Chris Baty's Blog, page 212
June 20, 2013
A Thousand Words and More: My First Writing Memory
I think my first writing memory is of writing bad poetry on my grandfather’s computer. I would choose any topic from the color green to however I was feeling at the moment. It was a chance to express all the things that were contained in my imagination and some feelings that I didn’t even know I had.
I would write a new poem, print it (my grandfather was the only one I knew with a non-dot matrix printer at the time), and then run over and show it to him. He would read it and tell me how good it was, and then he would encourage me to keep writing.
It was a chance to connect with him and a way for me to realize all the feelings I was having myself. I was dealing with all my feelings around being adopted, the only Asian kid in a white class, a kid with no friends, and a kid who felt like no one really cared. In those moments, I knew my grandfather cared.
Writing Matters.
http://blog.lettersandlight.org/storiesmatter
italktosnakes:
When I was in elementary school, my friends and I used to pass around composition...
When I was in elementary school, my friends and I used to pass around composition notebooks where we’d write stories together, round robin style.
Writing Matters. http://blog.lettersandlight.org/storiesmatter
Help encourage young people to write. Check out this fundraiser by the folks behind NaNoWriMo.
Kristina’s NaNoWrimo Song is on constant blast in the office throughout the fall.
My first story was about a girl separated at birth from her...
My first story was about a girl separated at birth from her family who found her way back to them in space. A space princess.
It showed my nine-year-old self a place to be safe and happy. It was the first spark to my creative fire.
Writing matters.
I got to take my first creative writing class in high school....
I got to take my first creative writing class in high school. For the first twenty minutes of class, we journaled using prompts our teacher assigned us.
I wrote 3 pages about my favorite childhood toy going on an adventure to find the meaning of life after his person had grown up and left him behind.
My teacher pushed us. But without her, I would not be where I am today. SHE was the first to spark my creative fire and I will always be thankful because:
WRITING MATTERS!
stdennard:
When I was 13, I was obsessed with dragons from...
When I was 13, I was obsessed with dragons from Pern, fantastic places from Dinotopia, exotic villains from James Bond, and boy bands called N Sync. I wrote fanfiction smashing them together. It was the first spark to my creative fire. Writing matters.
YA author Susan Dennard shares her first story. Find out more about the#my1ststory campaign.
June 19, 2013
Camp NaNoWriMo Presents "Ask a Published Author!"
Camp NaNoWriMo is getting some visitors. Don’t worry—we won’t have to tie up our food. In the coming weeks, we will have seven published authors acting as honorary Head Counselors: every Monday starting next week, a new published author (or two!) will answer your questions.
Ask your questions in the comments, or through our Ask NaNoWriMo box. Any and all planning, writing, publishing, or process questions are welcome!
Here’s our line-up:
First up? Suzanne Lazear, Wrimo and author of steampunk novels Innocent Darkness and its upcoming sequel Charmed Vengeance .
Jennifer Bosworth, author of the YA novel Struck and writer of horror scripts directed by her husband, Ryan.
Julia Crouch, British Wrimo and author of thrillers Cuckoo and, most recently, Tarnished .
Sarah Duncan, UK author of romances including Kissing Mr. Wrong .
Ari Marmell, author of fantasy novels such as The Iron Kingdoms Chronicles’ In Thunder Forged as well as multiple roleplaying games.
James R. Strickland, Wrimo, and author of science-fiction and cyberpunk novels, including Looking Glass .
Susan Dennard, author of YA gothic mystery Something Strange and Deadly, and it’s prequel and e-novella A Dawn Most Wicked .
Have any questions for our first author, Suzanne? Maybe you want to know how to maintain a mythology like Suzanne does with her steampunk faeries. Or maybe you’re not sure if you’re planning enough as Camp NaNoWriMo approaches. Now is the time to get those burning writing questions off your chest!
"Fall In Love With Your Characters": How to Find Writing Motivation
During NaNoWriMo’s “In Your Pocket” Summer Drive, we’ll be posting “ My First NaNo ” stories from you, our amazing participants, and the writing tips you learned from your maiden voyage. Today, participant Sonia Mahajan shares why embracing your characters is so important:
I remember that first, magical time: sifting through my piles of one-paragraph novel ideas that had never been completed, coming up with different names, finding the right font, and marking down the days on my calendar until that mind-boggling date: November 1. I waited, tingling with anticipation on October 30 for the sun to rise again so I could finally start writing.
And then, of course, when the morning of November 1 arrived, I met NaNo-itis: I banged on the keyboard for not planning enough and debated throwing my one-paragraph manuscript out the window. Of course, I didn’t—otherwise I might not be typing this right now—but instead grabbed my cup of tea, flexed my fingers, and set out to novel!
I wrote resolutely for five days… then not quite so resolutely. When November 26 came, I was behind. I remember the date clearly in my mind: it was the most audacious day of my noveling career (not very long at that point, but a noveling career nonetheless), the most important day of an author’s life: the day they finish a novel. I worked the whole day, spending the hours from eleven o’clock to two o’clock with my characters. I don’t remember much about what happened that day, except that I went from Chapter Four of my novel to Chapter Thirteen!
True, it was a book that I would never in my life try to publish, but it was my first book. I fell in love with my characters, met my word-count goal, and came out a winner. The question I imagine people asking me time and time again but never really happens? “Any tips for me, as a new novelist?” I get to answer it now!
Fall in love with your characters. You see this and you go, “Yeah, sure, that’s the advice I’ve heard from every author out there. Hogwash.” Trust me, I did too, for years, actually. Until I read Veronica Roth’s explanation. And I realized she’s right: Not every book becomes a bestseller, and some, frankly, never make it to the shelves.
If you’re writing a book just for it to become a bestseller, leave it behind. If you’re not going to embrace your characters, forget it. My first novel never got published, but hey, I still keep in touch with the characters I’ve created, and that’s what keeps the idea alive and real.
Develop a plot line. As a fantasy and sci-fi writer, I myself have learned (unfortunately, from experience) that without a plot line, you don’t have a book. I decided to wing it on my first book, a fantasy. Instant Disaster. Whether it’s in your subconscious or on paper, develop a plot line. Without one, books aren’t… books.
Always believe. (Yes, it’s a little soppy.) I think this can be easily overlooked, and it’s the simplest of the simple things to run into the Block Ness Monster and lose all hope for yourself and your novel. So give yourself a slap, pick up that pen, and get ready to call yourself a novelist!
Sonia Mahajan is a 13-year-old girl who loves to read, write, draw, and do anything else creative! She also loves dogs and music. She plays the clarinet and flute (but mostly clarinet.) She has won 4 OLL-run programs to date, but has yet to write a satisfactory novel. One day!
Photo by Flickr user Zeptonn.
June 17, 2013
I heard that we can go rebel and write a screenplay instead, so my question is this: how can I convert screenplay pages into number of words I have to write per day? 3 pages being equal to 1666 words doesn't seem fair.
We estimate that scripts have about 200 words per page. So just take however many pages you want to write and multiply it by 200.
Good luck with your script!
"Anyone Can Defeat This Challenge": Finding the Confidence to Write
During NaNoWriMo’s “In Your Pocket” Summer Drive, we’ll be posting “ My First NaNo ” stories from you, our amazing participants, and the writing tips you learned from your maiden voyage. Today, participant Maya Ziv shares the cathartic experience of writing her first novel:
I remember it like it was yesterday. My palms were sweaty; I didn’t know what to expect but I knew that this night I would embark on a journey that would make memories for a lifetime.
I had been thinking of tackling NaNoWriMo for years and finally committed last year: my birthday is in November, and I decided it would be a great present to allow myself to shirk all other responsibilities for a month and write a book.
I imagined what it would feel like to finally get to work, preparing as much as I could… by which I mean I’d daydreamed about my storylines and read the introduction to No Plot, No Problem! I learned what the term “pantser” meant just in time to realize it applied to me.
I didn’t exactly have a troubled childhood but it wasn’t perfect either. Writing had been an escape, a way to let my thoughts out when I had no one else to share them with. It gave me confidence to voice myself bluntly, to discuss uncomfortable topics and use words that might make my mother blush. When it came time to choosing the topic of my 50,000 words, I decided to dive into what I hoped would be an incredibly cathartic experience—I wanted to recreate the experiences I’d had at home and school in a diary-style book a la The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
The experience was amazing—my passion for creative writing was rejuvenated. My manuscript is a constant reminder that I have succeeded in completing a monumental task, and a project I can return to when I want to reflect or relive the late nights I spent typing away. It doesn’t matter if you write a poem or a novel; whether it’s 500, 5,000 or 50,000 words, writing your story makes you a writer. The most important thing I was reminded of? That writing about the world, translating what we see and think into words, offers a truly unique perspective.
No NaNoWriMo experience is the same—each person tackles the challenge with a different perspective. Personally, I was surprised at how fast the words came, and am glad to share some things that got me to 50,020 words.
Each week, I read a chapter of No Plot, No Problem! , and gave myself weekly goals to meet before I could read the next chapter.
When I felt stuck, I jumped to a different part of the book and wrote a memory out-of-order. This often led to more words than expected.
I didn’t get to write each day, things like work and law school applications got in the way. I made sure to take the time on the weekends to prioritize writing.
I shared my milestones via social media to include my friends and family in my successes and to remind them why I was turning down dinner dates and movie nights.
I signed up as a fundraiser to motivate my writing, asking for folks to support as if I were doing a write-a-thon. One of my generous supporters planned to contribute an amount based on how many words I completed—hitting 50,000 earned more for the nonprofit that brought NaNoWriMo to me and so many others.
One of my favorite parts of the month was receiving postcards from other people that were writing in November. There are threads in the forums that invite Wrimos to share gifts or postcards to support each other—just a couple dollars gets you awesome motivation from your fellow writers!
As I hit December 1 a novelist, I felt so enriched by my month spent immersed in the land of writing, and walked away with the belief that with a little bit of heart, anyone can defeat this challenge.
So what are you waiting for, you novelist-in-waiting you?
Maya Ziv has been exploring the world of creative writing since she first learned how to spell. She also dabbles in sports writing, covering Ultimate Frisbee. She participated in her first NaNoWriMo in 2012 and is confident that someday soon she will find the gumption to edit and publish her book.
Photo by Flickr user HowardLake.
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