Tag: NaNoWriMo

  • Let’s Get This Party (re)Started! April Is the A to Z Blog Challenge AND Camp Nano!

    Image of A to Z Blog Challenge Participation Badge for April, 2020

    It’s almost April. And we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, causing unprecedented societal change. Our hearts go out to all those who have lost family members and loved ones, and all of us at Writer Zen Garden HQ send out a sincere and heartfelt wish that we come through this more together than ever before, build solid friendships, and take our writing to the next level. Writing can be a solace in dark times and, we believe, it will help us through this.

    For that reason, we are re-launching our website to coincide with two global events: the A to Z Blog Challenge and April’s Camp NaNoWriMo (note that the format for camp is now as “groups” on the main NaNo website).

    We’ll have more about both in the coming days, and watch this space for our first post come April 1. If you haven’t joined the discussion over in our Facebook group, please join us. All are welcome and there is no cost to join.

    Stay well, friends. Best wishes, and good health to you and yours.

    Namaste.

  • H Is For… Holes – As in Plots (get that mind out of the gutter ~grin~)


    I tend to write without outlines, character sheets, or even much of a plan. Sometimes this approach fails utterly because the stories can go off on a tangent and then sputter out.  Or, as referenced in the name of this post, the plot ends up full of holes. That is at least fixable. Other times, however, something clicks for extremely satisfying results.
    For the month of April, I’m endeavoring to rewrite a story that faltered back in November of 2013 during National Novel Writing Month. The Office of Letters and Light is hosting a similar challenge called Camp NaNo, so it’s full steam ahead once again.
    Some new ideas have since cropped up for my contemporary gay romance tale, and that feels good. As of today (actually April fifth as I type this), the tale has not advanced far but I am hopeful. The whole idea came about with a silly opening line. Then I thought of an interesting name and just ran with it. We’ll see how it goes as the month progresses.
    If you’re a writer, what tools work to help you create a cohesive story? Inquiring minds want to know. ~grin~ Happy writing!

    –

  • E Is For… Event – Camp NaNo


    Besides posting some A to Z entries here and the entire alphabet for my Darla M. Sands blog, I am also endeavoring to meet another writing challenge. The Office of Letters and Light, hosts of November’s National Novel Writing Month, provide still more opportunities for writer’s to test themselves. Camp NaNo happens in both April and July, I believe (can’t stop to research details now!).
    The rules are much less strict than for NaNoWriMo, and contestants can even set their own word count. I, however, decided to go for broke and attempt another fifty thousand during the month just as in November. Wish me luck.
    What are you writing today?

    –

  • Planting the Seeds – Darla’s Creative Garden

    March is not yet half over, but spring seems nearly here in my little corner of the world. Today I saw a crocus blooming in my garden. More exciting is the fact our migrating vultures have returned in droves, filling (!) a neighborhood tree. All the same, May’s vegetable planting season remains far off. So I have made plans for April, enough to keep me busy before I can seriously dig in the dirt.
    One activity is the A to Z blog challenge. Thinking of alphabetical subjects is already interesting. An additional undertaking is Camp Nano. I enjoyed National Novel Writing Month so much last fall that this additional event held by The Office of Letters and Light beckoned, too. I would have forgotten without a friend inviting me to join her virtual cabin.
    (Thanks, Rochelle Bradley!)
    We “campers” can set our own goal for Camp. It doesn’t have to entail the full fifty thousand word craziness of NaNoWriMo. Yet the way I figured it, why not go big? 50,000 it is. So, I plan to rewrite my November 2013 novel, Jimmying the Locke. Maybe this time I will think of an ending because that’s one tale that meandered off track.

    Whatever the season in your area, what are your plans? I hope you enjoy some creativity, indoors or out.

    –

  • Writing Tools and Tricks for Getting on the Page



    Wisdom abounds about writing goals – so many words written a day, keeping certain routines, having accountability.  Many kindly authors will share their valuable tips when asked.  Yet each individual is different.  To this day none of these ideas have worked for me.
    Once the glorious bustle of November’s National Novel Writing Month ends, so does my grand output.  Good habits fall by the wayside and my output trickles to little or none.  I don’t necessarily even wallow in editing.  Some of my novel manuscripts have remained untouched since the day I met that year’s NaNoWriMo goal.
    This time I wanted to continue the joy of storytelling beyond November.  So far, I have.  As you can guess it hasn’t happened through goal setting, at which I’ve never been particularly good.  Nor have I set a particular routine.
    The madness in my method seems to tie more into what many experts suggest to help break a habit.  I’ve shaken things up this time.  Routines are being broken.  Times, locations, even methods have been altered according to whim.
    No longer do I feel the need to get my writing done early in the day.  The day is far from over by afternoon or evening.  Why not save the best for last?  Yet if I wake with inspiration from a dream, I may certainly get the words down before they’re lost.  The words may be recorded in a notebook, Microsoft Word, or the Scrivener software I recently purchased.
    I also have been writing out some character and setting sheets in Scrivener, adding more topics as I go.  I usually just carried details around in my head.  Besides cementing a few characteristics, I’ve found myself learning new things about my fictional peoples/places.  And it’s been a pleasure getting to know them, whether those details make it into the story or not!
    As for one huge change, I went to some write-ins during NaNoWriMo and blessedly got invited by some nice folks to year round gatherings.  I’ll be going to one tonight, in fact.  I just have to decide which project I’ll open.  Edit the latest novel or write something new?
    On that note I’ve also rekindled my love of short stories.  Somehow, they seemed inferior to novels.  How could I consider myself a writer if I wrote tales under a few thousand words?
    I seemed to have forgotten some famously beloved short story collections.  And as several wise folks have told me: the fact I’m writing makes me, by definition, a writer.  I hope you’ll join me and dive into whatever speaks to your heart.

    Happy Writing!

    –

  • Writer Wednesday – NaNo’s Ovah!

    NaNoWriMo is over!  Holy cats, what do I do with my life NOW?

    Keep writing.

    Duh.

    No, seriously.  Keep up the discipline that you played with during the month of November.  Maybe you don’t set your goal as high, maybe it’s something more sustainable.  But it’s like going to the gym:  if you go full-bore for a week and then nothing, you’re not going to get into shape.  You get into shape by going on a regular basis, doing exercises and routines, and sticking with it.

    Okay, Squirrel moment here.

    I went to search for the bit in the first Harry Potter movie, where Hagrid says to Harry, “Stick to your ticket.”  It’s funny and fitting.  So I go to Google, my go-to for finding stuff, and the above picture is what I got as a result for the query, “hagrid stick to your ticket.”

    Hmm.

    Anyway.  Where was I?  Oh, yes.  Write.  Follow your muse.  Allow yourself to not make sense, and to chase down flights of fancy.

    After all, how else are you going to find a really odd looking Icelandic Viking ship from a travel site when looking for Harry Potter?


    — 

    “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
    – E.E. Cummings

    **New** SEALED BY FIRE is available from LooseId LLC. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

    The Chicagoland Shifters series:
    Book 1 BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.

    Book 2 TIGER TIGER, available from Samhain Publishing. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

    The Persis Chronicles:

    **Coming Soon!** Watch for EMERALD KEEP from Torquere Books, out April 2015!

    Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Books.

    Check out COOK LIKE A WRITER , available from Barnes and Noble.

    My links: Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pandora 

    Knoontime Knitting:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Ravelry
    Noon and Wilder links: Blog | Taurus and Taurus (NSFW) | Website | Facebook
    The Writer Zen Garden:  The Writers Retreat Blog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter | Meetup
    National Novel Writing Month: NaNoWriMo | ChiWriMo | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

  • Darla’s Noveling Journey


    I read a very interesting list yesterday of forty quotes for pessimistic people.  Many are understandably bleak statements.  One, however, struck me as quite optimistic.
    Robert Louis Stevenson reportedly said, “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.”
    How is that pessimistic?  I mean, sure, nobody can guarantee a fun time.  You might get crappy weather.  Occasionally, even, natural disasters strike resort areas.  ~shudder~  That makes my periodic rainy days at the beach a paradise by comparison.
    Anticipation, however, presents its own reward.  Isn’t that last work week before vacation tinged with excitement? 
    That’s how I feel during National Novel Writing Month.  Of course I want to complete my story, not to mention winning the 50,000 word challenge.  My favorite part, however, is the journey I’m taking with my characters.
    (Hopefully, they won’t resent me too much for all their travails and still be talking to me come December rewrites.)
    In fact, right now they ought to wrap up the dialogue that’s lasted several thousand words.  I need to light a fire under them.  But how?
    I know!  The house can literally catch afire.  After all, I have a villain lurking out there somewhere.  Isn’t it in his job description to do something villainous?  I think arson qualifies.
    Before I go type that scene, how is your November going?  Are you NaNoing?  If so, I hope you’re enjoying the trip (or your own fire!).  Happy noveling!
    Oh, and here’s the link to those amazing quotes, in case you need a (brief) break from writing:

  • Darla’s Writer Wednesday – Dabbling with Drabbles


    Many years ago I discovered a website through which people shared their stories.  I met some really great people and read some remarkable fiction.  Another unexpected discovery turned out to be learning a miniature story format termed the drabble.
    Each drabble should be a mere one hundred words and sketch a complete scene.  Some readers and writers despise them.  I became addicted, which is not necessarily a good thing.  But positive results have stayed with me to this day.  For one thing, pithy storytelling can be some of the best.
    (Flowery language certainly has it’s place, though; don’t get me wrong.)
    In addition, I have learned to tackle the challenge of National Novel Writing Month a hundred words at a time.  The concept is no different than taking baby steps, of course.  Still, it works for me.
    On that note, I better get back to my NaNoWriMo story.  There are about five hundred more words to go before I reach today’s goal.
    Oh, and if you decide to adopt my ploy, try not to be obsessive about counting.  ~grin~  Stopping to constantly hit alt→ t → w in Microsoft Word contributes unproductive key strokes and takes time away from the actual composition.
    Happy writing!
    –

  • Darla’s NaNoWriMo Update


    Now that National Novel Writing Month has begun, I’m really finding my stride.
    No, I’m not a horse.  ~rolls eyes~  But I am writing.  My word count is in a range I haven’t produced since last November.  Quite frankly, NaNo inspires me.
    And inspiration is what I’d like to spread today.  I read a terrific pep talk on the NaNoWriMo website.  Author Chuck Wendig shared ideas very much like Julia Cameron with her creative workshops.  He essentially encourages writers to let loose their creative inner child.  Here is his amusing and perceptive insight garnered from observing his own toddler:
    “…He’ll grab a Transformers toy and half-transform it into some lumbering robot-car monstrosity—and when an adult might say, “No, no, it’s like this or it’s like that; it’s a robot or it’s a car,” he’s like, “Uh, yeah, no. Go back to your tax forms and your HGTV, stupid adult, I’ve just created a Frankencarbot and you can go hide your head in the sand-swept banality of grown-up life, sucker.”
    I’m all for creating a Frankencarbot.  What about you?  Has the NaNo bug bitten this fall?

    –

  • Monday with Aunt Noony

    We’re ready for National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, at our house.  Can you tell?  That’s Kolya, doing his best to give his inspiration to my inbox.  He’s a little over a year old and is fitting in well at the Noonypad, terrorizing his big sister Nadya and alternately loving on, and beating up, our eldest Boria.  He follows the dog, Coyote, around like she’s his nanny.

    Yes, we have a confused household.  My son thinks he’s half dog/cat too.

    But I digress.  It’s only October, even though it feels like NaNoWriMo has begun, and that’s because I am super excited to report that I’m a Municipal Liaison this year!  I finally did it, I threw my hat into the ring.  This year, there are four of us volunteering to wrangle ChiWriMo into shape.  We have a Facebook group, a Twitter feed, and even a blog.  We’ll be doing online write-ins, in person write-ins, a Kick-Off and Thank-Goodness-It’s-Over (or TGIO) party, and all sorts of stuff in between.  I’m so excited, I can’t stand myself!

    Write on!


    — 

    “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
    – E.E. Cummings

    **New** SEALED BY FIRE is available from LooseId LLC. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

    The Chicagoland Shifters series:
    Book 1 BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.

    Book 2 TIGER TIGER, available from Samhain Publishing. An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

    The Persis Chronicles:

    **Coming Soon!** Watch for EMERALD KEEP from Torquere Books, out April 2015!

    Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Books.

    Check out “Seeking Hearts“, available from Torquere Books.


    Check out COOK LIKE A WRITER , available from Barnes and Noble.
    Check out “Taking a Chance“, available from Torquere Books! An All Romance eBooks Bestseller!

    My links: Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pandora 

    Knoontime Knitting:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Ravelry
    Noon and Wilder links: Blog | Taurus and Taurus (NSFW) | Website | Facebook
    The Writer Zen Garden:  The Writers Retreat Blog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter | Meetup