Writer Wednesday: NaNo Check In, And Release Dates For Changing Fate And Gallowglass! #WriterWednesday #NaNoWriMo #goals #amwriting

It's Day 16 of NaNo! If you're writing your 1667 words per day (the minimum daily word count to stay on track to reach 50k by November 30), by now you have written 26,672 words.

My current word count is 16,998. I'm not exactly killing it this time around.

That low word count begs the question, what's going on? I win NaNo EVERY year. Usually, I hit the 50k mark around the three week mark, and gloat like a gloatasaurus rex all over the internet. To call this situation is perplexing is an understatement.

As for what's impeding my progress, a few things happened. I had to reevaluate the publishing timeline for my Parthalan series, and complete a massive re-edit ASAP. That took up the first week of November, which put me behind in my word count but moved my series forward. All in all, that was a good trade.

Having put out that fire, I got into my WIP...and right around the 6k mark, the plot went off the rails. It didn't deviate all that far, and it's definitely fixable. This story is one that I've wanted to write for years, and I will definitely see it completed. Could I fix it and still hit my 50k goal? Probably. But, then something happened.

Something kind of awesome.

Out of the blue, I was hit with the most fricken' amazing idea ever. It's a YA, and I never write YA, so that in itself is exciting. It takes place in Ireland, and there are mermaids and lost cities and surfing. I haven't had this much fun writing in years, and even though I'm 10k behind, I don't care. I am going to finish this story, and then I'm going to edit and revise it to perfection. Who cares if it doesn't hit 50k by November 30? No one, that's who.

My confidence is bolstered by the fact that my previous NaNo projects have fared well. My 2014 NaNo, Changing Teams, released last November, and the third in the series, Changing Fate, will release on March 28, 2017. And my 2013 project, Gallowglass, will release on June 6, 2017.

You read that right--GALLOWGLASS HAS A RELEASE DATE!!!

To sum up, keep working on your WIP, no matter where you are in your word count. To steal NaNo's motto, the word needs your novel.

 Have you encountered some NaNo setbacks? How did you work around them? Tell us in the comments!

 
 Get Changing Teams here: http://amzn.to/2f5PDcZ


 And the sequel, Changing Scenes: http://amzn.to/2giKSPC  

Writer Wednesday - Take Care Of Yourself #WednesdayWisdomForWriters #amwriting #wellness

Recently, I was discussing con crud with a writer friend. What’s con crud, you ask? I assure you, it’s just as gross as it sounds.

 This ailment got its vivid name because it tends to pop up among conference and convention goers a few days after the event in question has ended. Typical symptoms include congestion, cough, and a general feeling of malaise. I know, makes you want to sign up for even more conferences, amiright? 

For years I thought that con crud was the inevitable result of being packed into a hotel or other public facility, breathing in the same recycled air as hundreds if not thousands of others, subsisting on stale coffee and cookies, and sleeping less than usual. Many anecdotal cures promise to cure the crud, ranging from taking high doses of vitamin C to eating raw garlic. They never worked, at least not for me.

 But what if con crud wasn’t inevitable? What if by making a few small changes to my pre-con routine, I could avoid con crud altogether?

 This called for science, and its buddy, research. In true mad scientist fashion, I used myself as a test subject.

 I put my plan in motion shortly before I attended Necon this past July. During the week leading up to the event, I slept a full eight hours every night, and took at least one nap per day. I doubled my water intake, eliminated alcohol, and made sure to consume vegetables and protein at every meal. Basically, for a week I behaved like a normal healthy person, not my usual overstressed, pretzel-munching, coffee-guzzling self. And guess what?

 I didn’t get con crud!

 By resting, keeping myself hydrated, and eating as well as I could manage, I got my body into the best condition it could possibly be in BEFORE the con. While at the con I still drank the stale coffee, and I didn’t sleep nearly enough, but I didn’t get con crud. In fact, after four days at Necon I didn’t even have my usual post-con fatigue. In short, I felt great.

 So, what does this have to do with writing? Quite a bit, actually. First of all, your creative impulses are a higher level function than talking or moving around or breathing, so when you’re not feeling 100% your body naturally diverts resources and energy to where it’s needed most.  If you imagine your creative process as the top 10% of your energy, you can (probably) visualize what I mean. And have you ever tried writing when you’re sick or tired? It’s not easy.

 Therefore, the better shape we keep ourselves in, the better our creative output will be. I’m not saying you should live like a monk, and ingest nothing  but spinach and water and sunlight. Just take the time to take care of yourself, and know your limits. If you have a big event, a deadline looming on the horizon, or are taking part in a writing challenge (ya’ll didn’t think I’d forget to mention NaNoWriMo, did you?) be cognizant of your habits. You’ll never make your word count if you’re too tired to type.

 Do you have any tip on avoiding con crud? Tell us in the comments!

 I'll be at Whipowill Stables for their open house on September 18, selling books and playing with horses. Learn more about the event here

. Sign up for my mailing list here and get a free ebook anthology, Strange Authors!

Writer Wednesday: It’s Time To Talk About NaNoWriMo #writerwednesday #amwriting #NaNoWriMo

Here we are on the last day of August, with summer winding down and the kids returning to school. Right now I'm looking ahead to November, specifically NaNoWriMo. I've written about NaNo before, but here's a description in a nutshell: You write a first draft of a novel (50,000 words, which breaks down to 1,667 words per day) in 30 days, during the month of November. Hence, National Novel Writing Month = NaNoWriMo. Sounds daunting, right? Actually, it's totally doable, and I should know. I've been participating in NaNo for years, and I always make my word count. My personal best is 66k in 19 days, but there were a few extenuating circumstances there: I didn't pay my cable bill, and I had no internet for half the month. It was a wonder Facebook survived without me. Lesson the first: reducing/eliminating distractions has a positive effect on word count. The other tip I can't stress enough is getting all of your pre-work out of the way before November 1. What is pre-work? Well, your outline, for one. Also, if your story concept needs any sort of research--be it places, dates, obscure languages--do it now. when November 1 hits you want to hit the ground running, not get bogged down reading semi-factual Wikipedia pages. Lesson the second: research now, write like the dickens later. Something else I do to keep me on track is engage a NaNo buddy. Your buddy can help you by critiquing plot points, helping you out when the story hits a rough patch, or just by commiserating and sheering you on. My NaNo buddy this year is Barry *waves* and we've already had a few chat sessions to talk about our projects. He's working on a horror novel with a fricken' AWESOME concept, and I'm going to cobble together a retelling of Medusa and other Greek myths. Which means that our projects will never, ever be in competition for the same venue. Side benefit! Lesson the third: get a support group/person/houseplant. There's no need to go it alone! Writing 50,000 words in 30 days is tough, but any serious writer can make this goal. If you feel like you need a challenge to get yourself back on track, or just want to revel in writing something new, I say give NaNo a go. You might surprise yourself. Oh, and that 66k I wrote in 19 days? It's a real book - Changing Teams! Check it out here!   See that, if I can win NaNo, and get the resulting project published, you can too :)   Are you planning on participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Tell me in the comments!  

#NaNoWriMo's Over, Now What Do I Do?

Now that the dust has well and truly settled on NaNoWriMo 2014, it's time to look at what we accomplished during that month of madness. For those who aren't familiar with the magic and wonder that is NaNoWriMo, read this post.

It all comes down to this: 50,000 words in 30 days. Totally doable.

How do I know? I did it. Actually, I killed it.

I hit 50k on day 19 of NaNo, and I ended up with 60,565 words by November 30. Crazy? Yeah. Despite my apparent insanity (and a caffeine addiction that was more severe than anyone realized), I wrote a not-too-shabby first draft. I must say, as first drafts go I'm more pleased with this that I have been with any other.

Which means that I need to put it away and ignore it for at least a month. Maybe two, or three.

Um, what? Ignore my masterpiece? Why would I neglect my new baby?

Easy. Because it's not done yet.

As some of you know, I work for a publishing house that accepts open submissions every December. The slush pile rapidly fills up with still-smoking NaNo manuscripts, and we've never, not even once, offered on one. Yes, we can tell when it's your NaNo project. Yes, we're proud of you. Now go polish that baby up!

When you're still in that first flush of love with your new project you tend to overlook its flaws, like how you type "if" when you mean "of", or how you wrote three chapters in the wrong character's POV. Or said that the main character had blue eyes in chapter one, green eyes in chapter three, only to go back to blue in chapter ten.

Not that I have *ever* made those mistakes. My first draft errors are much, much worse :)

Anyway, my point is that there are only two groups of people you want seeing your first draft blunders: your trusted beta readers and critique partners. Wouldn't you rather they pointed out the flaws in your draft, instead of your dream agent when they reject you?

I sent my NaNo project, Changing Teams, out to my beta readers a few weeks ago, and I steadfastly refuse to make any changes until feedback has been received and processed. Will it be ready for submission then? Probably not, but it will be well on its way.

*sigh* Who knew being a writer would require so much patience?

Well? What are you doing with your NaNo projects? Tell me in the comments below! And, if your interested in seeing a teaser about my NaNo project, go here.

What's NaNoWriMo All About, Or Why Should I Try To Write A Novel In One Month, Anyway?

Tomorrow heralds the start of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. For those not in the know, NaNoWriMo is when writers across the globe work toward completing a novel of at least 50,000 words, between November 1 through 30.

Sounds daunting, huh?

 No doubt about it, writing 50k in one month is a challenge, but it’s totally doable. A basic Google search will turn up hundreds of tips and tricks for winning NaNo, ranging from setting a daily word count goal (1667 is the daily minimum you need to win), to getting your outlining and research done beforehand. However, most of these resources don’t address why you should participate in NaNo.

The answer is simple: it will put you on the path to making money from your writing.

 Now, I’m going to let you in on the great secret to making money with writing: you need to finish your projects. And, participating in NaNo will help you do just that. Writers who make money have two things in common: they write regularly and meet their deadline. Participating in NaNo reinforces those two habits. Not only do you have a hard deadline to meet, you have a word count goal as well. While you’re participating in NaNo, you can tweak your writing process to see what works for you. Are 1667 words per day too much? Maybe you work better with a lower goal, with a few intensive writing days interspersed. Some write furiously at the start of a project, only to slow appreciably near the end. Some belt out 50k in a week or two. Really, the options are endless.

 I promise you, the techniques and habits you use during NaNo will make you a better writer overall, whether your area of expertise is blogging, short stories or novel-length works. Best of all, when the dust clears on December 1 you’ll have a shiny new manuscript in your hand. Who knows, maybe you’ll create the next great American novel.

Teaser Tuesday, #NaNoWriMo Edition

Hey all!

For this week's Teaser Tuesday, I thought I'd post an excerpt from my NaNoWriMo project, working title CHANGING TEAMS. This is my first foray into NA contemporary romance, and I can't wait to hear what people think about it!

The excerpt below is from the third chapter, and is told from the POV of our hero, Sam MacKellar. And, away we go!

“Britt,” I murmured, my hand coming to rest on the curve of her bottom. “Short for Britney?”

“Not hardly.” When I kept looking at her, she elaborated, “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh.”

“Scout’s honor,” I said, squeezing her bottom for good measure.

Britt buried her face against my neck; whatever this story was, it had to be good. “Well,” she began, “my mom got pregnant in the school library.”

“The school library?” I scandalized.

“Yeah, yeah,” Britt said, her breath hot on my neck. “Anyway, once Mom knew she was expecting she went back to the aisle it, um, happened in, and picked out a name from the books on the shelves.”

“Wait.” I rolled onto my side so I was looking Britt in the eye, and asked, “Is your full name Britannica?”

“Yeah,” she admitted, “Mom got knocked up in the encyclopedia section.”

“Well,” I said, with my best straight face, “at least it wasn’t in front of the Funk and Wagnall’s shelf.”

We burst out laughing at that, and Britt pounded my shoulder. “Sam, you promised you wouldn’t laugh,” she shrieked. Once we calmed down I rolled onto my back, and Britt laid her head on my chest. “You’re different here.”

“Different how?” I murmured. I folded one of my arms under my head so I could watch her, and smoothed those brown waves away from her face.

“You’re voice, for one. It’s… I don’t know, deeper? And, your fake Southern accent’s gone.”

“My accent is authentic Midwestern,” I huffed.

“Uh huh.” Britt traced the column of my throat with her fingertip, then she kissed my Adam’s apple. “And, you’re just Sam. Not photographer’s assistant Sam, or awesome partyer Sam, just Sam.”

“I’ll thank you to replace ‘photographer’s assistant’ with ‘aspiring photographer’,” I snapped, rattled that Britt had effortlessly seen through to the truth of me. “You like ‘just Sam’?”

“I do.” She looked up, fixing me with her honey brown gaze. “You don’t let many people meet the real Sam, do you?”

Oh, if she only knew. “Only those worth it.”

###

As you can see, Sam's got it bad for Britt. But, what's he hiding? Comment below with your best guesses. 

Stop by on December 4, when we'll have the cover reveal for COPPER VEINS! Later, ya'll!

What's This #NaNoWriMo All About, Anyway?

Tomorrow heralds the start of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. For those not in the know, NaNoWriMo is when writers across the globe work toward completing a novel of at least 50,000 words, between November 1 through 30. Sounds daunting, huh?

 No doubt about it, writing 50k in one month is a challenge, but it’s totally doable. A basic Google search will turn up hundreds of tips and tricks for winning NaNo, ranging from setting a daily word count goal (1667 is the daily minimum you need to win), to getting your outlining and research done beforehand. However, most of these resources don’t address why you should participate in NaNo. The answer is simple: it will put you on the path to making money from your writing.

Now, I’m going to let you in on the great secret to making money with writing: you need to finish your projects. And, participating in NaNo will help you do just that.

Writers who make money have two things in common: they write regularly and meet their deadline. Participating in NaNo reinforces those two habits. Not only do you have a hard deadline to meet, you have a word count goal as well. While you’re participating in NaNo, you can tweak your writing process to see what works for you. Are 1667 words per day too much? Maybe you work better with a lower goal, with a few intensive writing days interspersed. Some write furiously at the start of a project, only to slow appreciably near the end. Some belt out 50k in a week or two. Really, the options are endless.

I promise you, the techniques and habits you use during NaNo will make you a better writer overall, whether your area of expertise is blogging, short stories or novel-length works. Best of all, when the dust clears on December 1 you’ll have a shiny new manuscript in your hand. Who knows, maybe you’ll create the next great American novel. Learn more about NaNoWriMo at nanowrimo.org