Chris Baty's Blog, page 142

"Whether you’re writing contemporary or high fantasy, world building is crucial. Here are some quick..."

“Whether you’re writing contemporary or high fantasy, world building is crucial. Here are some quick tips:

 

Writing something rooted in this world? Know your naming conventions! The U.S. Social Security Administration lets you look up the most popular names by state and year. It’s an invaluable resource.

 

Writing something with magic? Map out your rules! Where does the magic come from? Who can use it? What are three unbreakable rules that govern its use?

 

Writing something that requires science? If you don’t have a PhD in the natural sciences, try classroom resources offered by research organizations.  Your world will be richer for every detail you pursue!”

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Natalie C. Parker is the author of Beware the Wild and Behold the Bones, as well as the editor of the forthcoming young adult anthology, Triangles: The Points of Love.

Writer’s Care Packages from Camp NaNoWriMo and We Need Diverse Books.

"Maybe you’ve hit a wall and can’t figure out what happens next, or maybe you’re just bored by what’s..."

“Maybe you’ve hit a wall and can’t figure out what happens next, or maybe you’re just bored by what’s happening now; either way, you’ve found a rut and now it’s time to find your way out.

 

Here’s a tip: what is the next thing that excites you about your story? Now, how quickly can you get there? It’s possible your rut is due to too much distance between here and there. Can you cut out a step? Do it.”

- Natalie C. Parker is the author of Beware the Wild and Behold the Bones, as well as the editor of the forthcoming young adult anthology, Triangles: The Points of Love.

Writer’s Care Packages from Camp NaNoWriMo and We Need Diverse Books.

Camp NaNoWriMo July 2016 is here!

Are you ready for Camp NaNoWriMo? Camp is a virtual writers’ retreat where you can:

Nurture any writing project you want, novel or not.Set your own word-count goal from 30 up to a million words.Join a virtual, 12-person writing group we call a “cabin”.

Find out more in our Map to the Month ahead for July 2016.

Ready to dive in? Sign up for Camp NaNoWriMo!

"Writing your novel is a marathon, not a sprint. Self-care’s tantamount to your writing—you won’t go..."

“Writing your novel is a marathon, not a sprint. Self-care’s tantamount to your writing—you won’t go far on an empty physical, emotional, or mental tank.

 

Spend some time today reading a book, going for a walk, grabbing coffee with a friend, or finding another way to recharge. Feed the body, feed the soul, feed the muse.”

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Courtney Alameda is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Shutter, and the forthcoming novel Pitch Dark (June 2017). A veteran bookseller and librarian, she now writes full-time and lives in Utah with her husband.

Writer’s Care Packages from Camp NaNoWriMo and We Need Diverse Books.

"Consume art widely. Experiment with genres, markets, and forms might usually avoid. Build a rich..."

“Consume art widely. Experiment with genres, markets, and forms might usually avoid. Build a rich internal life for yourself, one without borders or limits.”

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Courtney Alameda is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Shutter, and the forthcoming novel Pitch Dark (June 2017). A veteran bookseller and librarian, she now writes full-time and lives in Utah with her husband.

Writer’s Care Packages from Camp NaNoWriMo and We Need Diverse Books.

Image created for Camp NaNoWriMo by Courtney Alameda, Bram...

Image created for Camp NaNoWriMo by Courtney Alameda, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Shutter, and the forthcoming novel Pitch Dark (June 2017). A veteran bookseller and librarian, she now writes full-time and lives in Utah with her husband.

Writer’s Care Packages from Camp NaNoWriMo and We Need Diverse Books.

"If you’re having trouble getting your daily writing session started, begin with a warm up. Set a..."

“If you’re having trouble getting your daily writing session started, begin with a warm up. Set a timer for 30 minutes, and then focus on writing as many words as possible in that window. Give yourself permission to fumble. Don’t fix mistakes. Just write.

 

Find your rhythm, ignore your internal editor. In fact, duct tape your internal editor’s mouth shut for a half hour. Some days, all you need to fly is a good running start.”

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Courtney Alameda is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Shutter, and the forthcoming novel Pitch Dark (June 2017). A veteran bookseller and librarian, she now writes full-time and lives in Utah with her husband.

Writer’s Care Packages from Camp NaNoWriMo and We Need Diverse Books.

"Daydream! If you’ve decided to become a storyteller, than you are and have always been a daydreamer...."

“Daydream! If you’ve decided to become a storyteller, than you are and have always been a daydreamer. Don’t let that go. That is at the core of who you are as a writer. You may not be able to write or read everyday, but daydreams are as free as the wind. Let your mind wander and imagination soar!”

- Ibi Zoboi holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her debut novel American Street is due out in February 2017.

Writer’s Care Packages from Camp NaNoWriMo and We Need Diverse Books.

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s...

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, we’re launching a writing challenge in partnership with Arizona State University’s Center for Science and Imagination and Chabot Space & Science Center.

The Dare

We dare you to write a scary story that explores the relationship between creators and the “monsters” they create. Tell us your story in 1,000 – 1,800 words on Medium.com and use the hashtag #Frankenstein200. 

We’ll choose three winners to receive awesome prizes, including feedback from Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Elizabeth Bear. Find out even more details here.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Break All the Rules: A Writer’s Guide

Advice, strangely enough, is never one size fits all. We’ve asked participants to share the best writing advice they never listened to. Today, Hannah Lincoln, NaNoWriMo participant, encourages you to break all the writing rules:

I think that anyone who writes—be it strictly for fun or with the intent of publishing—has felt the pressures of the notorious “writing rulebook” at least once.

Or, if you’re like me, maybe you’ve found yourself running through an imaginary (or literal) checklist of things not to include in your novel every time you sit down with your pen. Rules are made for a reason, and it’s no different when it comes to literature. But what happens when they begin to restrict your stories from reaching their greatest potential?

Viewing rules in writing as guidelines instead can open the door to opportunities you may otherwise miss. Sometimes being a “writing rebel” can allow you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. That’s where the magic happens.

I began writing my last novella as an experiment. I didn’t plan out the plot ahead of time. I wasn’t very consistent with the story’s point of view—readers have the opportunity to see one of the main character’s innermost thoughts only three times throughout the story—and yet it just works. It tells my story the way it was meant to be told.

“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that literature is not a science.”

It was when I allowed myself to use a plethora of adjectives and adverbs in the first draft instead of omitting them that I knew my English teachers and fellow writers would be cringing. Granted, many were later removed, but I feel that not censoring myself in the beginning allowed me to focus more on what I was trying to say rather than how I needed to say it. That part came later, after I had a solid foundation in place.

I’ve learned a lot about writing over the years, and I learned most of it by actually writing. One of the biggest lessons I’ve emerged with is that literature is not a science. Things aren’t going to explode or go catastrophically wrong if you break a few rules here and there. And if your rule-breaking doesn’t quite go as planned, you can always start again.

The novella became some of my most cherished work, and it began with breaking some rules and just allowing myself to write. And sometimes it’s the unapologetically rebellious books that people fall in love with the most. Because they’re different, and take the approach that brings the story to its highest potential—rule-breaking or not.

Hannah Lincoln is an author, musician, and entrepreneur. She started writing books in elementary school, and her love for storytelling has only grown over the years. Taking a less traditional path, she started her first business after graduating high school and will be publishing her first novel in July 2016. Her books and music will eventually be available on her website, Halcyon Evergreen.

Top photo by Flickr user icg_photography.