Writers: be inspired

I'm a huge fan of Larry Brooks' STORYFIX blog.

He has some absolute fantastic posts on writing, from craft to guests.

Today's post on The Commodity of Courage by guest Art Holcomb is a must read for writers.

Inspirational stuff.

WRITING TIPS: Question to ask before 'what if?'

Another great blog post today from Larry Brooks over at STORYFIX.

'The Question you should ask before 'what if?'

Thought-provoking.

NANOWRIMO

I've heard the term NANOWRIMO bandied around for years, have never participated, vaguely aware it involves writing a book in a month (or 50 000 words?)

This year has been manic for me.  In addition to writing my usual Harlequin books, I've written a YA adult novel and revised my first mainstream contemporary romance BUSTED IN BOLLYWOOD 5 times!

Now, I'm reaching the end of the year, and I have another Harlequin book to write (no idea of plot yet!) and an 'out of the box' YA idea that won't be denied.

So just for the heck of it, I signed up to NaNo.

Why?  Because I've had great motivational success participating in #1K1hr on Twitter (where a bunch of random writers see if they can write 1000 words in an hour) lately.
Usually, I don't need the motivation. When I'm on deadline, I sit down at the PC every night and make sure I write 2000 words a day.
But after a busy year, that extra little boost can help and that's what I'm hoping NaNo will provide.
Frankly, without it, I don't think this book would get written. And if I even get 10 000 words out I'll be happy, because it's better than a blank page.

Some writers don't like the idea of speed writing. And that's just fine, we all work at different paces.
But if you do want to get those words flowing so you can go back and edit your draft later, NaNo is for you.

There's a fantastic series of NaNo tips over at STORYFIX.

And I have a SPEED WRITING article on my blog.

Whatever you decide to do, NaNo is all about the words.
Getting the words out, whether you achieve your goal or not. It's not about pressure or competing with people (though some do thrive under those conditions!)

It's about switching off your internal editor, getting creative, letting the words flow and having fun!

I wish you all flying fingers and many words over the next month.

So who's NaNo-ing alongside me?

Rookie mistakes

The fab folks at STORYFIX have a great post on rookie mistakes writers make.

The condensed version:

1. Multiple dialogue paragraphs

2. Your first writing teacher is obsolete.

3. The 2 legit choices of manuscript font.

4. The name game.

5. Don't belabor the backstory.

Go check out the full article here.

What's your writing mantra?

While I recover from the intensity of completing revisions on WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? here's a gem from Larry Brooks at StoryFix.

What happens in the story is driven by what the characters are feeling, where more often it is the other way around.

I love finding snippets like this, snippets that make us think and look at our writing in a new and positive way.

Do you have a favourite writing snippet or mantra?

Encouraging words

If you're a writer, you have to check out the post over at StoryFix today.

These two gems are worth it alone:

'The Help", the novel that spent a year at #1 on NYT bestsellers list and is being released as a movie this August was rejected by 45 agents.

Yep, you read that right. 45!
(Moral of the story: hang in there & don't give up!)

Gem no. 2:
"Write something worth writing."

It'll make sense if you go read the full post here.

Editing tips

Great article over at Larry Brooks STORYFIX about editing your manuscript.

Love the right brain/left brain pic!

Killer story ideas

Love, love, love this post by Larry Brooks at StoryFix, ATTACK OF THE KILLER STORY IDEAS.

Every writer will relate.
And it'll make you smile.

Gems for writers

Regulars here know how much I like Larry Brook's StoryFix blog.

Well, he's made a list of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers.

Go check out the rest.

Writing a home run story

Yes, I'm directing you over to StoryFix yet again, this time for the first part in a 2 part series on How to Write a Home Run Story in 2011.

The first point in this article that leapt out at me was:

Perhaps, in 2011, you should do something different.

I love playing around with ideas, writing new things outside my usual genre.
Which gets me thinking...how will I shake things up in 2011?
How will you?

THE WRITE WHISPER: Steroids for writers

Yet another interesting article from Larry Brooks at StoryFix about how to give your story, every story, a major boost.

Putting your story on steroids.

Now, before you rush off and read it, let me say this.

I love 'how-to' stuff. Books and blog posts and journal articles on writing craft make me squee.

I devour them.

Then promptly forget them.

Yep, you read that right.

I love seeing how different people write, the different creative processes, but the thing is I've found what works best for me and I consistently do it.

A brief 2-3 page outline so I have a basic idea of the characters, a glimmer of a first scene in my head, then I sit down, start typing and off I go until the end.

No way could I plot a whole book using screenwriting tips (the one time I have, a complete mainstream I was buzzed about writing at the time, I haven't written. One fabulous chapter that made me cry and that's it. The idea languishes. Time factor, maybe? Or is it because I already know what happens?)

So I guess what I'm trying to say in my convoluted way is...with the posts I guide you to or stuff I find interesting is just that: interesting stuff to tweak your writing imagination but not gospel truth.

Find what works for you and stick to it.