2019 Nanowrimo Tips and Tricks!

 

 

Nanowrimo is arguably one of my favorite times of the year. Yes, it is stressful but it is the one month where writers come out of the woodwork to encourage each other on their products. I finished my first original novel (and several after) in Nanowrimo. Heck, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO was finished this month so many Nanos ago. (I sat on the manuscript for a LONG time before looking at it again.) Book 2 of the Order of Olympus Series was drafted last November (I also sat on it for a long time.) 

For better or worse Nanowrimo has helped me get the words out and on to a blank page. 

Unfortunately, I am not doing it this year. Prepping a book for publication, work, and school are keeping me busy this month. It’s always hard to say no to Nanowrimo but I wanted to let you all know that you are amazing for taking on this endeavor! It is going to be a great experience. 

Whether it is your first Nano or your tenth, below are a few tips that have helped me in the past! I hope they help you as well. 

Why You Should be a Newsie (with Newsletters)

Everywhere I go I feel like I’m in the Newsies musical with people pushing the importance of author newsletters on me.
“If you’re not doing a newsletter you need to rethink your strategy!” and “Newsletters are the best way to create fans!”

Five years ago I rolled my eyes every time I visited an author page and it bombarded me with, “Have you signed up for my newsletter?”

As a reader, nothing annoyed me more. As a writer, I just didn’t get it.

But now, things have changed. The way writers and readers interact has changed. Years ago newsletters felt more like spam advertisements then what they’ve become today, a way to promote your book, your life, and reveal fun excerpts to readers. I’m realizing that maybe newsletters aren’t so bad after all and I’m discovering a whole new world I was missing out on as a reader. **Cough** Sorry, I just watched the new Aladin.

Blurring the Lines of Genre

Otherwise titled… “Help! I’ve written a Historical Fantasy Romance… with a little bit of Paranormal!”

There’s No Contest! You Should Consider Writing Contest

For a long time, writing contests felt like something unattainable to me. This was mostly due to my opinion that contests were reserved for publications like Readers Digest or Publishers Weekly, where they were looking for “serious short stories” or the next American Novel.

There was no place for my silly romance novellas, and I didn’t really know what I would get out of entering a contest, except the inevitable rejection letter.

It wasn’t until I joined the Romance Writers of America, discovered their various local (and digital) chapters, and their writing contests that I realized there was a place for my stories.

Throwing Yourself Into The Craft

“Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this state of being.” —A.A. MILNE

Last week I talked about my lovely “writing retreat”  and how I spent three months throwing myself deep into studying the craft of writing. Today let’s talk about how I did that.

The answer is simple: I consumed all things writing.

For three months I was unstoppable. I read all the romance novels on my TBR list with a critical eye, I listened extensively to podcasts, youtube channels, and of course, read books on writing.

The Truth Behind Bad Writing Advice

It is easy to turn to the internet for some quick advice on the writing experience. It is just as easy to fall prey to bad advice if you don’t know what to look for.

First, a little background. Once every year or so the twitter writing community will get flooded with some bad writing advice that everyone will give their hot take on. This week the writing community seems to be flooded with it more than normal.

Everyone has an opinion, but how do you know which one is the right?

Are You Ready to Join a Critique Group?

Are you thinking about joining a Critique Group for the first time? Or maybe you’re working on a new project and don’t know if it is ready to run the gambit?

Sharing your work with others is a big deal! It is scary, intimating, but also exciting because it may or may not validate all that hard work you’ve put into a piece. You’ll hear directly from readers what did and didn’t work. And though we often prepare ourselves for the worst, sometimes even the most well intentioned feedback can gut us.

So how do you know if you’re ready or not?

Finding YOUR Voice Among Feedback

 

 

Oh boy! Sometimes Feedback can hurt!

Learning From The Rewrite

 

I thought rewriting my first person science fiction piece (for NaNoWriMo) would be easy. I thought achieving those 50K works would be done in no time flat, but I was wrong… I was so wrong.

The Hunt for Good Critique

Receiving critique is a must for any writer looking to publish. For one thing, it gets your work out there, it forces you to let go and accept comments (both good and bad.) That isn’t easy for any writer to do, but it is a hurdle we all have to conquer. Additionally,  good critique will inevitably improve your writing. It will show you the weaknesses of the piece that we, as the creators, are just blind to.

I’ve been in a lot of critique groups, and am currently running one right now because I know the help it can provide and I love reading the work of my fellow writers. But sometimes, a good critique partner is hard to come by.