Prepping for insanity...

Hi everyone!

This week, I've been getting ready for an intense experience know as none other than... National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for short). For those who don't know, it's a month long writing event where you aim to write 50,000 words by the end of November. It begins November 1st, and you have a daily goal of 1,667 words. This year will be my fourth year/win (I'm so humble. *winks*)

So, I'm sure you're waiting for me to get into the meat of how I'll be preparing, right? Okay.

1. First things first, I've let my family and friends know that I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month. By now they know how important it is to me, so I'll have their support throughout the month. They'll be there to cheer me on, but also, it shows them that I have set a priority on my writing.

2. I've taken care of things that could tie up my time during November, and other writing projects have been placed to the back burner while I work on this new novel. Anything that isn't urgent or pressing has been dealt with. I've gotten caught up on my favorite shows, too. That way my obsessions won't take up a lot of time! lol

3. Plotting an outline! With the amount of words needing to be written in the span of only thirty days, I always figure out what my novel is going to be about and outline it accordingly. Now, mind you, I'm not the type of person to write fifty page intensive outline, I just like to have that road map of getting from Point A to Point B. I like to explain what I do as looking on a map and seeing that I'd like to get from Orlando to Miami. I have a sense of direction, but there's a lot of options still open. It's still an adventure.

4. Cleaning my desk. Yes, I know. It should be something that I keep tidy on an average day, but with NaNo here... I'll need a place for my story notes, my character list, and plot outline. Plus, since I'm still getting settled into the new place, I put off setting up my desk, so I have a reason for once get it mostly set up. =)

5. Lastly, I'm reading How I Write by Janet Evanovich. It's really pumped me up for what's to come, and I love learning about the craft. This book is informative, and she gives examples of what she means from her Stephanie Plum novels. I haven't read the Stephanie Plum novels, and I still know what's going on in her examples because they are that good and informative. It makes me want to start reading her books. *smiles*

Anyways! That's what I'm doing this year. I hope it gave you ideas of things to make this year a winner if you're participating in NaNoWriMo! Each week in November, I'll be blogging my journey and sharing with you how things are going. Are you doing NaNo this year? What are you doing in preparation?

The official National Novel Writing Month website. http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Tips for NaNo.
http://www.writersdigest.com/article/november-is-national-novel-writing-month/

Sierra's Plotting Process

When I started writing, I never plotted a thing. I would just get an idea in my head and start writing. Of course, I was never able to finish anything, either. I started so many stories that I never finished it wasn’t funny. I’d get about thirty pages in or so and it would all fall apart on me. I was aggravated because I could never get anywhere with my writing. This went on for years. Then finally, one day, I got an idea and sat down and plotted it out. Eureka! This was a breakthrough for me. I started writing and got to page thirty. No problems, I kept going. I reached page forty, then fifty, and sixty. I still kept going. Finally, I finished the whole book. I was thrilled. It was the first time in my life that I’d actually finished a story.

Since that time, I’ve written several more complete books. Every one of those times, I’ve plotted the story before I wrote it. I was afraid to try writing without plotting it first. Years of experience have told me that I couldn’t do it.

When I plot, I don’t go into huge amounts of details. I usually just write one sentence summary of each scene. It all fits onto one page. I know there are about as many differences between plotters as there are between plotters and pantsers. Some people go into huge amounts of details when they’re plotting. Some write it out in paragraph form and can write pages and pages about their story before they ever start writing the actual book. I don’t go into this much detail, but I do have to have something to guide me as I write the book.

I’m still learning and I’m starting to wonder if the reason I wasn’t able to finish those early stories is because I didn’t know what I was doing. Maybe because I didn’t know how to structure the story is the reason that I failed. I’m still not perfect at it, but I am better. I’ve even considered trying again, just to see what happens.

I’ve got a new story running around in my head right now that I’m considering trying it out on. I really want this story to be good though, so I’m a little nervous about doing it. But at least I know that if I get stuck, I can always go back and plot it out later.

What do you think? Have you tried both methods in the past? How did you determine the type of writer you are? Do you have some pearls of wisdom to share about how you plan out your stories? I’d love to hear them. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Sarah on the easiest part of writing

Hello everyone! I hope you're having an excellent Wednesday! =) Today I'm going to be continuing with this week's discussion on "The easiest part of writing." This topic is rather difficult because there are areas where I feel I've come a long ways and am decent in, but I still don't necessarily consider them easy. Ideas would probably be the least difficult for me. I feel comfortable with dialogue and plot as well.

As someone once said "writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration." I agree with that, for the most part. I find that I have so many ideas for novels and novellas, yet finishing the novel I'm currently working on is so much more challenging. Why? It involves that large dose of perspiration. Some days I have to force myself to sit down and write, yet I can lean back and daydream for a moment and get the greatest idea for a new story. =)

I enjoy writing dialogue because that allows the characters the opportunity to show their personalities through the words they say, or don't say. I've heard many people say that they're not good with dialogue, but for me, I just listen to the voices in my head. =) I try to keep with how people really talk, except spice it up a little. Plot works in the same way. I don't really have to struggle with plot too much. I'm still learning what works for me in my pre-novel plotting, but the actual concept and how a piece unfolds is smooth. I don't like to know too much because it takes away the suspense.

Anyways! What about you? What is the easiest part of writing for all of you? Is there something in your writing that feels like second nature? Let me know! I'd love to hear what y'all have to say.

To Plot or To Pants, That is the Question!

Ahhh, the age old question of writers. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Well, I have tried both methods and I have come to realize that I’m a plotter. I’ll pause a moment to let you get over the shock of it….

Okay, ready? LOL, just kidding. I’m actually jealous of pantsers! I wish I could do what you do.

Well, here’s the scoop. I have so many unfinished novels that I can‘t even count them all. I wrote them by pantsing and failed miserably every time. I’d get about thirty pages into the book and it would all fall apart. No matter what I tried, I could never finish it. I was devastated. I thought I would never finish a story and I just about gave up completely.

Then, one day, I decided to try to plot out my story. I sat down and figured out what I wanted to happen. I didn’t put in a lot of details, but figured out what each scene would be about. Only one sentence for each scene. Just a general idea of my plans. Once I finished my scene plan, as I call it, I started writing. Every day, I wrote more and more of the story, passing the dreaded page thirty. Thirty-five, forty, forty-five. I kept going. Shock and awe filled me as I typed the last word. I actually finished!

I’d never been so thrilled in my life. It was so great to finish something that I’d started writing for the first time ever. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I wasn’t able to write for a good while after that. I never went back and revised that story. Looking back at it now, I’m amazed at how bad it really is. It has so many problems, I’m not sure I could ever fix it, but I don’t care, it’s done and that’s the main thing.

I’ve written two more stories since then, and I’m now working on my third, which I’m about halfway through with. As long as I plot it out before hand, I can finish it. If I try writing by the seat of my pants, well, the results are complete failure.

So, that’s my story. I’d love to hear what you think. Are you a pantser or a plotter? Tell me how you write your stories. How do you plan them out? I can’t wait to hear how everyone else works, maybe it will help me improve my writing. Looking forward to hearing from you.