Should it surprise me when my character do things I don't expect them to? No. DOES it still surprise me every time they do? Yes, yes it does. Characters going rogue is a really intriguing occurrence in writing, especially because I am such a planner. I take the time to outline what the story is... Continue Reading →
Finishing a Story and February Goals
The story I started over a decade ago is finally complete! I printed the first complete draft of MS:T and it is a beautiful thing. It's a first complete draft that I can say I am really proud of. The things that came out in the writing, those surprises that I didn't plan for even... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo 2020 Week 3
Day 9: 1,696 words. It’s weird how quickly these first weeks have gone by. Usually it feels like it takes a lot longer to get to day nine, to close out act one and move into act two, but it’s just not the case this year. It’s positive, in that the story has got such... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo Prep 2020 Week 1: Resources
One of the most important pieces of preparing for NaNoWriMo is to gather my resources. Now, not all resources can be gathered in the same way. My resources are not just tangible things, like the books I love to reference or the word count stickers I use in my planner that bring me joy. My... Continue Reading →
Getting Ready: Same Goal, Different Circumstances
Preparing for the NaNoWriMo challenge is, like most annual events happening in 2020, familiar and very different. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is the challenge that writers take on to complete a 50,000 word manuscript in the month of November. The writing only takes place in the month of November which breaks down the word... Continue Reading →
Struggling with Process
Last week, I really struggled with process. So much of me wants to do this revision differently, to create a process where my approach is wide-angled in view and scope. I want to know at the outset that what I'm doing will be different and more effective than what I’ve done before. But every time... Continue Reading →
Losing My Place
I had an interesting thing happen this week. A dear friend of mine was asking about a manuscript I had sent her the first chapter of a few years ago and how the story had developed. I told her it was complete and she asked if she could read it in its entirety. I was... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo 2019 Prep- Week 1
I am so excited to get ready for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)! In case you don't know about the NaNoWriMo challenge, it is a challenge that happens during the month of November where writers push themselves to finish a 50,000 word complete first draft of a manuscript. This is the blog post I wrote... Continue Reading →
The Power of Story, and Finishing (again) One of my Own
Whenever my oldest daughter and I are in the car together, when she doesn't want to talk about her latest craft idea or friend question or life question, we listen to Harry Potter on Audible. We're currently in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. As we were driving home the other day we were... Continue Reading →
Every Small Choice
In the morning, when I'm tired and it's easy to lose myself scrolling through my phone, it's the choice to open a book from the genre I'm writing to and read. In the afternoon, when I've already made lunch for my girls and/or prepped for dinner and it's easy to eat the rest of their... Continue Reading →