Chris Baty's Blog, page 120

Writing Affirmations submitted by Camp NaNoWriMo...

Writing Affirmations submitted by Camp NaNoWriMo participants.
(Text reads: “Progress is more important than perfection. As long as you’re still writing, you’re winning.” By NaNoWriMo user panickedfish.)

Today is the last day of Camp NaNoWriMo 2017!

Camp Pep: Sweet Victory, Your Way

Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. Today, Kenzie Keene, a fellow Camper, offers you some pep:

Good afternoon, Cyberspace, and welcome to the FINAL DAYS OF CAMP!

With only 3 days left, there are two potential scenarios as to how this month shall end. Either (A) you expect to fail to meet your goal (like I expect to) and cry a single tear of shame before diving right back into your novel because you ain’t no quitter, or (B) you are about to miraculously pull off a win as you type so furiously that your gnarled bones are beginning to burst through your fingertips.

And for those of you who feel like you might fail, there is only one thing I can say:

Keep going.

The whole point of NaNoWriMo is to help us break through the sludge of procrastination that we often find ourselves trapped within during every other month of the year. NaNo isn’t about whether we win or lose, but whether we actually played the game. So don’t let the pressure of meeting a goal—or the severe disappointment of not reaching that goal—stop you from doing what you love.

Which is writing. (In case you needed the reminder because your brain is a fried slug right now.)

But what about all you writers out there who are nearing the end and are unsure how to wrap your novels up? How are you supposed to tie every single loose thread up into one neat little package with a cherry on top so that your readers will be satisfied? How does one make a story just… end?

Well, dear bean, never you fear, for I am here with advice to those of you who are hastily trying to write the perfect ending before the clock strikes 12 on August 1st. My advice is this:

Keep going.

Endings are delicate matters. Endings are taking a world you have created out of nothing and choosing to let it ebb away with a single word. Don’t rush it, and I promise that your story will have a much deeper and rewarding ending. With a good ending, the breath of life in your story will still linger in your readers’ minds.

Your story does not have to end on July 31st. The world won’t spontaneously combust around you if you are still writing your first draft after Camp. Believe me.

Perhaps, however, you’re squinting at your screen, saying, “But my ending is coming along as smoothly as a butterscotch milkshake on a hot summer’s day! Am I rushing it?”

No! Keep going.

If your ending is clicking into place already, then by all means write it! The fact that you’re able to write an ending at the end of the month is magnificent, and I tip my hat to you.

What you need to do is make your ending count. Do something unexpected, something your readers would never guess. Something you would never guess. You are your story’s first reader. If you are not shocked or surprised or in love with your ending, then why should your readers be?

The end of Camp is fast approaching, and we must get back to work. But before I go, there is one thing I must ask of you. Whoever you are, whatever stage you’re at in the writing process—whether it’s drafting or editing or giving it a break before diving back in—I need you to do one thing for me:

Stick with your story.

This story needs you. Without you, it is nothing. You are its creator, and though it may seem terrible right now, with a little love (and a sledge-hammer to that disastrous plot-hole), it has the potential to become something absolutely beautiful.

And hey—I believe in you.

*flings cookies in your face and disappears*

K enzie Keene is a Christian, aspiring author, and full-time dragon-enthusiast. She is currently working on the second draft of her NaNoWriMo 2016 project, which she hopes to someday publish. Her blog, Smudged Thoughts , was her first venture into the Swirling Void of Infinite Insanity, a.k.a. her writing process, and is where she rants about writerly and readerly things and flings cookies everywhere. Preferably at your face. You can also find her on Twitter  (come stalk me, I have cookies).

"I write character-driven stories, which means I heavily depend on my characters to lead. Often when..."

“I write character-driven stories, which means I heavily depend on my characters to lead. Often when I get stuck, it’s because I’m having my character do something for the plot that doesn’t fit their character.

 

When this happens, I ask myself what their motivation is in this scene. Why are they doing what they’re doing, and, most of all, what is it they’re afraid of? Often, I can use these fears to push the story forward.”

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Patrice Caldwell is a twentysomething introvert gone wild. By day, she’s a book editor, and by night, weekend, and early morning (if she’s had enough green tea) she’s a writer. You can learn more about Patrice, her writing, editorial wishlist, favorite books, and general musings at her website. You can also find her on Twitter, her secondary home.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.

Writing Affirmations submitted by Camp NaNoWriMo...

Writing Affirmations submitted by Camp NaNoWriMo participants.
(Text reads: “Come on. You are almost there. Put pen to paper and let the words run to the finish line.” By NaNoWriMo user NicTap.)

Start writing with Camp NaNoWriMo today!

"It’s so easy to carry guilt around: guilt about not writing every day. Guilt about not hitting the..."

“It’s so easy to carry guilt around: guilt about not writing every day. Guilt about not hitting the goals you set for yourself during Camp NaNoWriMo. Guilt about not balancing writing with your job, with life, with your many other commitments.

 

If you’re going to be a writer, you must learn to forgive yourself. Writing is hard enough as is without that guilt. Whether you’ve written a thousand words or ten thousand, keep reminding yourself that you’re writing, and therefore you’re doing something most never do. Forgive yourself and keep going.”

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Patrice Caldwell is a twentysomething introvert gone wild. By day, she’s a book editor, and by night, weekend, and early morning (if she’s had enough green tea) she’s a writer. You can learn more about Patrice, her writing, editorial wishlist, favorite books, and general musings at her website. You can also find her on Twitter, her secondary home.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.

Camp Pep: The Uphill Climb

Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. Today, Hazel Aspera , an author and fellow Camper, offers you some pep:

Dear Wrimos,

Five years ago, I trudged for miles up a dirt road on a jungle mountain with a pair of journalists chasing after a story. It was a two-hour walk uphill, across uneven, rocky terrain. The harsh tropical sunlight browned our skins and parched our throats as we slowly made our way to our destination, a small village in the middle of nowhere. There, we uncovered the unfolding drama of two feuding families trying to find peace. And the view wasn’t half bad, too.

When we got home from that trip, I found that writing about it felt like that uphill climb. The first mile or so was easy. Words materialized on my computer screen as if by magic, transcribing each thought, each conversation, each observation from my memory. I wrote a hundred words, and then a thousand, effortlessly.

But after a few days of writing, it started to become a chore. My mental muscle protested, just as my legs ached thirty minutes into that uphill climb. Now, it felt like writing any additional word took just as much effort as writing the first hundred had.

Looking back, I think writing the story was far more difficult than climbing that mountain. Up there in the jungle, it was move forward or be left behind. Each step became a test of how much I wanted this story. With each step, I told myself: I do want this story. I do, I do, I do.

With writing, however, it was all too easy to find a way out. All I had to do was press Alt+Tab and I would be magically transported from my mountain of words to the joyous land of Facebook and Netflix. And, before I knew it, several hours were wasted and my story left unconquered.

My dear Wrimos, I know you are now at this very point of writing your story. I urge you not to give in. Keep moving forward, whether you’re a thousand words away from your goal or forty thousand. As the saying goes, take it one step as a time. Each step doesn’t even have to be a good step.

If you need to resort to cheap tactics just to keep moving forward, so be it. Skip to another chapter. Write about the events that transpired before your story. Rewrite a scene in the point of view of another character. Write your villain’s overly dramatic ultimate speech about how evil always prevails. It may not look like it, but every single one of these words can move your story forward. Even if they, ultimately, will not make it into your final draft.

You’ll get there, I promise, no matter how insurmountable it seems right now. After all, I managed to make it back from that uphill climb alive. I even managed to publish a story about it, too.

Hazel Aspera is a registered nurse who left the hospital to write something more than just nurse’s notes. She is the Associate Director for Communications and a Junior Fellow for Fiction and Literary Essay of the Nagkahiusang Magsusulat sa Cagayan de Oro (United Writers of Cagayan de Oro). Her work has been published in the Cotabato Literary Journal and in the book, Peace Journeys: A Collection of Peacebuilding Stories in Mindanao.

"Go to a busy public place, like a coffee shop. Bring along your notebook or computer. Your job is to..."

“Go to a busy public place, like a coffee shop. Bring along your notebook or computer. Your job is to observe people’s interactions with each other and take notes. If you can, transcribe any conversations you hear.

 

Later, think about how people interacted. What power or relationship dynamics were at play? How did that affect the way people talked to each other? Who interrupted whom? Did people change the way they spoke depending on who they were addressing? Use what you’ve learned when crafting dialogue and character interactions.”

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Alexandra Duncan is an author and librarian. Her YA sci-fi novels, Salvage and Sound, are available from Greenwillow Books, as is her forthcoming eco-thriller, Blight. She loves learning new things, especially anything that lets her get her hands dirty: pie-baking, leatherworking, gardening, drawing, and rolling sushi. She lives with her husband and two monstrous, furry cats in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.

Writing Affirmations submitted by Camp NaNoWriMo...

Writing Affirmations submitted by Camp NaNoWriMo participants.
(Text reads: “Life is too short not to write. There’s no failure in creativity. You can do this.” By NaNoWriMo user SamSlamJam.)

Start writing with Camp NaNoWriMo today!

"When I’m feeling discouraged about a writing project, I try to think of my writing in terms of..."

“When I’m feeling discouraged about a writing project, I try to think of my writing in terms of pottery. When a potter makes a jar, she doesn’t start with nothing. She has her base material—clay—to shape into something beautiful.

 

We writers have to start out not by making a beautiful jar, but by creating our base material out of words. Think of your first draft as the clay. It’s okay if it’s messy and imperfect. The shaping and detail will come later, in editing. For now, create the clay.”

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Alexandra Duncan is an author and librarian. Her YA sci-fi novels, Salvage and Sound, are available from Greenwillow Books, as is her forthcoming eco-thriller, Blight. She loves learning new things, especially anything that lets her get her hands dirty: pie-baking, leatherworking, gardening, drawing, and rolling sushi. She lives with her husband and two monstrous, furry cats in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.

"Feeling insecure about your writing? From time to time we all think that our poems aren’t good..."

“Feeling insecure about your writing? From time to time we all think that our poems aren’t good enough, aren’t original enough, or aren’t enough like the work of a particular poet we admire. Don’t worry—your writing voice will develop over time with a combination of patience and practice.

 

If you ever find yourself comparing your writing to the writing of someone else, keep in mind that the reason why those writers are so beloved is because of their unique take on things. We need your voice, not somebody else’s. Push the limits and do something you’ve never seen done before!”

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Amanda Lovelace is the winner of the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Poetry with her debut collection, the princess saves herself in this one. She has been a poet for fifteen years. Currently she resides alongside her poet fiancé in a very small town in New Jersey known for its open mic scene. As you can see, poetry is her life, and she wants nothing more than to inspire others to begin their own journey into this enchanted world.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.