Hillary DePiano's Blog, page 84
October 28, 2011
In which I give you permission to start your NaNoWriMo novel early…
Start early? Blasphemy! you say. That's against the official NaNoWriMo credo.
Yes, it is. But I tell you again, I think it's OK to start writing your NaNoWriMo novel early. And I'm personally giving you permission.
To start with, understand this doesn't mean that you can count any words you write early. You still have to write 50,000 words in November or in 30 days (if we're talking about Camp NaNoWriMo) so anything you write before the start of NaNo doesn't count towards that 50k. Counting...
Want inspirational, entertaining or informative NaNoWriMo articles in your email inbox or feed reader throughout the month?
If you're a regular reader, you know that, in addition to the main blog, there's a sneaky little sub blog of Unpublishable Pennings called Hillary's Guide to NaNoWriMo. If you've visited it from the http://nanowrimo.hillarydepiano.com link, you've noticed it looks like a separate blog even though it's really part of Unpublishable Pennings.
If you're only interested in the NaNoWriMo articles, you now have the option to subscribe to only those posts instead of the whole blog. You have two...
October 25, 2011
Why The Love of Three Oranges makes an excellent, if unconventional, choice for your holiday school play
[image error]It's coming up on the holidays and you're looking for something for your school to do. But you don't want to offend or exclude which can limit your options. If only there was something that had the spirit of a holiday play without any religious or cultural baggage.
Consider The Love of Three Oranges. Sure, it may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of the holidays but it may just be the perfect choice.
It's Nutcracker-esque. Dancing mice and sugar plumbs have become a...October 22, 2011
Meanwhile, on my other blogs… October 22, 2011
Don't read all the sites I blog for? Here's what you missed in the last week outside of HillaryDePiano.com.
Don't repeat, restate: Promote by approaching the same content from differentLet's say you've got a sale going on in your store. It's only timely for a limited time (it only runs for x number of days!) and you want to get the word out to as many people as possible. What many sellers do is take a message like "Sale this week!" and share it
My Little Pony Truck: Brony shows...
October 20, 2011
Collectible NaNoWriMo Stickers: What are they and where can you get them?
If you're new to NaNoWriMo or if you've only ever participated online and haven't gone to the in-person events, you've missed out on one of the coolest National Novel Writing Month traditions. Collectible stickers!
Every year, NaNoWriMo puts out a new set of awesome stickers. These are a hot commodity and having a set from every year you've participated is a matter of pride for many participants.
This year, there are four different designs (there were only two last year which will make it that ...
NaNoWriMo Mania!
November is National Novel Writing Month, an international event where participants attempt to write a 50,000 novel in 30 days. I'm a Municipal Liaison (aka ML, fancy name for a local volunteer) for my area (NE NJ), you'll find the website somewhat "taken over" by NaNoWriMo posts for the next few weeks.
I appreciate your patience if you aren't participating in the challenge and will return you to your regularly scheduled blog in December.
You can peruse the entire Hillary's Guide to NaNoWriMo...
October 18, 2011
Words Count: a NaNoWriMo Tumblr
Last April, I started a Script Frenzy related Tumblr called Screnzy Pages which built up a following very quickly. So I decided to create a National Novel Writing Month themed Tumblr called Words Count. I'll be updating Words Count throughout the month of November as well as during Camp NaNoWriMo sessions. There may be some repeat content between the two blogs but, overall, I'm going to try to give readers of both a variety of content.
Since not everyone Tumbles (and since the site seems to...
Frankensteining Frankenstein: The short story version of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Frankenstein's Bride
So, here's a little something I've never talked about on this blog before…
Back in 2008, Hilarity Ensues, an imprint of Priced Nostalgia, put out a book called Through the Flashlight's Beam: a collection of classic scary stories for reading aloud
. This book was a collaborative effort and, though a bunch of us worked on it, none of our names appear anywhere on it. And that's fine. It's somewhat appropriate that we all "ghost" wrote or edited our parts because of the spirit (heh) of the...
October 17, 2011
Create an Outline: 4 Tips for planning your NaNoWrimo novel (or any first draft) before you begin
Image via Wikipedia
The following post is a guest post from Megan of Help4Writers on Tumblr in honor of NaNoWriMo. Megan is a high school senior but has been writing for many years and loves to talk shop with other writers. Her blog has writing prompts, advice, reference and more so go on and check it out.
~Hillary
Many people dread the term "outline" when it comes to any kind of writing because they simply don't feel it's necessary to plan out what you're writing. They get their best ideas ...
October 15, 2011
Meanwhile, on my other blogs… October 15, 2011
Don't read all the sites I blog for? Here's what you missed in the last week outside of HillaryDePiano.com.
#allhallowsread (All Hallows Read) What books or stories get you in the HalloweenThe air is starting to get crisp, the leaves are changing and one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year, Halloween, is right around the corner. If you're like me, you like to get yourself into the holiday mindset … Continue reading
eBay Buyers: Why leaving a complaint in your feedback rating...
