Main Points • NaNoWriMo 2017 was great! Here are some pointers I learned. • Timing sessions help (20 minutes work/10 minutes break). • Outlines help a ton, especially when divided into actual chapters. • Scheduled writing times are key to get consistent work done. • Write-ins are a great way to stay/get motivated with other people. • Stopping one day is likely to affect other days. Introduction NaNoWriMo 2017 is OVER! How did it go for you? How did it…
Main Points • Music can be a great help and a hindrance to writing. • Music directly taps into emotions, helping get into the right mood and evoke those feelings in scene. • Music can be distracting, waste time finding the ‘right’ song, and can mask weaker writing. • To overcome these, try listening to well-known/non-lyrical music, using silence, and rereading sections without music. Introduction Music can be an amazing tool to help write. But it can also be amazingly…
Main Points • Fiction can help us grow, learn, heal, and experience catharsis. • Writing fiction can be equally if not more cathartic than other mediums as we get to decide what we explore. • If writing becomes too emotional, it’s always good to take a break and write something easier or happier. • Writing can allow us to share our true selves without having to put ourselves on the line. Introduction “Truth at the end of a pen.” I’m…
Main Points • “Ideas are cheap; execution is everything.” Chris Sacca • Execution means stories with the same basis will turn out wildly different depending on the author. • Even awful ideas can be made into amazing stories. Ask Jim Butcher. • Some of the greatest series are just combinations of tropes we’ve all already seen. What makes them is great is how they’re put together and the execution in writing. • Every idea, no matter how great or small,…
Main Points • Flash fire goals are big, inspirational, and likely unrealistic. They can help you get farther than you could by shooting for the stars and not the trees. • Steady flame goals are small, systematized goals that require diligent effort instead of great bursts of energy. • For me, steady flame goals have produced more work with better quality and better results. • An example of steady flame goal is having SMART goal, tied with a system…
Main Points • NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, when people all across the nation get together during November to each write a 50,000 word novel in one month. • NaNoWriMo is an actual organization with group write-ins, 24 hour write-a-thons, leaders, prizes, software-discounts, kick-offs. It can also entirely be done online. • NaNo is a great time to connect with other authors, let your writing become part of something greater, form writers’ groups, and motivate each other. • NaNo…