How to Write the “Impossible”

lettersandlight:

Michelle is a Wrimo of great, terrifying, admirable ambition. Writing 50,000 words in a month is a feat, doing it every month for a year is the stuff of legend. With nearly ten novels under her belt so far, she tells us what she’s learned about what makes for an enjoyable creative journey:

I began this year with a simple, terrifying goal: to write one novel every month for the whole of 2012. I wanted the rush of NaNoWriMo full time, to study what it is to write and keep writing. I wanted to dive into my own stories and not come up for air until 2013.

And, so far, I’ve done it. When NaNoWriMo starts, I will have written ten novels this year for a total of 500,000 words—and I won’t stop there. I have learned so much about writing, about starting, ending, and continuing through all odds. And while all novels are different, here are some lessons I’ve used to get me to the “The End” these past ten times:

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writesimply:

So I thought I would give you guys a peek at where the bulk of the writing will occur in November. (I might add pictures of the coffee shops from write-ins as November proceeds. We’re going to a lot of independent shops, so you won’t see ten different Panera Breads.)

On the right is my lovely cubicle at work. I will get about 60% of my writing done in this little box. Because I have amazing bosses, I’m allowed to write as long as my work is done. And since I’m stuck in front of a computer any way, I might as well, right? I really like it because it’s ergonomically designed, so I can sit and write for long periods of time without being uncomfortable.

On the left is my desk at home. I’ll do about 30% there — mostly weekend writing. I would say that I would get more done, but the distractions at home are plentiful. The chances of having large chunks of uninterrupted time are slim. But that’s okay, because I have an incredible support system (a.k.a. The Husband) who kicks my butt into the office.

10% of my novel will be written at local write-ins. I would say that’s a low number, but let’s be honest. You put that many writers into one room and we all want to compare notes and chat. Last year’s conversations include: “How long can one survive having all limbs amputated?” and “How many flat-rate boxes would it take to ship a human body (dismembered, of course)?” So very little actual writing gets done, but it’s a great opportunity to bounce ideas off other Nanoers.

What do your writing spaces look like? It’s great to set aside a specific room or nook so that your brain recognizes that only WRITING happens in these areas. 11 days and counting!

Ten Steps to Fill Plot Holes

vaneluzimoura:

By Kathy Steffen:

As writers we ask our readers to suspend disbelief all the time, but one thing we don’t want in our story—a big gaping plot hole. Stretch the suspension of disbelief too far and boom! Your reader will fall into a plot hole and you lose them. And worse, too many plot holes will cause a story to buckle.

A plot hole (a contradiction in the action of a story, a character suddenly acting opposite to their personality with no explanation, characters who act without motivation, implausible situations) can be […]

A character who is familiar and unsurprising seems comfortable, believable — but not particularly interesting. A character who is unfamiliar and strange is at once attractive and repulsive, making the reader a little curious and a little afraid. We may be drawn into the story, curious to learn more, yet we will also feel a tingle of suspense, that tension that comes from the earliest stages of fear, the uncertainty of not knowing what this person will do, not knowing if we’re in danger or not.
Orson Scott Card, Characters and Viewpoint (via shannahmcgill)

(via writesimply)

Source: shannahmcgill

New theme and a fresh start

writesimply:

It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do for your mood. I’ve spent the past day reorganizing and tossing out and cleaning up this blog, and I feel like it’s finally something I’m okay with sharing. Those of you familiar with tumblr know how easy it is to let your blog dissolve into chaos.

I’m still trying to refrain from developing a full outline for Amity. In years past, I’ve had ten page outlines with a mention for every little conversation that would take place in my novel, and by week two it gets tossed out the window. I do, however, have a decent bullet pointed plot that I will (hopefully) follow.

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