Chris Baty's Blog, page 103

"I used to think that I had to write important works of literary fiction or I shouldn’t even..."

“I used to think that I had to write important works of literary fiction or I shouldn’t even bother trying. It feels silly in retrospect; I rarely even like to read important works of literary fiction! I like romantic comedies. I love stories where groups of friends figure stuff out together. I live for makeover scenes and love interests with great hair. And as soon as I stopped trying to be a writer I never was going to be and leaned into what I really loved, writing didn’t just get easier, it got a whole lot more fun.”

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Amy Spalding grew up in St. Louis, but now lives in the better weather of Los Angeles. By day, she manages the digital media team for an indie film advertising agency. By later day and night, Amy writes, performs, and pets as many cats as she can. She is the author of five young adult novels, including her latest, The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles). (Author photo: Robyn Von Swank)

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.

Letters from Camp: Week Three

Camp NaNo can be thrilling, challenging, and revitalizing—sometimes all at once—but more than anything else, it’s fun. We’ve asked Campers to share their daily thoughts in a series, Letters from Camp. Read about what your fellow Campers are thinking:

April 18

Dear sleepy me,

The words you type while you’re dozing off don’t count. They do not exist. They have way more punctuation, exclamation and question marks than any other word in any other language.

Please don’t. If you’re tired, just stop, log off your laptop, set it aside and go to bed. Don’t try to cheat on Camp. That’s not fair. Also, you can ruin the rest of your paragraphs just because you’re stubborn enough to keep on “typing” as your eyes start to lose focus.

Now stop, get to bed and don’t touch the laptop until you get enough sleep.

Love,

Kahitna

April 19

Dear Sara,

You’re going to hate me by the time May rolls around.

I’m sorry for all the crap I’m putting you through, all the garbage that’s to come and all the pain in your past. You’re an amazing lady and I really want to tell your story, but if it’s all sunshine and lollipops then it just wouldn’t be YOUR story, now would it?  You don’t think you’re a hero. You don’t think you’re anything special, but that just isn’t true. You are the center of a world of characters and events, heroes and villains, victims and survivors. I’m going to put you through the mill, because I have to. Not because I want you to hurt or fail but because if you don’t fail sometimes you won’t learn. Succeeding on the first try only teaches you one way to do things. Failing, creates questioning; and questioning is the soul of learning. So I’m sorry you had such a rough early life. It sucks that the world keeps kicking you in the teeth.

I can’t even promise that your tormentors will get theirs in the end. All I can say is, I know you’ll stand tall and do yourself, and me, proud.

Sincerely,

Your Author.

Dear potato,

I know I was peeling your skin off, but did you have to remove half my fingernail?!

Sincerely,

A writer who will now not be able to finish Camp due to an injured finger

Dear Self,

It’s great that you’re suddenly interested in re-watching all the Lord of the Rings films and reading the books, but whatever happened to this writing thing you were supposed to be in April? Does that ring a bell at all?

Sincerely,

The part of you that wants to write but simultaneously pops in the next movie

Dear McGee and Jayce,

You are an both adorable balls of fluff. Normally I would adore your snuggles but now is not the time. You can lay on my lap or next to me but my keyboard is not a place to nap. I know the iPad screen reacts to your paws…but please stop swatting the screen. You are wonderful kitties but right now I need to write.

Lots of love

Mom

April 20

Dear fingers,

I am ever grateful to you, my precious (though dying) fingers.  At the beginning of the month, you flew across my keyboard, managing to write 10k words in five hours.  You linked seamlessly with Brain *waves* and finished a story that will forever hold the most special place in the depths of my computer’s memory chip.  I am so very proud of you!  However, twenty days later, you are hanging on to life by a thread.  Your nails are cracked and worn from hitting the keys.  Your knuckles are red and swollen.  Your tips cry the sweat of your struggles.  You are desperately pushing on to the very end, even if the end may not be in sight.  But, I have good news for you.

Only 10 days left!

Yours forever,

lovingwriter

April 21

Dear Story,

This month has been a series of ups and downs, behinds and aheads, but I think I finally worked you out. I’m still a bit behind but it isn’t about the word count (I tell myself as I type away furiously to continue my winning streak). In all seriousness, finishing you is most important  and it’s taken this month of Camp to finally get inspiration for an ending that isn’t as lackluster and predictable as the one I previously had in my head. This new idea is a different direction, and not what I planned on happening, but I am a pantser after all, so it isn’t the only thing I didn’t plan on happening. All isn’t going to go well for the characters which is a bummer for them, but I think it’s going to work out well for you. I’m excited, to have this more complete and interesting ending, one that you deserve.

Sarahann

We’ll post more Letters from Camp as April (and our projects!) come to a close. In the meantime, you can share your Letters from Camp on the official forum post.

Good luck, writers!

"As a writer, there’s lots to fear as you write your book. Think about the doubts that creep into..."

“As a writer, there’s lots to fear as you write your book. Think about the doubts that creep into your head as you trudge along and the page count gets bigger: What if people hate this? What if after all this work I’ve put in, this book ends up getting shelved?

Think about those doubts…

…and shrug.

What we fear doesn’t have to come to pass, and even if it does, it’s not the end of the world. But if we stop because of fear, we’ll never achieve our dreams. No matter what, keep moving forward.”

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Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.

Camp Pep: How Much is Your Story Worth to You?

Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. Today, YWP writer Elysia Lopez offers you a boost in your third week of Camp to help you reach your writing goals:

It was the middle of NaNoWriMo, and I was 20,000 words behind in my novel. I didn’t know what happened to the time. I’d kept telling myself that I would catch up on my word count tomorrow, but too many tomorrows had passed, and here I was, a 20K-large void in my word count.

I realized that at this point, my overall goal of 50,000 words was simply unrealistic. I had homework. I had robotics competitions. I didn’t have time to write a novel.

Both Camp NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program allow you to change your word goal whenever you want during the month, and I’ve taken advantage of that feature. My goal dropped from 50,000 to 30,000. 30k words, which still allowed for a good chunk of my novel, so I was content. But it made me realize something:

Don’t just be content with your novel — consider what your novel means to you and what it can be.

We participate in NaNoWriMo to motivate ourselves to finally write our stories. Remember that. Our ultimate goal is to write the story, not reach an arbitrary word count.

It’s very easy to take this in the wrong direction. Since the word count doesn’t matter in the end, should we really worry about how many words we write per day, as long as we’re adding words? 

What still matters that you write as much as you can. In Logic class, I learned that if someone has the power, opportunity, and desire to do something, they will likely do it. This applies to writing. Let’s break that down:

Power: Writing in itself is a very low-maintenance task. We all have the power to do it. We have laptops with Scrivener and Google Docs that enhance our writing experience, but at the very least we only need a pencil and paper. J.K. Rowling wrote her initial Harry Potter ideas on a napkin.
Opportunity: Even though it may often seem otherwise, we all have opportunities throughout the day to write. The car ride to and from school. The wait in line at the grocery store. These opportunities exist in small pockets of time, we just have to grab them.
Desire: The desire to write is often where most of us fall short. This is the reason the story never gets written, which is why I would like to focus on this point more. I think I can safely assume that we all want to write our story. Sometimes we get inspiration bursts and find ourselves writing our stories at the speed of light. But what about the times when we don’t exactly feel like writing?

Everyone falls into a writing slump now and then, but the ways we respond to writing slumps can make or break our stories. It’s so, so easy to get sidetracked because we don’t feel like writing, and we open up Netflix or Instagram and suddenly time slips out of our hands. And it’s so, so easy to lose sight of our ultimate goal of writing the story.

But next time you’re in a writing slump, ask yourself: How much is this story worth to you? Or, in other words, what would you do to get your story written? NaNoWriMo is a time for big projects, and if your story is really, really worth it (hint: it is!), sometimes those big projects take big sacrifices, like abstaining from social media and television.

You might know this feeling: it’s a Sunday night, and you haven’t finished your homework yet, so you have to stay up past the wee hours of the night, and you spent the entire time wishing your past self had been more productive.

That’s the feeling of regret, and it isn’t pleasant. Guilt hangs over your head like the sword of Damocles and you just wish that you hadn’t been so careless with your time. From my experience, the bigger the project I’m neglecting, the worse the regret, and as previously said, we work on big projects during NaNoWriMo. I don’t want to end the month with biting regret. I want to make sure that I work as hard as I can, because this is my story and I owe it to myself to write it. At the end of the month, I want to feel proud and satisfied, like the burn that singes your muscles after a workout.

Let’s circle back: after my stressful NaNoWriMo experience of catching up from 20k words, I’d realized that my novel meant too much for me to put to the side. After reading many pep talks and watching videos of NaNoWriMo participants who successfully reached a goal they’d thought was impossible, I realized I wanted that experience too. 

By lowering my word count goal, I felt like I was downgrading my story’s importance. But that wasn’t right—lowering your writing goal is by no means failure. But later on, I returned my word count goal to 50k and stepped up my writing game, constantly reminding myself that this story was worth it, that it was important to me that this story was written. And on November 30, 2017, I reached my goal of 50,000 words.

So keep on writing that story. At times it may be arduous, and you may be tempted to get sidetracked, but keep your eyes on the prize: your story. Don’t end the month feeling regretful. Remind yourself exactly how much this story is worth to you, and the story will eventually get written. I’ll be rooting for you as you pull through these last stretches of Camp NaNoWriMo.

Elysia Lopez is an 8th grader and lives in the ever-sunny state of California. She enjoys reading fantasy and dystopian novels, and her favorite authors include Neal Shusterman, Cassandra Clare, Rick Yancey, and Cinda Williams Chima. Besides writing, she also enjoys building robots and programming video games. One day Elysia hopes to work as both a software engineer and a writer.

Got Writer’s Block?Fear not! Try the brand-new NaNoWriMo “Are...

Got Writer’s Block?

Fear not! Try the brand-new NaNoWriMo “Are You Stuck?” Flowchart! 

And don’t forget to update your Camp NaNoWriMo projects! Winning begins April 20th on http://campnanowrimo.org, and continues through April 30th! 

Follow @nanowrimo and @nanowordsprints on Twitter for more inspiration, and tune in to the Virtual Write-Ins on Youtube!

Letters from Camp: Week Two

Camp NaNo can be thrilling, challenging, and revitalizing—sometimes all at once—but more than anything else, it’s fun. We’ve asked Campers to share their daily thoughts in a series, Letters from Camp. Read about what your fellow Campers are thinking: 

April 7

Dear Children,

First, I want to remind all five of you how much I love you. Second, it may feel like I’m always at Camp and have no time for you. But this is not true! Although I am making Camp a priority, I will still be there to kiss your boo-boos, to read you a story, and to tuck you in at night. I promise. Last thing: I’m sorry about the dirty kitchen. I know eating with paper plates and plastic forks is not what you’re used to, but it’s almost like you’re at Camp too! Don’t worry, things will go back to normal after the first of May. Until then, sending y’all hugs and kisses!

Mom

April 8

Dear Shane,

It is day eight at Camp NaNoWriMo and I’m already making new friends. We named our cabin The Tardis to inspire camp spirit!  We came up with the name because one of our cabin mates noticed that we were all fans of sci-fi. As for my personal progress on my writing project, I am off to a great start. I am editing my half of our book and it is coming along. At this rate, I will complete my personal goal before camp is over. Fingers crossed it all goes well!  Wish you could be at camp with me. I bet you’d like it. Maybe you’ll join me in July.

Your Best Friend, Lauren Hughes (TrinkaLs)

Dear Eric,

I’m rewriting your book—the one I wrote about you during regular NaNoWriMo. Yeah, I know, the first draft sucked. But I’d just like to say that it’s all your fault. As the main character and narrator of my novel, you’re supposed to work with me. Well, anyway, the past is in the past. This camp, you and I have been getting along pretty well, considering. I think you really developed as a character and person since November; I’ve learned so much about you! You’re whiny, awkward, insecure… tell me, why are you my main character again? Well, hopefully by the end of this month we can redeem you. At least that’s in the outline. See you tomorrow!

Sincerely,

Your author,

Angela

April 9

Dear rosebush at the bottom of my front steps, 

Congratulations on your flowers, please don’t poke me. I am going to be saying hello to you much too early every morning, so I’m hoping that you’ll be my cheerleader for this novel. I give you full permission to snag my various inner critics out of my head. They don’t seem to fond of my beginning, and that makes it very hard to move on. Also, if you could remind me to stop procrastinating on the NaNo forums, that’d be great. And tell me to manage my time in the afternoons better so that I can do homework, chores, and extra writing instead of scrambling to get everything done at a reasonable hour. Also also, remind me to study for my tests when I pass you on the way in. That’s important. And you can include my writing, chores, and other homework in that reminder too. Basically be a talking calendar, but a bush.

You’re the best!

~Parchment_Scribe

April 12

Dear MC,

I sincerely apologise for all of the challenges I’ve piled on your shoulders lately. You don’t deserve them. If anything, you deserve to have a mage come along with all the answers I refuse to give you. It’s tough. I know it seems unfair that I’ve cut you off from everyone you love, set your hometown on a mission to find you, added the whole Kingdom to join in the manhunt, and barely left a clue about what the next step should be. I’m the worst. I know this is why you aren’t speaking to me right now, but I promise I will help you work it out. If you help me write, we’ll get out of this together.

All my love,

Ren

Dear GD,

I know I said I was gonna be a pantser this year. I’m using some prompts to guide me through the stories I wanted to write and since I chose them randomly yours was one of the trickiest. I don’t know if I’m doing it well, but I’m doing my best. I thought I couldn’t do it without a plan, but I’m having a great time making the story up as I write. I hope you’re having fun too. I promise you that you’ll have as much fluff as the others had in their chapters. It’s a compilation of light hearted stories, so I won’t be as usual, don’t you worry. I need to write 2 more stories apart from yours, so please help me a little bit so I can finish your part and move on. However, don’t rush it so it doesn’t look forced. I don’t want that.

We’ll met again in a couple of minutes, let me have a breather first.

Love,

Kahitna

April 13

Dear Jacqueline,

Do you remember when I told you that maybe I should just stop writing because I’ll never be able to do anything more with it, because my writing would never be anything more than imperfect quality and it’ll never bring me the satisfaction that I always seek? Do you remember my fear that one day I’d stop having time for writing so I was trying to prepare myself for the heartache instead of just fighting to hold onto my words? Do you remember what you said to me on that day from so long ago? You said, “No, you should keep writing. You’re a great writer.” You’re the reason I kept writing. I owe you my life. Thank you. I miss you. I love you. I wish I could tell you all about Camp NaNoWriMo and my writing projects and my ups and my downs, and to just know who you are again. I used to pride myself in having your entire name memorized after not being around you for years but if there’s one thing that I know is a character is never just a name, they all have a story, a tale to be shared. What’s yours? I hope one day I’ll know again. I’ll always hope for that.

Sincerely,

Erin

We’ll post more Letters from Camp as April (and our projects!) progresses. In the meantime, you can share your Letters from Camp on the official forum post.

Good luck, writers!

Finish Your Writing with the 5 W’s of Focus

Camp NaNoWriMo is upon us! You may be wondering: what do you do when you can’t focus on your writing? Today, writer DeAnna Hundley shares her set of 5 W’s of Focus to think about when pushing through the end of the month:

When it comes to creativity and writing, one of my best—and worst—traits is the fact that i cannot stay focused… at all.

It can be a great thing because, without focus, I never run out of new ideas.  Books, scripts, songs,

just waiting for the world to see them. You know how the singers of old used to put out two albums a year, because their record labels worked them like indentured servants? That’s what creativity feels like sometimes.

On the other hand, it can be a bad thing, because a) the ideas leave just as fast as they come, and b) I can never sit down long enough to actually get them on paper. Perhaps you can relate.

Luckily, I’ve developed a few helpful tips over the years that you may find useful—tips I like to call the 5 W’s of Focus! 

1. When Will You Write?

As with work, errands, and family, you need a schedule for writing that suits you. You know when you’re going to be tired. You know when the whole writing thing just isn’t going to work out. You know that you get distracted easily. You know when you want to go to that concert or wine tasting. If 3,000 words takes three hours, you may have to set aside more than that. Only you know the schedule of your life—now apply it to that book!

2. Who Are Your Characters?

Have you ever had a crush, and when you’re obsessing over them you remember the tiniest little tidbits of information about their lives? Writing can feel like that sometimes; you focus only when you’re attached.

Start with writing down the details of your characters’ lives. (If you haven’t written down your characters yet, stop reading this and grab some paper right now!) Whether you have them on your mind, or on your paper, recognize that you’re going to be spending the next few months with these people. You will remember little tidbits about them and it will make you want to round them out and expand upon them. 

3. What is Your Novel About?

Set aside your word count stress dreams and return to the thing that made you want to write. What is your novel about? Do you have a simple outline about what it’s going to be? Do you have an idea about how you’re going to write it? What is making you want to write this novel in particular? What about your novel makes it more important than almost everything else this month?

4. Where Will You Write?

Consider this: where are you writing? At home? At the mall? At a friend’s house? The beloved local coffee shop? Wherever it is, make sure that isn’t affecting your ability to write a great story. If I’m at home, I can focus. There is nothing wrong with noise, if you can handle it. I’ve tried, but the mall is a no-go for me. I love the mall, but only when I know I’ll bang out no more than 350 words. 

A coffee shop, on the other hand, only works for me if it’s almost empty. When I was younger, I would only “write” in coffee shops—because that’s what real writers do, right? Don’t subject yourself to an environment that attacks your senses negatively because it’s “The Write Thing” to do. You’re a writer, no matter the location. Some of my best writing has been done on my ugly couch, sans pants, with a terrible romantic comedy playing in the background and a glass of wine. 

5. Why Do You Write?

Why are you writing this book (or short story, poems, or screenplay). Are you writing to publish? Are you writing because you think it will change the world? Are you writing to practice? Gearing up for the bigger word goals? Are you doing it just to see if you can? 

Whatever your “why,” make sure you’re writing because you want to. You will not concentrate on anything you don’t want to do. That’s just human nature; if I see writing as an obligation and not enjoyment, then I’m going to give up.

It took me forever to write this because I kept getting distracted (go figure). I’m not in the job of telling people what to do, but I do hope my suggestions help the process. We’re all doing this because we have this irrational love for writing and an even more irrational love for procrastination. So for this Camp NaNoWriMo and all the NaNo’s after, here’s to a month of (hopefully) stressless writing!

DeAnna Hundley is a novelist, musician, and punk rocker currently located in Seattle, WA. She wrote her first book in 2017, set to be released in 2018. When she’s not writing, she is hitting up punk shows or watching Quentin Tarantino movies. Visit her on Instagram @ireneexmorgan. 

Top image licensed under Creative Commons from gordonplant on Flickr.

"This month is gonna go by in a flash. But every day you sit down and write, you need to remind..."

“This month is gonna go by in a flash. But every day you sit down and write, you need to remind yourself that there are so few people who can do what you’re doing. I still have friends and family amazed that I can write “that many pages.” I’m amazed. Because it’s amazing. What you’re doing is amazing. Don’t get caught up in feeling bad about the writing quality (it’s just a first draft!) or worrying about reviews. Just know that what you’re doing is inspiring, pat yourself on the back, and get ready for the next week!”

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Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.

Camp Pep: Defeat Your Doubt Ninjas

Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. Today, writer Dani Jorgensen offers you a boost in your second week of Camp to help you defeat the “doubt ninjas” trying to drag your story down:

My Dear Nanowrimo Writers,

The gritty slump of Week Two has come. The bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, rosy-cheeked you who committed to this task is now entrenched in life and the writing process, and perhaps the enthusiasm is beginning to flag.

Are you falling behind on your word count? Are you struggling to maintain a daily writing habit? Whether you are trudging along or totally killing it, there’s no question that writing is hard. We all start to doubt ourselves. Please, my dear fellow Wrimos, don’t let the Doubt Ninjas get you down. These powerful enemies prey on our minds in our most vulnerable moments, and try to convince us that it’s not worth continuing.

“It’s too hard.” “I’m not good enough.” “My story won’t sell.” They tell us these things that wear down our resolve to continue and that’s not fair to us, or our stories. Everyone has a story to tell, the sad thing is that some people let their doubts get in the way.

So how do we defeat the Doubt Ninjas?

1. Start by imagining your goal. 

How will it feel to have reached the top of your mountain and look down at the vastness of the space you’ve traversed? How will it feel to finish a book—to put “The End” on your manuscript? (If you’ve finished one before, you know the feeling well.) Hold onto that feeling whenever your Doubt Ninjas pipe up about your current project.

2. Research everything you can. 

Knowledge is power, they say—and they’re absolutely right. The more you know about your project, the more prepared you are, the more confident you are, the more value you can add to it. Learn every aspect of writing, hooking the reader, characterization, setting the scenes, story arc, etc. You can find new knowledge in unexpected places (the Nano forums are great places to get ideas and talk to other writers).

3. Talk about your goals with other writers to form a support group. 

Be not only present, but also active in communicating with other authors. It’s incredible to help someone with their manuscript and then in turn to be helped. We create bonds that enrich us and those around us. It’s a truly humbling (and rewarding) experience, and yet, builds confidence in both parties, which is something we all could use more of.

4. Celebrate every step that brings you closer to your dream. 

Take joy in the little things that go right: finishing a chapter, introducing a new character that you know readers will love, writing the plot outline. Counting every step as a victory, no matter how small, reminds you that you are making progress. 

5. Learn to accept the setbacks, because you can’t escape them. 

Murphy’s Law runs rampant where dreams are concerned. This is also where your Doubt Ninjas will pounce in full force. Ward off the attack by seeing the problem as it is.

When I was little, my family would go driving around in the mountains. Whenever we got into a tricky spot where the truck was mired and seemingly immoveable, my dad would say, “We’re not stuck, because we’ll get out eventually. We’re just temporarily delayed.” Setbacks are not a sign that you shouldn’t move forward. They’re just temporary delays.

You should congratulate yourself heartily when you reach your goal. You have talent. You’ve worked hard. By challenging yourself to write a novel, you’ve already accomplished a great deal. Your characters get to live in someone else’s imagination. Your story could change someone’s life. Take the opportunity to bask in your achievements, for they are great. I believe in you and the work you’re doing. Believe in yourself too.

And in case no one has told you lately, thank you for all you do!

Dani Jorgensen is the Author of Pawns and the Fallen and Where Ash Falls. She would love to be a part of your writing support group. Get in touch to tell her about yourself, your dreams, and your stories, or subscribe to her mailing list at http://www.danijorgensen.com for her free eBook Enhance Your Writing.

“Feeling Imposter Syndrome? Me too! But remember that beautiful...

“Feeling Imposter Syndrome? Me too! But remember that beautiful message you wanted to convey? That shiny reason why you wanted to write THIS BOOK? Cling to that. Think of why you’re passionate about this project and put it all on the page. Sometimes in order to say something well, you need to say it crappily first. Do your best. Fix it later.”

—Helen Hoang is that shy person who never talks. Until she does. And the worst things fly out of her mouth. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been addicted ever since. In 2016, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in line with what was previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Her journey inspired The Kiss Quotient, which releases in June 2018. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org. Image created by Wesley Sueker.