Chris Baty's Blog, page 177
November 5, 2014
Wrimos Around the World: Of Typewriters, Rhinos, and Anti-Deletion
One of the best parts of NaNoWriMo? The incredible community of writers that gathers every November. Today, we spotlight Michael Clemens and the Typewriter Brigade :
1. So fill us in on the Typewriter Brigade! We want to know everything.
The Typewriter Brigade is a worldwide group of typewriter enthusiasts, smooshed together into a moderately dysfunctional noveling family. We offer advice on machine repairs and restoration, encourage impulse machine buying, and try to slog through a high-velocity month in low-technology style.
Occasionally we even get writing done.
2. What is the best thing about noveling on a typewriter?
The biggest benefit is no distractions. It’s simply not possible for me to waste my writing time by fooling around on Twitter or the forums when I’m typing, and thank goodness. I have the attention span of a gnat. I’d never get anything done if my typewriter had WiFi.
For write-ins, I use a Smith-Corona Skyriter, which was designed to be portable enough to take on an airplane or use on your lap. My main NaNoWriMo machine is an office typewriter, a battleship-grey 1952 Royal model KMG dubbed “the Beast.” It’s more work than using a computer keyboard, but I find it very satisfying, and once I find my typing rhythm, the words really flow. Since there’s no delete key, every typo becomes a word-count boost. This is a secret Brigade bonus.
3. Tell us about the novel you’re writing this year in six words.
"Plucky orphans, nefarious villains, airship racing."
4. We’ve heard much of the Brigade’s NaNo Rhino: Please explain.
Ah, the Rhino. Mine lives in my typewriter, making rude plot suggestions and demanding very strong coffee in very tiny cups. He’s both a good luck charm and grumpy muse. Many of the Brigadiers have adopted Rhinos of their own. Their pictures regularly appear in the forum.
Little known fact: Nano Rhinos grow wings when their Wrimo caretaker reaches 50,000 words. They fly away to avoid the editing process, molt, and then come swaggering back the next year to bully us through another November.
5. What is one piece of advice you would give to a nervous novelist who may or may not be reading this post?
If you’re not reading this post, go back and read this post! It’s excellent and amusing.
If you are reading this post, my advice is: don’t delete during November.
Remove the Delete key or glue a tack to it. Turn off spell check and grammar check and WiFi. Keep every boring and useless and pointless sentence. You’re too close to the work to make good decisions in November.
November 4, 2014
30 Covers, 30 Days 2014: Day 4 with Designer Thy Doan
30 Covers, 30 Days is back! What is 30C30D? We match up 30 professional designers with 30 NaNoWriMo participants, and challenge the designers to create a book cover in 48 hours or less, based solely on that participants’ 2014 NaNo-novel synopsis.
The NaNo-novel: Cinnamon Stars
Hattie Wilks is her high school’s fat kid. However, Hattie has developed what she calls her flab-ulous confidence and strives to be unapologetically happy with her body, even if her family can’t support her.
Now she is on a quest to meet her online true love at a fanfiction book conference under the guise of a college look-see trip. The one hiccup? Her sister is required to chaperone her on the road trip, which tops the list of the last things on earth she wants.
The Genre: Young Adult & Youth
The Author: Andi Skowronek in Africa :: Nigeria
The Designer: Thy Doan is an independent designer and letterer currently based in Boston. Branding, custom lettering and print design are the mainstays of her work, but she also strives to push lettering into mediums that are off-screen and can be a part of your daily life. Thy also has an online shop and can be found on Instagram at penandpalates.
High-Resolution Book Art:
"The blank page is yours. Cast aside worries over art and criticism. Imagine a land without rules...."
It’s an empty field and you’ve got the keys to a freaking Ferrari.
It’s a blank page and you’ve got all the letters and words you need.
Rev the engine and take the ride. Paint with all the colors the condiments at your table allow. Crack open your chest and plop your heart onto the page. Right now: just write.”
- Chuck Wendig, on the freedom writing provides.
November 3, 2014
30 Covers, 30 Days 2014: Day 3 with Designer Alberto Rigau
30 Covers, 30 Days is back! What is 30C30D? We match up 30 professional designers with 30 NaNoWriMo participants, and challenge the designers to create a book cover in 48 hours or less, based solely on that participants’ 2014 NaNo-novel synopsis.
The NaNo-novel: Out of the Woods
The father pines are the core of Cynthia Morris’ town. A tourist attraction and a place of great solace, at the heart of the pines lies the Paper Crane Tree, littered with thousands of card birds. Heavy with memories, it is as though sweet Cynthia’s childhood is locked in the tree’s sap. The pines are sacred to everyone: friends, family, neighbours.
So why did Cinnie burn it down?
Not only does she suffer third-degree burns in the aftermath, she is diagnosed with pyromania and contained. Whilst the town starts rebuilding from the ashes, she isn’t going anywhere. Not until they get answers… even if the reasons may be closer to home than they think.
The Genre: Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense
The Author: theresapeteranna, Young Writers Program participant in Scotland.
The Designer: Alberto Rigau is a graphic designer and educator from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
High-Resolution Book Art:
5 Tips for NaNoWriMo from Denise Jaden, Professional Wrimo
Need tips for making the most of NaNoWriMo? Every week, we’ll bring you five tips to turn each week of writing into a 100% success. Today, Denise Jaden, author and professional Wrimo helps you squeeze every word out of Week One:
I’m about as close as you can get to a professional Wrimo. I began taking on the thirty-day, fifty-thousand-word challenge back in 2007, when I wrote the first draft of my debut novel, Losing Faith, in 21 days. I’ve been taking the challenge every year since, and have several books in print to show for it.
I’m here to offer you my top five tips for taking on—and winning—this ambitious writing challenge:
Prepare for the weeks of writing ahead! You know the old saying, “If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail”? Think practically:
Make some meals early on, and stick them in your freezer. Buy some ready-made snacks and store them in your writing area. (Halloween candy works great for this!)
Tell your friends and family you’re going to need a little EGR—Extra Grace Required—during the month of November. Ask them if they can help out a little more around the house, or with giving you extra quiet time and space to write. It’s only one month, and you can pay them back in December.
Generate lots of ideas. Corral all of your ideas into one place. I use an iPhone app called A Novel Idea, since I usually have my phone with me no matter where I go.
If you prefer the good old-fashioned paper-and-pen method, that works fine, too, as long as you always keep the same notebook with you. Having a notebook full of ideas will never leave you feeling blocked about what to write next.
Put your goal in writing. Whether your goal is writing a novel, losing ten pounds, or making an extra thousand dollars in thirty days, research tells us that people with clear and measurable written goals are 90% more likely to achieve them than those who don’t.
Write every day. Some days you may feel like the last thing you want to do is sit at your computer and let drivel drain from your brain and out your fingertips. But writing through those days will keep the flow of your story going. If you maintain that forward momentum, even in one-paragraph spurts, it will be much easier to come back to and continue moving ahead. Even if today’s writing isn’t great, tomorrow’s has a better chance of being good if you keep with it.
Get up five minutes earlier than you usually do in the morning and free-write before you interact with any other person. Coming out of a dream state, our brains are often filled with all sorts of great new ideas. Harness those plot points and character traits before getting distracted with life. Then, no matter what, you will have done a little work and kept your mind immersed in your story that day.
Don’t do it alone. Grab a few friends who also want to give NaNoWriMo a shot. Bolstering their confidence and enthusiasm will have a double benefit—it’ll bolster your enthusiasm as well.
Stay accountable by signing up on the NaNoWriMo website. Join up with your region and find some buddies. Challenge others to fifteen-minute word sprints. Try following a guide like Chris Baty’s new 2014 edition of No Plot? No Problem! or my new book Fast Fiction. Whatever it takes to get through the month and write every day.
It’s only one month. You can do it!
Denise Jaden has been shortlisted or received awards for her novels through the Romance Writers of America, Inspy, and SCBWI. Her recently-released YA novel, Foreign Exchange, was also a NaNoWriMo project. Her non-fiction book, Fast Fiction, includes tips on constructing a story plan that works, as well as daily inspiration to keep writers writing. Denise spends most of her time homeschooling her young son, and dancing with a professional Polynesian dance troupe.
Top photo from Flickr user Viola’s Visions.
November 2, 2014
Are you in need of some writing advice? In search of wise...
Are you in need of some writing advice? In search of wise counsel from the people behind NaNoWriMo? Do you also find yourself itching to issue some great dares?
We’ve got the perfect game for you. Send us your questions and dares in the YouTube comments!
30 Covers, 30 Days: Day 2 with Designer Zipeng Zhu
30 Covers, 30 Days is back! What is 30C30D? We match up 30 professional designers with 30 NaNoWriMo participants, and challenge the designers to create a book cover in 48 hours or less, based solely on that participants’ 2014 NaNo-novel synopsis.
The NaNo-novel: Icarus Drowned
After leaving behind the land, there are three groups who split and never looked back. There are those who chose the sky and built their homes in the void between mountaintops, never to touch the earth again. There are those who chose the ocean, cities drifting on the backs of sea creatures of leviathan proportions. And then there are those who chose the deep: buildings in bubble pods at the bottom of the sea, blinking lights in the murky darkness.
Enter Incognita, Ciel, and Lan: “Three girls who meet on an adventure most extraordinary–”
"No, no; you’re telling it wrong Cog, they’re finding their way back home, not going on an adventure!"
"Ciel, it is not that, it is a story of exile–"
Well. Why can’t it be all three?
The Genre: Fantasy
The Author: candle.city, in Asia :: China :: Hong Kong
The Designer: Zipeng Zhu is a designer in New York City who wants to make everyday a razzledazzle musical. Before he ate cheese and spoke English, he was eating rice and speaking Mandarin and Cantonese in China.
High-Resolution Book Art:
30 Covers, 30 Days 2014: Day 2 with Designer Zipeng Zhu
30 Covers, 30 Days is back! What is 30C30D? We match up 30 professional designers with 30 NaNoWriMo participants, and challenge the designers to create a book cover in 48 hours or less, based solely on that participants’ 2014 NaNo-novel synopsis.
The NaNo-novel: Icarus Drowned
After leaving behind the land, there are three groups who split and never looked back. There are those who chose the sky and built their homes in the void between mountaintops, never to touch the earth again. There are those who chose the ocean, cities drifting on the backs of sea creatures of leviathan proportions. And then there are those who chose the deep: buildings in bubble pods at the bottom of the sea, blinking lights in the murky darkness.
Enter Incognita, Ciel, and Lan: “Three girls who meet on an adventure most extraordinary–”
"No, no; you’re telling it wrong Cog, they’re finding their way back home, not going on an adventure!"
"Ciel, it is not that, it is a story of exile–"
Well. Why can’t it be all three?
The Genre: Fantasy
The Author: candle.city, in Asia :: China :: Hong Kong
The Designer: Zipeng Zhu is a designer in New York City who wants to make everyday a razzledazzle musical. Before he ate cheese and spoke English, he was eating rice and speaking Mandarin and Cantonese in China.
High-Resolution Book Art:
November 1, 2014
30 Covers, 30 Days 2014: Day 1 with Designer Andrew Twigg
30 Covers, 30 Days is back! What is 30C30D? We match up 30 professional designers with 30 NaNoWriMo participants, and challenge the designers to create a book cover in 48 hours or less, based solely on that participants’ 2014 NaNo-novel synopsis.
The NaNo-novel: Adrift In the Ocean of Change
A hundred years after a catastrophic flooding event, the entire world is covered in ocean. Humans survive in boats made of bone and leather, leading nomadic lives, and meeting at coral reefs and kelp forests to trade.
Then, one young woman goes diving for pearls, only to find something far more precious: seeds. She finds herself caught between three leaders who think they should have sole control of the seeds. Her own plan? To share them with all of humanity.
The Genre: Adventure
The Author: Amaya, in Australia :: Canberra & the ACT
The Designer: Andrew Twigg is Assistant Teaching Professor at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Design, where he has focused on web design and cross-media design systems, and is an independent designer practicing visual-verbal design strategy, branding and web design. Andrew has served as the Presidents Council Chair of AIGA, the professional association for design, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for DesignInquiry, a conference-alternative design research organization. He can be found on Twitter at @andrewtwigg.
High-Resolution Book Art:
NaNoWriMo 2014 Is Here! Your Map to the Month Ahead...
NaNoWriMo is officially here! The Map to the Month is an annual rundown of noveling notes to mark on your calendar. Commit these dates to memory and you’ll have nothing else to worry about in November—aside from, you know, writing 50,000 words.
If you’re just looking for the basics, try the How It Works page or our FAQ.
November 1 At midnight in your time zone, start writing! After a vigorous scribing session, make your first word-count update (from the menu at the top of our site)…
November 2 After your second day of writing, spend some time exploring the NaNoWriMo community—from the forums, to your region, to our outposts on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest.
November 3 Did you know that NaNoWriMo has a Young Writers Program? Over 100,000 K-12 students and 2,000 classrooms will join you in the noveling challenge this year. (Yes, you can use the Dare Machine on their homepage.)
November 4 After a few days of writing, you might be looking for some support. You’re in luck! Author Scott Westerfeld will join us for a video pep talk at2:30 PM PST, and our NaNo Coaches and word sprinters should be in full swing on Twitter.
November 5 You want more support? Well, that’s what we’re here for. Our 2014 pep talkers should be keeping your inbox full of advice and encouragement. And, the indefatigable NaNo interns will lead a Virtual Write-In today (and every Wednesday) at 11:00 AM PST.
November 8 Join us for Double-Up Donation Day! It’s the perfect chance for you to double your word count while supporting our nonprofit. Starting at 6:00 AM PST, expect a full day of hourly prizes, live streams, and writing prompts.
November 10 It’s the highly official, highly important “Back Up Your Novel” Day. Be sure your work is well-saved and recoverable, whether by cloud, email, or external drive.
November 16 Here in San Francisco, it’s the Night of Writing Dangerously. If you can’t make it, look for similar novel-celebrating events in your region—or follow along virtually.
November 20 Winning starts today! If you’re at 50,000 words or more, click the trophy badge on your dashboard to start the validation process. (Be sure youorder a winner shirt to celebrate!)
November 22 Throughout the month, our local volunteers have been rooting you on. ML Appreciation Day is the time to say thanks: send a NaNoMail or start a thread in your regional forum.
November 23–30 We’ll keep this one simple: Write like crazy. (Then follow the winning directions above.)
Thanks for joining us for another November of boundless creativity. Remember: we’ll be with you every day along the way.
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