)