Write Anyway

Hello everyone and welcome to another Musical Monday morning. I’d like to say ‘a beautiful Musical Monday morning’, but things aren’t looking all the beautiful here in Melbourne. (There are entirely too many ‘m’s, I know.)

Even so, I’m still nice and warm in the flat with the heater going, music going, and another great band with videos to share with you. So sit back and enjoy the ride, because your weekly dose of musical inspiration is here.

Somewhere Only We Know - I can only link to this one, but it’s more than worth it to check it out. Originally performed by Keane, Somewhere Only We Know is one of my favourite songs ever. I absolutely love it, and to see Lifehouse performing it is… Yum. Pure bliss.

You and Me

This song was one of my husband’s and my first ‘us’ songs. More for me than for him, but I’ll always think of him when I listen to the song.

Hanging By a Moment

You Belong to Me - From Shrek

Ah, Shrek. Love that movie, and the soundtrack is great as well. More kudos to Lifehouse for a very moving song.

From Where You Are

This is a sad one that Jason wrote for the AllState Teen Driving Program to get parents to talk to their teens about safe driving.

And there you have it. You can, of course, find oodles more videos of Lifehouse on YouTube, Videosift and other video sites.

I hope these songs inspire you as much as they inspire me and that you get a lot of writing done today.

Wishing you heaps of creativity.

Yay! Today is the last day of NaNo!

Whether you finish today or not, you have tried something some people would never dare trying. (And something that many people gave up on in the beginning.) Congratulations on your efforts, no matter if you crossed the 50k mark or not.

And remember, first drafts are always shitty. Time to break out the white out and red pens!

Tomorrow is the big day!

How far are you along? Even if you’re behind, don’t worry, you can make it!

Today is the day to pull out all the stops and get caught up if you need to. Lock the doors, turn your mobile phone off, and order in so you don’t have to cook.

Get that novel written!

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 48343 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

Ah, we’re so close we can almost taste it…

Whatever tasting victory tastes like, anyway.

Depending on your story, this may be the time to start tying up the loose ends or the time when everything changes for your characters.

Either way, keep writing! You can make it to the finish line (and well past it, if that’s your plan). Do what you need to – be it outlining or pizza with extra cheese – to get there.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 46676 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

Less than five thousand words to go before you make it! And to think, the first five thousand words were so intimidating…

You can do it!

Today, if you’re ahead of schedule, try taking some time to encourage people who aren’t as far along as you are. If you’re behind, don’t be afraid to ask for some good comments to help you along!

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 45009 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

So close!

Even if you are a few thousand behind, if you are over the forty thousand mark, then you are doing well!

And for doing so well, I think you should reward yourself. Get in those comfy pyjamas, get some pizza, and indulge in some creature comforts while you write today. Just make sure not to use up too much valuable writing time making/setting up all your creature comforts.

(And if you are very behind… Well, you can go ahead and indulge anyway.)

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 43342 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

There is nothing like a bright and sunny day that makes me want to…avoid working on NaNo.

I know I’m not the only one…

At this point, the final stretch, you should be well established as far as your characters. The advice I gave you towards the beginning doesn’t really work all that well now.

My advice to you for today is to just write. Get ahead if you can. Just because we are in the final days, that doesn’t make you impervious to illness or family emergencies. Keep going full and strong as ever to get this novel done.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 41675 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

The 40k mark! Yay!

This officially means we’re on third base and going for the home run. (And if any of you turn that into sexual innuendo and you’re not an erotica writer, then I will be very cranky with you.)

Which brings on today’s idea.

Just because you’re writing in the erotica genre doesn’t mean you can’t add in humour. Or, just because you’re writing in the action genre, that doesn’t mean you can’t add in some romance.

Try spreading yourself out a bit genre-wise today and add in something a little less stereotypically [insert your genre here]. It might just end up being fun.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 40008 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

A little behind in NaNo? Feeling a little lacking in the inspiration department? Having a hard time keeping yourself motivated?

It’s time for a bit of healthy competition.

Find a friend (or hook up with one you already have) and declare a write off in which you will each write as much as you can in the agreed amount of time. It could be a day or an hour, but a little competition might be just the thing you need to push you to making it past the minimum word count today.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 38341 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

I’ve already recommended you outline if you’re feeling a little lacking in the random inspiration department.

Today I’m going to recommend it again, but in a slightly different way.

Have you heard of Thursday Thirteen? (Check out the link, if you haven’t.) Today you can get both your Thursday Thirteen done as well as a bit of outlining done for your NaNo novel.

Plot out the next thirteen things you’d like to happen in your novel. It’s as easy as that. Blog post and novel planning all at the same time.

Aaah. Genius.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 36674 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

We pass the 35k mark today! Whee!

(Unless you are, like me, behind.)

Today is the day you tune into the random writing spurts within you. Just because you don’t have your computer/laptop with you all day doesn’t mean you can’t write.

Keep a notebook and pen/pencil with you at all times today and write when you can. You can always type it up later when you’re actually at your computer. Your notebook may not have a word counter installed, but that hardly matters.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 35,007 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

There comes a time in everyone’s life when you need to take some time to figure your head space out. The head space can be a very confusing place, and sometimes one needs to get away from it all to sort things out in there.

Today is the day to give your characters (and yourself if you need it) some time for introspection. Give them the time to figure out who they are and where they want to go in life.

They might just surprise you with their decisions.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 33,340 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good luck everyone!

As someone who makes part of her living (a small part – don’t get all excited) writing about videos (on webtvhub.com), I can tell you I definitely get a lot of inspiration for writing in the videos I watch.

True, I spend a lot of time watching videos, but that’s my job… Haha. I can say that honestly.

Anyway, if you’re feeling a bit stuck – even just in the emotional department of your writing – why not take some time to cruise YouTube or other various video sites for some inspiration? It just might help.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 31,673 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good luck everyone!

Ah, passing the 30k mark.

Sometimes you are the only one who can get your bum moving on something. No one is going to hold your hand and no one is going to tell you just exactly what to do. You have to be self-motivated and self-disciplined.

Some people thrive that way while others don’t. Either way, this is what you have to do if you want to get NaNo done.

Today my advice is to schedule out a block of time where you can be completely isolated from the rest of the world (as much as possible), sit yourself down, and get some writing done. Be your own boss and crack the whip at yourself.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 30,006 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good luck everyone!

(And yes, I realize this has been my advice before, but it is good advice.)

Ack! We’re nearing the 30k mark for the minimum.

Am I near 30k?

Not as near to it as I should be, that’s for sure.

Some people, including me, prefer to write mostly from inspiration and whatever else pops up rather than a well planned out with arrows and colour coded post-it notes. However, when you’re feeling a bit lost and directionless, whipping out the post-it notes can be exactly what you need to start getting your writing on.

As you may have guessed, that’s my advice for you today. Make it as extensive or loose as you want but make an outline.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 28,339 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!