Write Anyway

Happy Friday!

I love Fridays – even if they are gym days for me. I don’t have to worry about the regular posts for the next two days. My husband is done with work for the week so I get as much cuddle and bonding time with him as I can get out of him…

Ah, Fridays.

You might think this is a bit of a crazy suggestion given NaNo is about crunch time, but… Go out and have some fun. Re energize yourself, fuel the part of your brain that keeps material you can write about, and rest your brain a bit.

Taking a night off could be good for you.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 26,672 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

Hello NaNoers! Welcome to day fifteen and the halfway point!

You’ve made it this far, and you should be proud of yourself for that. Whether you’re 1,000 behind or 10,000, this is not the time to panic. You still have time to catch up and be a NaNo winner!

Today my advice is, if you’re behind, catch up. Yes, I know, it’s easier said than done given you have that huge 50,000 words there intimidating you. Forget about the 50,000 (if you can) and concentrate on that 25,000 word mark. That’s still an admirable goal to reach, and it’s a lot easier on your mind if you’re trying to reach for that instead of the end result. You can do it!

If you’re ahead, awesome! Take this time to write some more if you wish, or take some time to talk to your other NaNoers. Refuel your brain a bit and get to know other people. See how their NaNos are going. Help those that have fallen behind and maybe you might like to have fun and put in a dare for people writing random or dare NaNos. Have fun!

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 25,005 words for the day. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

Welcome to day fourteen of NaNoWriMo.

How is everyone doing?

Like RomanceWriter, I am very behind in my word count, but I am not going to give up. It is not in my nature to say I did not make it until after the fact.

Today try typing and not checking the word count tool until you’re completely done writing for the day. All those word count checks probably aren’t going to do anything for your confidence in finishing and it’s just a way to waste time anyway.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 23,338 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

Welcome to day thirteen of NaNoWriMo.

I’ll be honest; I have been struggling with a bad low mood of late. It has been hard to keep myself motivated with my current projects, not to mention motivate myself for new things. I am planning on doing what I can to get myself through including eating chocolate and taking bubble baths.

Today you also give your characters a break and do something nice for them. A kiss, a rose, or even a car (if you can make that make sense) can be your gift to your character.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 21,671 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good speed everyone!

Day twelve dawns bright and clear for me as I wake up about three hours earlier than I am used to waking up so I can go to work with the husband. I volunteer at his place of employment quite a bit, and it’s a lot of fun.

Today is a day for the unexpected.

Be it that your main character’s love interest is actually a robot or that his mother is actually his sister (gasp!), today is the day you should pull something unexpected on your characters and your readers.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 20,004 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine. I have over 10,000 to go to make the minimum. Ah, optimism. (Or stupidity?)

Good speed everyone!

Day eleven. The second third of the month. In this part, the minimum surpasses 20k mark and later the 30k mark.

Like you needed reminding, hm?

My suggestion today is to, if you’re having a bit of a time struggling with something – anything – then go to the NaNo forums and talk to people. I’m sure not everyone is having as gloriously easy time as you might think. You can help each other out.

Talk to someone writing in your genre. Take a dare or put up a dare. Have some fun.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 18,337 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine. I think I can make the minimum today.

Good speed everyone!

Welcome to day ten of NaNoWriMo! We’re one third of the way through the month and thus should be one third of the way through our novels.

How far are you?

If you’re looking for something to do with your story, I think it’s time to add some drama.

Kill someone off. Kidnap someone. Poison someone else. Today is the day you let out your evil side and do some nasty things to your characters.

Let ‘em have it today.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 16,670 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine. I have a lot to go to make the minimum.

Good speed everyone!

Is anyone else slightly jealous of the people who have more than 20,000 words already? I sort of am. Sort of. I don’t mind my word count because I know I’m not writing absolute crap just to make a better word count, but it would still be nice to be at the 20k mark.

How is everyone else doing?

My problem isn’t that I can’t think of what to write – I’ve been doing well when it comes to that; my stumbling block is that I always have a bunch of other things to do and I never quite get to working on NaNo.

While the world should by no means stop in November so I can get NaNo done, I do wish a few things would stop.

Today I suggest you schedule out some NaNo time. As much as you can. Schedule out the time, let everyone know that you can’t be bothered during that time, and then actually take the time to write.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 15,003 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine. I have quite a ways to go to make the minimum.

Good speed everyone!

Perseverance is the word, today. I’m quite a bit behind, but I’m working on it.

I’ve decided it’s time to add a character or two more in my story, and that’s my advice for you today. A party is no fun without a few people there, right?

The first person I’m adding is the older brother of my main character. I’m also adding the man who is going to be her love interest. Purr. I have a picture of him in my mind, and I’m pretty sure he’s a cop. He’s being a bit shy so far, but I’m looking forward to getting to know him. All my other characters have been up front and direct about who they are, so it’s about time someone came forward with a bit of mystery.

So if anyone here knows about cops and their personalities, feel free to fill me in on some of the finer details. What you say could make Mr. Sexy reveal if he really wants to be a cop.

Or his name. That would help. Ha!

If you want to stop and have a chat away from the NaNo forums with other NaNo participants, stop by Fiction Scribe and say hello. I have a bit of a rant there, so feel free to rant about what you like and put up your word counts.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 13,336 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine. I have a ways to go to make the minimum.

Good luck everyone!

I’m tired. Are you tired? I feel exhausted.

Not because of NaNo, mind you, but I’m still tired.

Yesterday, I told you to take a bath to help your creativity flow. Today, my advice is get as far as you can get, but if you’re stuck, take a nap.

What? Sleep? But… but… Yes, sleep. It may seem like a huge waste of time, but NaNo – and other things – is not worth risking your health over. Some stress is good, but too much is just plain bad. Plus, would you rather shell out three hundred absolute crap words and still be tired tomorrow or have extra energy tomorrow with having slept well and typing decent story?

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 11,669 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine. I have entirely too much to go to make the minimum.

Good speed everyone!

It’s day six and today is the day you get at least one fifth of the way into your NaNo novel! (If you aren’t already or hopefully get to if you, like me, are behind.)

Today’s suggestion to help get you going and keep you motivated?

Take a bath.

No, you don’t smell. Maybe.

A surprising number of writers like/need a hot bath or shower to help inspire them. Why? There are probably a number of reasons, the biggest being that when you can relax your body, your mind is likely to follow. When your mind is relaxed, then your subconscious and creativity can have more play room.

No matter what the reason. A hot bath or shower combined with some relaxation might be just the trick to helping you figure out where to go next, the answer to the problem, or even what story to start over with if you need to.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 10,002 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

So go take a bath, have some yummy food, and get creative.

Now I’m off to work on my NaNo. I have…a bit to go to make the minimum. Hehe

Good luck everyone!

Hello day five!

I don’t know about you, but I am in definite need for some inspiration. Or rather, motivation. I’m still quite tired after a weekend of illness. Yet, it’ll be easier to catch up today than tomorrow…or the next day…

Are you looking for something to motivate you? It’s time to give yourself some mini-rewards and some to your characters as well.

No matter if you’re ahead or behind in the word count, pick a word count (one hundred words, two hundred words) and with each increment completed, give yourself a reward. A (small) handful of M&Ms, ten or twenty minutes browsing the web, or a nice glass of your favourite drink.

If you’re having a hard time writing, try giving your character a small goal to try for. Having something to strive for means something for your characters to talk about, think about, and work for.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 8,335 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine. I have about 4,500 to go to make the minimum.

Good luck everyone!

Day four!

How are you doing? Is it going well?

Hopefully you’re tooling along quite nicely, but just in case you’ve hit a bump or outright wall in the road, I’m here with another idea for you.

As long as it doesn’t include bills or junk mail, most of us love getting mail. Even with other instant messaging tools at hand these days it’s still nice to sit down with a handwritten letter someone wrote just to you.

Have someone in your story receive a letter (or postcard, or scroll…). Good news, bad news…whichever suits your story.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 6,668 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine. I have about 3,000 to go to make the minimum because I’ve been ill.

Good luck everyone!

Day three and we’re…already lacking sleep, food, and water? Or already behind by about 3,000 words?

Either way, welcome to Write Anyway.

I’m declaring today pajama pants day. It doesn’t matter if you have completed the last forty-eight hours in your pajamas, today is the big day to wear them. No matter how embarrassing, no matter where you’re set to go today…

The goal of today’s exercise is to encourage you to not only write more because you are comfortable but to encourage you to find out what creature comforts your characters like. Whether it’s a nice glass of red wine or a pair of purple slippers, everyone has comfort items.

And nothing makes for good drama by giving your characters what they want…and then taking it away.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do today, all you have to get to is 5,001 words. And then you’re done if you wish.

Good luck everyone!

Welcome to day two of NaNoWriMo!

How did your first day go? Did you write a lot or did you find yourself staring at a blank screen wondering what you got yourself into? Both?

I hope you at least got a few words onto the page/screen because today’s prompt/inspiration depends on you having written something.

So far you probably already have a character or more and they’re somewhere doing something. Why not take a little time to describe where they are? What is it like? Remember to incorporate as many senses as you can to make it more real for your readers.

If you’ve already used a lot of setting description (hopefully not purely for the sake of padding)…

Have you talked about what your characters look like? Do you know what they look like? Try adding in a few casual details, like she played with her auburn hair or his eyes seemed an even colder shade of blue to help give your readers an idea of what your characters look like.

Remember, to have accomplished the minimum of what you need to do each day, all you have to get to is 3,334 words today. And then you’re done if you wish.

Now I’m off to work on mine.

Good luck everyone!