If you’re struggling with Nanowrimo right now, you’re not alone. This phenomenon goes by many names – the 30k blues, the saggy middle – and is one of the most common challenges writers face during Nanowrimo. It’s characterized by a profound loss of momentum during the third week of the month. It’s often accompanied by… Continue reading Story Structure Sunday: What to do about the 30k blues
“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” -Coco Chanel Aside from being a thorn in the side of everyone trying to rock a maximalist aesthetic for the better part of the last century, this is actually a pretty good piece of writing advice. At least, it is for… Continue reading Warmup Wednesday: Do you really need all that stuff in your novel?
Playlists are the secret sauce of both productivity and time-wasting when it comes to most people’s writing process. The right background music can drop you effortlessly into the world of your novel, and before you know it, the words just come flying out. Creating a writing playlist, on the other hand, can be a happy… Continue reading How to curate the perfect writing playlist
Ah, the first draft. The first step on the long staircase to publication, held together with the writing equivalent of duct tape and prayers. If you squint, it looks like a novel, but it’s never quite what you thought it would be, is it? It’s almost Nanowrimo time, meaning that millions of people about to… Continue reading Everything you need to know about first drafts
People always ask you what your favorite quote is – nobody ever asks you what your least favorite quote is. And they should! It’s a way more interesting question. Well, since nobody asked, mine is Game of Thrones writer David Benioff’s “Themes are for eighth grade book reports.” The show was not even on my… Continue reading How to give your book a theme that really sticks
In honor of the April session of Camp Nanowrimo kicking off tomorrow, today we’re going to talk about a topic very near and dear to my heart: the debate over plotting vs. pantsing. If you’ve participated in Nanowrimo or any of its associated events before, you have almost definitely run across this, and probably gotten… Continue reading Plotting vs. pantsing, and why you should do neither
I have a confession to make: plot structure scares the crap out of me. Of all the problems and pitfalls and mistakes a writer can make, the ones that have to do with how your story is structured are by far the hardest to deal with. They’re insidious in that it’s often very difficult to… Continue reading How to fix your plot structure