How do you start a novel? Every writer knows that each novel should include a definite beginning, middle, and end. But did you know those are also your starting options? Usually I think of a sentence that seems like the beginning of a novel and it grows from there. This sunrise method works well for exploratory … Continue reading Beginning, middle or end?
For thousands of writers around the world, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is winding down. Or perhaps, speeding up. In these last days of November, NaNoWriMo participants have less than 48 hours to hit the 50,000 word count goal. Those writers in the winner's circle are resting on their laurels, while those who can see the … Continue reading NaNo end nears
Time to write! For those of you who don't know, today's the first day of NaNoWriMo. That's shorthand for National Novel Writing Month, a crazy adrenaline-fueled rush of attempting to write 50,000 words in a new novel in one month. This is my seventh NaNo. I've won all but the last one. I explained why … Continue reading So it begins!
For the last seven Novembers, I've participated in NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month is a frenetic November of trying to write at least 50,000 words in a novel--from scratch. On every November 1 during the previous seven years, I sat down at my computer, placed my fingers on the keyboard, and began a new novel. For … Continue reading No NaNo
Here we are: the last day of November. For hundreds of thousands of people around the globe, that means the last day of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Some are sleeping in this morning because they've reached their goal of 50,000 words in a new novel. Some are typing "The End" with a smile on … Continue reading Nano null, but not void
All month I’ve struggled to write words in my newest NaNo novel. I often fight what I call “paralysis,” when I simply cannot seem to write. It seems far more serious than mere writer’s block because it extends beyond the inability to write and freezes my thinking. During these times of paralysis, I find it … Continue reading Paralysis prescription
This morning I finally made my decision. I'm in for NaNoWriMo 2012! I have a title and an extremely vague story idea. I believe the first person narrator will be an adult female, but I don't know her name yet. Not much to go on. I do know that my first sentence will consist of … Continue reading I’m in!
Do you hear that hum? It's the sound generated by fiction writers all over the globe gearing up for the annual madness of NaNoWriMo. You may well ask, "What in the world is NaNoWriMo?" NaNoWriMo is code for National Novel Writing Month, an online extravaganza in which participants attempt to write a novel of at … Continue reading NaNoWriMo or No?
Writing fiction can be as easy as watching the movie in your mind unwind. That's how it's possible to write the rough draft of a 50,000 word novel during the month of November in the NaNoWriMo challenge. And that's how it's possible to write a resolution and know that you've come to "The End." But the process … Continue reading The difference between the end and the finish
Yesterday afternoon, I reached "The End" in my NaNoWriMo novel. This very rough draft requires extensive revision, including incisive surgery. But yesterday I found out how it ends. And I validated my word count over at the NaNoWriMo website. I squeaked past the 50k word goal with 50,007 words. Tentatively titled Recipe for Disaster, the … Continue reading NaNoWriMo: The End
Glenda Faye Mathes 