If you’re a fan of Yoda, you won’t want to miss Barbara’s post Getting Past “Try” to “Do.”
Category: The Writing
MayNoWriMo Guest Elissa Malcohn
Elissa’s article is Shape-Shifting Manuscripts.
MayNoWriMo Guest Speakers
Since I’m running behind, I’m going to post two today.
Lakisha Spletzer presents Self-Publishing: To Go it Alone or Stick It Out
and
Kait Nolan writes The Little Writer Who Could.
MayNoWriMo Guest Cindy Lynn Speer
I’m running just a bit behind so you’ll probably get two guest posts today. First up, Cindy Lynn Speer blogs about the Balancing Acts of writing.
MayNoWrimo Guest Jaleta Clegg
Our first recipe post! Check out two of Jaleta’s favorite crock pot recipes when you need a warm, yummy meal that won’t cut into your writing time.
MayNoWriMo Guest: Angela Korra’ti
Every writer at some point faces the challenge of how to keep the words going in the face of stress or rejection letter doubt. Angela Korra’ti, author of Faerie Blood, shares her thoughts on what’s worked for her in her article On Motivation.
MayNoWriMo Day 2, 3
I didn’t get as much done yesterday as I’d hoped, but it was a full, busy day with family stuff and my first panel for Coyote Con. I had a great time talking SFR with Heather Massey (read the transcript here) and I can’t *wait* for the Steampunk panel next weekend (May 8th, 11 PM EST).
I continued working with Liquid Story Binder, expanding my character backgrounds. I’ve been using Writer’s Guide to Character Traits and The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines to get some nitty gritty details for Quinn and Tara. I’m layering archetypes for each, and expanding the shell of characterization that I had before. Quinn is going to have a darker rebel side that we didn’t really see in the brief scenes I originally sketched out, and Tara is going way deeper and beyond what I had originally expected. She’s a bit of a lost soul (yes, I know that’s a male archetype, but it really fits for her), and the beginning of her book is going to throw her for a huge loop.
I have one background element I still need to figure out for Quinn: a supernatural event with his adopted brother that sets the stage for why he believes in the demon so quickly. Then I think I’ll be ready to make the first pass through the Emotional Toolbox for both characters.
I managed Dark & Early this morning, the first time in months. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to sustain it. My allergies are horrendous this year and I just don’t seem to have any energy to spare for getting up early. But it helps to know that Jenna is up and expecting me to check in!
MayNoWriMo Guest: Nadia Lee
Nadia writes the Final One Degree, discussing Olympic gold medalist Yuna Kim’s memoir and comparing it to writing.
MayNoWriMo Day 1
Here it is almost 6:30 PM CST and I’ve barely started MayNoWriMo.
I’m sitting here with my first cup of coffee of the day (gasp!) and pulling together my notes for tomorrow’s Coyote Con special session with Heather Massey on Science Fiction Romance (Sunday, 2 PM EST). I’ll also be gathering questions during the chat to send to S.L. Viehl, aka Paperback Writer, the author of the incredible StarDoc series. She’ll be posting answers on her blog throughout the month.
I do have Liquid Story Binder open. I decided I would give it another try with this project. There are a lot of things I really love about it, but I never seem to have time to sit down and explore it. I’ll keep working on some character dossiers tonight and try to get a little done, although it’s locked up on me twice tonight already. 🙁
We took the monsters to see How to Train Your Dragon today and we all loved it. There were a few plot points that I couldn’t look at too hard without cringing (like how it took Hiccup days and days to learn how to ride Toothless but all his buddies could ride like pros as soon as they had to go after his father) but all in all, a wonderful movie that had me on the edge of my writer’s seat loving every minute.
Prepping the Calendar
As May approaches, I’ve been taking a careful look at my schedule. With a calendar in front of me, I start circling and marking important days. Mother’s Day. My birthday (and it’s a significant one this year). A guest blog spot for Carina. My beloved sister’s first Samhain release.
Ask yourself questions.
- Any school duties this month? e.g. Princess Monster just finished the science fair at her school (lucky it wasn’t next month)
- Note when the kids get out of school.
- Any major projects that might require overtime for the Evil Day Job? (Not this time)
- Do I want to take a few days of vacation? (yes, need to schedule with my boss)
- Any dinner dates out?
- Can I pull together a loose menu plan for at least a couple of weeks?
- Any family events I have to prepare food for?
If I were writing 50K for May, I’d cross off days with big events and adjust my daily quota accordingly. To be safe, I’d also give myself a few extra floater vacation days just in case something unexpected comes up. I try really hard to get a little cushion in the first week, writing 2-2.5K each day, because it’s inevitable. The glow will fade, the drive will waver, and it’ll be really hard to keep going.
Most importantly, SCHEDULE YOUR WRITING TIME. Decide now when you’re going to write. Are you going to get up an hour earlier? Write over lunch? Write when the monsters are asleep? Write in 15 minute chunks throughout the day?
Whatever your life, family, and work schedule, make sure you have time in your personal calendar for writing. Don’t commit to a huge writing month without figuring out HOW and WHEN you’re going to pull it off.