Claytine Nisbett's Blog, page 6
April 14, 2017
Encouragement 101: Don’t Lose Your Love
When you have been hurt repeatedly, it’s hard to have a desire to want to love and be loved. However, be mindful that true love is a gift that is pure and kind. Keep your heart open for this kind of love and you will encounter it. Filed under: #encouragement101 Tagged: encouagement, self-love, women encouraging women
April 13, 2017
Encouragement 101: You Are Not Worthless
Many people secretly suffer from a sense of worthlessness. They play the role of confident very well, however, inside they carry the burden of despair for various reasons. No matter what the reason is, you are worth more, much more than you can ever imagine. You mean something to this world, remember that!Filed under: #encouragement101, … Continue reading Encouragement 101: You Are Not Worthless
April 12, 2017
The Chronicles of the UNSuccessful (You May Have Already Achieved Your Success Story!)
The ‘only ifs’ of life bombards many of our thoughts daily. Only if I had a better job, only if I had a better car, only if I had a better home, and finally, only if I was successful. Success, we all yearn for it and if we had it, all would be right with … Continue reading The Chronicles of the UNSuccessful (You May Have Already Achieved Your Success Story!)
April 11, 2017
Encouragement 101: Be Cautious, Friendship Ahead
A friendship chosen wisely can be life changing, opening doors of love, opportunity, and support. However, connecting with the wrong people can literally destroy you mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and otherwise. Proceed with caution and weigh your decision. The choice of a friend is a heavy matter. Claytine Nisbett is an entrepreneur, blogger, motivational speaker, and … Continue reading Encouragement 101: Be Cautious, Friendship Ahead[image error]
April 10, 2017
Encouragement 101: A Promise Is A Promise
“Promises are meant to be broken,” the saying goes. However, how about not making a promise you can’t keep. “Yes,” is a complete sentence. However, so is “No.” Before you commit yourself, think it through and weigh your options. Make the right decision and don’t implicate yourself in broken promises. Claytine Nisbett is an entrepreneur, … Continue reading Encouragement 101: A Promise Is A Promise
April 8, 2017
Rejected. A Letter To My Former Friend(s)
My mind often drifts to my earliest memory of being hurt. It was the result of one of the most important relationships in a young girl’s life – a friendship. It was/is a feeling of being rejected. I think many can attest that the feeling of their first hurt(s) follows them unless they attack … Continue reading Rejected. A Letter To My Former Friend(s)[image error]
April 7, 2017
Three Things You Should Know About Writing A Novella
You may choose to write a novella for various reasons. It may be because the story you are trying to tell does not require a novel length book. It could be because you are just not ready to commit to that amount of writing. You may not be ready for that step, and in my … Continue reading Three Things You Should Know About Writing A Novella
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WRITING A NOVELLA
You may choose to write a novella for various reasons. It may be because the story you are trying to tell does not require a novel length book. It could be because you are just not ready to commit to that amount of writing. You may not be ready for that step, and in my opinion, that’s okay. It may also be that your best writing is done in short stories/novella format. You deliver the story better and hence, this is your specialty. However, by no means does writing a novella require less skill than writing a novel. At times, it can be harder. Why?:
1) EVERY SINGLE WORD MUST COUNT! You don’t have the luxury of two hundred or more pages to tell your character(s) story and provide an extensive description. In approximately 60,000 words or less, you must adequately describe your character(s), especially your protagonist and other main characters, and give necessary supporting information about them so that the reader can clearly understand and/or relate to them. This eliminates confusion in your storyline. However, you must also be brief. You cannot take up pages upon pages describing a character.
-If the structure of your novel allows, my advice would be to weave the descriptions of your main characters into one of the chapters your novella. In subsequent chapters, you can briefly describe any characters introduced later on.
2) YOU MUST BE EXTRA CAREFUL TO AVOID INCONSISTENCIES. It is more likely that a reader will forget a small inconsistency mentioned in a full-length novel, if adequately spaced, than in short novella. Readers will remember that in chapter two you mentioned that Sasha had short brown hair with blond highlights, if in chapter five (which as per your timeline is only a week later) her hair is now flaming red and beyond her shoulder.
-My advice, keep notes about the physical and personality attributes of your characters so that you won’t forget. In addition, also keep notes about places and dates that you will be mentioning and/or describing in your book so that you don’t contradict yourself here either. Refer these notes regularly to make sure everything lines up. In my novella, Life As Josephine,
I used dates quite a lot and I have to admit, because I did not follow my own advice, in the editing stage I spent a good chunk of my time adjusting dates in my book because I had not previously made any notes concerning this aspect of my book.
3) YOU MUST KNOW WHEN TO STOP. It’s a novella, remember that. If you are not committed to writing a full-length novel then know when to cut a chapter off and move onto the next. Yes, some chapters require more explanation than others. In my eighty-four-page novella, chapter six is the longest chapter because a significant character was introduced and it was important that this character was adequately introduced to the reader. However, I knew when to stop and move onto the next.
-Brevity is the key throughout a novella. My advice? Notes, notes, notes. Write down the points you want to make in each chapter and make them, clearly and succinctly.
Many people may think writing a novella is easier than writing a novel, but some may argue it takes more skill because more has to be stuffed into a smaller package. I guess you can say quality is highly valued over quantity in this type of book. Though these steps can be applied to any literary work it is important that you follow these guidelines to ensure that your novella not only makes sense but receives a thumbs up from the reading community.
1) EVERY SINGLE WORD MUST COUNT! You don’t have the luxury of two hundred or more pages to tell your character(s) story and provide an extensive description. In approximately 60,000 words or less, you must adequately describe your character(s), especially your protagonist and other main characters, and give necessary supporting information about them so that the reader can clearly understand and/or relate to them. This eliminates confusion in your storyline. However, you must also be brief. You cannot take up pages upon pages describing a character.
-If the structure of your novel allows, my advice would be to weave the descriptions of your main characters into one of the chapters your novella. In subsequent chapters, you can briefly describe any characters introduced later on.
2) YOU MUST BE EXTRA CAREFUL TO AVOID INCONSISTENCIES. It is more likely that a reader will forget a small inconsistency mentioned in a full-length novel, if adequately spaced, than in short novella. Readers will remember that in chapter two you mentioned that Sasha had short brown hair with blond highlights, if in chapter five (which as per your timeline is only a week later) her hair is now flaming red and beyond her shoulder.
-My advice, keep notes about the physical and personality attributes of your characters so that you won’t forget. In addition, also keep notes about places and dates that you will be mentioning and/or describing in your book so that you don’t contradict yourself here either. Refer these notes regularly to make sure everything lines up. In my novella, Life As Josephine,
I used dates quite a lot and I have to admit, because I did not follow my own advice, in the editing stage I spent a good chunk of my time adjusting dates in my book because I had not previously made any notes concerning this aspect of my book. 3) YOU MUST KNOW WHEN TO STOP. It’s a novella, remember that. If you are not committed to writing a full-length novel then know when to cut a chapter off and move onto the next. Yes, some chapters require more explanation than others. In my eighty-four-page novella, chapter six is the longest chapter because a significant character was introduced and it was important that this character was adequately introduced to the reader. However, I knew when to stop and move onto the next.
-Brevity is the key throughout a novella. My advice? Notes, notes, notes. Write down the points you want to make in each chapter and make them, clearly and succinctly.
Many people may think writing a novella is easier than writing a novel, but some may argue it takes more skill because more has to be stuffed into a smaller package. I guess you can say quality is highly valued over quantity in this type of book. Though these steps can be applied to any literary work it is important that you follow these guidelines to ensure that your novella not only makes sense but receives a thumbs up from the reading community.
March 31, 2017
Ima a Hustler, Ima Ima a Hustler! (THREE reasons why Women Should Hustle HARD!)
The struggle has been real for me! No lie! Rejection, after rejection, after rejection. Followed by tears on my pillow, tears in my cereal, and tears in my shower. “I am qualified!” “I am capable.” “What’s wrong with me?!” “I have my Degree. I am educated.” I often felt the shame of the questioning eyes, … Continue reading Ima a Hustler, Ima Ima a Hustler! (THREE reasons why Women Should Hustle HARD!)
March 26, 2017
What does the type of compliments you expect say about you…. (and what does the type of compliments you give say about you?)
Okay, so you have to choose. You cannot have both! If you had a choice of getting compliments about the way you look or compliments about the way you perform (professionally or otherwise), which one would you choose? I’m actually talking about forever and ever here. Choose the one that will be your forever … Continue reading What does the type of compliments you expect say about you…. (and what does the type of compliments you give say about you?)
