Chris Baty's Blog, page 25

Camp Care Package: You Are Not Your Inner Critic

Every year, we gather together a team of published authors to be your Camp Counselors. Author Autumn Kalquist is this week’s Camp Counselor! Here’s some advice from her Camp Care Packages:

“You are not your inner critic. Please don’t mistake its opinions for your own. Your inner critic is a fantasy dragon created from negative ideas and opinions you unconsciously collected over the years. It’s an overzealous, nervous, dysfunctional bit of brain programming that runs on fear. It’s not your fault it’s there, but once you see it for what it is, you can slay it. Take your power back! Never trust what it says. When it sends a puff of smoke your way, laugh. You are the ruler of your realm. No dragon can dethrone you.”

Writing Challenge from Autumn:

“What kinds of things does your dragon tell you? Journal about it. Writing its words will bring them into your awareness. Don’t argue with them, though—the dragon isn’t speaking truth, and you can’t reason with it. Simply notice the words your dragon uses. The next time it blows smoke at you, notice the source, laugh, and keep writing. If you do this consistently, the dragon loses the power it once had.”

— Autumn Kalquist is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Fractured Era book series and the Atlantis Academy series and founder of the multimedia production company Nature Magick. She contributed stories to several bestselling anthologies, wrote tie-in fiction for Star Citizen (Cloud Imperium Games), and is currently adapting her book series for television. All her books feature original songs that she writes, sings, and produces, and you can find her artwork and nature photography through retailers worldwide.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at nanowrimo.org ! Thank Autumn for her Camp Care Package!

“You are enough. You hold within you an intuitive knowledge...

“You are enough. You hold within you an intuitive knowledge about stories. Storytelling is your birthright. Trust in yourself and in the process of Creation. You already have everything you need.”

—Autumn Kalquist is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Fractured Era book series and the Atlantis Academy series and founder of the multimedia production company Nature Magick. She contributed stories to several bestselling anthologies, wrote tie-in fiction for Star Citizen (Cloud Imperium Games), and is currently adapting her book series for television. All her books feature original songs that she writes, sings, and produces, and you can find her artwork and nature photography through retailers worldwide.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at nanowrimo.org ! Thank Autumn for her Camp Care Package!

Artwork by Autumn Kalquist

Exam Season and Writing: How to Make The Best of Both

Exam season is coming up, which means that writing often takes a backseat. However, Liv Will, university student and writer, has some advice to make the best of both!

Spring! The weather gets warmer, the flowers bloom - and of course, Camp NaNoWriMo begins. But for many people at school or university, the spring season is also a time of exams. Just taking part can seem daunting. Fitting writing in is hard at the best of times, but committing to a new challenge alongside studying can sound impossible. 

Last November I completed NaNoWriMo alongside a grueling schedule of law school exams - and yes, my Mum did disapprove. While it was a huge learning curve, I definitely learned what worked (and what didn’t). 

Block off time

Have a study plan and stick to it. When I was revising, I kept to office hours, and refused to work before 9:00 am, or after 6:00 pm. Having a set amount of time made me far more efficient with my studying, and helped preserve my sanity. Don’t beat yourself up for taking care of yourself; it is absolutely not healthy to study 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When I came to writing after a long day of revising, I could think of it as a time for my mind to relax and be creative.

Create separate habits 

Everyday I tried to write for 20 minutes in the morning, and 1-2 hours in the evening. To make this as painless as possible, I created really strong routines to signal to my mind that we were being creative now, not studying. For my morning sessions, I sat down at my kitchen table at 8:30 every morning, with a cup of tea, put my headphones on and put on my writing playlist. In the evening, I would write sitting in the same place, with the same music, and a cup of herbal tea. Crucially, I never wrote at my desk - that was for studying, only. Creating separation is so important in exam time, to avoid feeling like work is taking over your life. Keep your studying, writing and sleeping as separate as possible, to avoid cross-contamination.  Having a routine will make docusing 100% easier; as the month went by, I found it got easier and easier to ‘get in the zone’. As soon as I put on my headphones and sipped my tea, I was ready. 

Just do it

Being time-poor can work to your advantage, because you don’t have time to overthink, start re-reading, or get distracted. My 20 minute morning writing session was a revelation in efficiency. I would set a timer up on my phone, and prop it up out of reach, somewhere I could see it. And because I knew that I had only this time and I couldn’t mess around, I would just start typing, and not stop until the timer went off. By the end of the month I was often writing 500 words in these 20 minutes. It can be hard to force yourself through when you feel like everything you write is garbage. Adding some time pressure will cut through your agonizing thoughts. 

Take set-backs in your stride 

One week I did hardly any writing, because of an exam I was incredibly worried about (Solicitor’s Accounts, if you’re interested). The exam went alright, but afterwards I was still upset, thinking it wouldn’t be possible to finish NaNoWriMo anymore. My sister advised me to start writing again, and just try to finish the month. ‘Even if you don’t make 50k, you’ll still have written a lot’, she said. ‘And that’s the whole point, isn’t it?’ She was right. I started writing again, quickly got back in the swing of things, and ended up making up for the time I’d lost. 

Don’t beat yourself up. What you’re doing is hard! Just make sure you get back on the horse!

Finally, take care of yourself! 

Don’t let exams be an excuse to neglect everything else! Try to eat healthily, get enough sleep, get outside, drink lots of water, and give yourself time to unwind. If you’re stressed out and exhausted, nothing you write - whether in an exam, or your WIP - will be any good. 

And don’t panic - you can do this!

Liv Will is a law student by day and writer of historical fantasy by night. She lives in London and spends most of her time trying to write, and blogging about pop culture, books and history at https://www.commontoad.org/

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash  

3 Ways To Get Inspired To Start a New Novel

You might still be stumped on what to write for your new project, whether for Camp NaNo or something else. Lucy Gould, a young writer, is here to offer 3 ways to get inspired.

Starting a new novel can be daunting, especially if you don’t know what to write about. Fortunately, inspiration can be found almost anywhere. Here are my top three ways to get inspired to write!

Go for a walk. 

A 2014 Stanford study proved that walking boosts creative inspiration by 60%! Being surrounded by nature is a great way to inspire story elements like elaborate fantasy settings, peaceful nature scenes, or even developing a character personality. In fact, I came up with my favorite WIP by taking a walk. 

If the weather doesn’t allow for walking outdoors, try going for a drive. If you can’t do that, walk around your house while keeping an eye out for your surroundings, whether that be a misplaced shoe or a crooked painting. 

Try some writing prompts. 

This tactic is fantastic for writers who struggle starting their novel. Writing prompts not only give you a plot outline, but it also gives you a starting point. You can find these on Pinterest, Instagram, Google, and plenty of other sites. Remember that your response to the prompts can be long or short, there is no word count! An alternative to writing prompts if you really don’t like them is to take a line from a book you like, or even just a line that interests you, and give it a completely different plot.

Narrate your life or the life of someone around you. 

The less accurate you are the better. Walking down a hallway? No, now you are “slowly creeping down the hallway of a long forgotten castle, following the haunting calling from the past.” Not only does this method cure any boredom you might have, but it also activates mental descriptors and can give you some great novel material.

All in all, be aware of what is going on around you. But it is super important to not force inspiration. If you force yourself to write about the first thing that comes to mind, you won’t end up enjoying it. I hope this was helpful and happy writing!

Lucy G. is a teen writer whose debut novel is set to be published in Fall ‘22. She has a passion for all things bookish and loves connecting with fellow readers and writers. Lucy can be found in Eastern Massachusetts with her parents and her adorable cat, Lily, either curled up with a good book and a blanket or drinking her Starbucks and avoiding editing her book.

PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/booksandfandomsgalore 

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/booksandfandomsgalore/ 

Photo by Cindy Liu on Unsplash   

Camp Care Package: Write What Makes You Tingle

Every year, we gather together a team of published authors to be your Camp Counselors. Author Uju Asika is this week’s Camp Counselor! Here’s some advice from her Camp Care Packages:

“Writers are born observers, but that doesn’t mean you get to play it safe. You don’t get to sit at a distance from the action, because the only storytelling that resonates is when you have skin in the game. Whether it’s a blog post or a book chapter, I know that I’ve written something that might connect when I’ve bared something of myself. When I feel exposed and nervous to hit publish, worried what someone else might think. In other words, when I’ve shown up on the page in my humanity.

So don’t write with your audience at arm’s length. Pull them closer by writing what makes you tingle, what you are afraid to share, what makes your heart beat a little faster. Most likely, it will quicken your readers’ hearts too.”

Writing Dare from Uju:

“Set a timer for 15 minutes. Start with the phrase ‘I get tingly when I think about…’ and keep writing. Did you feel the sensations in your body as you wrote?”

—Uju Asika is a multiple award-nominated blogger, digital consultant, and author of the book Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World, published in September 2020 by Yellow Kite (Hachette UK). *London Evening Standard pick for Best Books September 2020*. Available in hardback, ebook and audiobook formats on Amazon UK and Waterstones. Follow Uju @babesabouttown on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at  nanowrimo.org !  Thank Uju for her Camp Care Package!

How To Achieve Your Goals As A Young Writer

Due to the onset of the internet and online support programs, young writers are emerging into the writing scene and setting goals to finish novels. However, this can be ambitious, so Smrithi Senthilnathan is offering her advice on how to achieve your goals as a young writer.

I’ve only done NaNoWriMo once before, but I absolutely loved the experience! Not only did I manage to write a full 50k novel, but I also gained a lot of friends and knowledge about the craft of writing. Now I want to pass it on to you, by telling you how you can fulfill your Camp NaNoWriMo goals as a young writer.

Achieve your goals as to set a goal that suits your writing style and life. 

Camp NaNoWriMo is an event where you set your own writing goals. This means that you do not have to set a goal that you think will be too hard for you. If you’re tied up with school work and can only manage to write around 500 words or less per day, you can always set a goal for 10k words. This event is all about making sure you reach your goals. That being said, if you think that April will be a light month for you in terms of other workloads, feel free to set a goal for 100k words or even more. Go crazy, go wild but remember: make sure your goal is doable but don’t make it too easy; it has to be something a little out of your comfort zone, something you’ll need to push yourself to complete. Hence, take some time to evaluate your current situation and what you think will be most apt for you, and then choose your goal accordingly.

Plan ahead of time. 

At heart I am a plotter and I do not even start writing a story without having a completed outline, a couple of character sketches and a good idea of my world (I mostly write fantasy). While I know that a lot of people are pantsers and write stories from scratch, personally I would not advise that, especially if you’re still in the beginning stages of your writing. The NaNoWriMo website has a lot of helpful resources under the NaNo prep section, and I highly suggest you at least use some of them to plot out your novel. Trust me, it really helps. Since NaNo is all about writing quickly without worrying about editing, you won’t be able to write quickly unless you know what’s going to happen in the story. Although the fun of writing is creating as you go, having a basic outline will help make sure you don’t get stuck in the middle.

Find some helpful writing buddies.

I cannot stress the importance of writing to friends. They motivate you when you’re down, hype you up when you’re excited, and help you work through all those plot holes you can’t seem to fix. Try to find writing buddies of your own age and frequency, so that you’re able to interact with them better. 

Create a good writing routine that is easy to keep up even on the bad days. 

Even if you don’t write for the same amount of time, if you write at the same time every day it’ll become a habit. Even on your bad days you’ll still show up to write at that time, thus keeping up the habit.

Focus only on writing.

Don’t stop to think about editing, even for a minute. If you get sucked into the editing hellhole, you’ll never be able to find your way out. NaNo is all about just getting that first draft out there, and so only focus on that. 

Recognize and celebrate the small achievements. 

Every chapter you finish, every word you write is a step closer to your goal. Keep recognizing your achievements, no matter how small, so that you always have something to look back at and smile at.

And that’s about it! Each writer works differently and I can’t say that these will work for you, but if you’re a young writer like me and you’re new to NaNo, you might want to try some of these out to help achieve your goals. But also remember that it’s completely okay not to achieve your goals. You’re doing this only for you and no matter whether you meet your goals or not, you’ve still added words to your project, and you’re still a valid writer. So keep writing, and don’t stop no matter what. 

Smrithi Senthilnathan is a 16 year old writer from India. From a very young age she’s nurtured a passion for reading books and writing stories. Recently, she started to channel that passion into working on longer projects, like novels. Some of her stories have been published in online literary magazines. When she’s not writing maniacally, you can find her playing the piano or reading with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hand. 

Instagram: @thereaderspoint101

Blog: https://theunwrittenstories101.wordpress.com

Photo by Amelia Bartlett on Unsplash  

Camp Care Package: "Everything is Material"

Every year, we gather together a team of published authors to be your Camp Counselors. Author Uju Asika is this week’s Camp Counselor! Here’s some advice from her Camp Care Packages:

“One of my personal mottos for both life and writing is ‘everything is material’. From a writing perspective, it means that everything can be used — a bird whistling on a fence, that line you overheard at a cafe, the toilet paper stuck to your shoe. Your messiest, most vulnerable experiences. In a way it’s daunting but also quite liberating to know that, when it comes to storytelling, absolutely nothing is off limits. You can put it all on the page.On a deeper/spiritual level, that phrase reminds me that everything is matter and, at some point, none of it will matter. So you might as well write about it, while you still can!”

Writing Dare from Uju:

“What does the phrase ‘Everything is material’ conjure up to you? Maybe a secret you’re afraid to write about or something totally mundane. Start with the prompt: ‘Everything is material. Even this…’ and keep writing, without censoring yourself. See what turns up.”

—Uju Asika is a multiple award-nominated blogger, digital consultant, and author of the book Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World, published in September 2020 by Yellow Kite (Hachette UK). *London Evening Standard pick for Best Books September 2020*. Available in hardback, ebook and audiobook formats on Amazon UK and Waterstones. Follow Uju @babesabouttown on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you by Camp NaNoWriMo. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at  nanowrimo.org !  Thank Uju for her Camp Care Package!

How to Indie Publish Your Novel

What happens after you write a novel? You can pursue traditional publishing or indie self-publishing. Camille Collins, a resident NaNo participant and indie published author, offers her advice on how to indie publish your novel.

Writing a book in hopes of becoming a best-selling author is only half the journey. You have to publish your novel first!

For those with completed manuscripts, congratulations! You’re halfway to your goal of becoming an author. One way to skip the stress and time consuming process of querying required by traditional publishing is to independently publish your book by yourself. 

This can be done through websites such as IngramSparks, CreateSpace, Wattpad, and of course the largest book selling website on the internet, Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). Your choices are not limited by any means, but for the best results, Amazon is the way to go for first time publishers.

Once you have your final manuscript, you can easily format it through Amazon’s free software called Kindle Create, or by downloading your book as an epub file from your preferred writing software. Once formatted, you can open KDP and begin the publishing process. After clicking on the “create new title” button, there are 3 pages of information you need to enter before your book goes live.

Book Details: This section will ask basic information about your book, such as the author’s name, the book’s title, and the blurb, as well as keywords and categories. It is important to do SEO research beforehand to know exactly what keywords and genre best fit your book. Your book’s subtitle and blurb are the places to squeeze in that information.Book Content: To ISBN or not to ISBN? That is the question a lot of writers don’t want to think about when it comes to book expenses. Fortunately, Kindle offers free ISBN numbers for ebooks. If you plan to publish one or two ebooks, claim your free ISBN and forget about the hefty price of purchasing your own codes; however, for the serial author with a long list of future titles and big plans for marketing, purchasing ISBN codes from Bowker is essential for printing paperbacks on Kindle, as well as publishing on other platforms. I paid about $275 for a 10 pack of ISBN codes, so start saving up!Book Rights & Pricing: How do you choose a price for your book after all the time you spent laboring over it? The answer is $0.99 or $2.99. To keep things simple, these are the most common prices for indie ebooks on Amazon, and having your first novel be affordable means you have a higher chance of making a sale. Debut novels and the first book of series do better with lower prices. 

After passing through the hurdles of KDP’s publishing process, all you have left to do is wait for your book to be approved and go live. Once again, congratulations! Writing is not easy, and most indie novels never reach print. Taking the time and effort to put your novel out there sets you apart…

Now all that’s left is to master the art of marketing!

Camille Collins is a graduate of Tennessee Technological University who has participated in NaNoWriMo since 2014 after her first win. Her first WIP, The Krown’s Curse Trilogy, is a fantasy romance featuring a siren and werewolf on opposing sides of a war. Camille loves the trope of found family and writes novels for people struggling with genuine connection. She has published 4 books in the last 2 years and has plans for many more.

Check out her books: www.amazon.com/Camille-Collins/e/B07ZBLJDG3 

Photo by Stephen Phillips - Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash 

Announce Your Camp NaNoWriMo Project!

nanowrimo:

The official Camp NaNoWriMo challenge starts on April 1! Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writing retreat where you can set your own focused writing goal for the 30 days of April.

Join the official challenge with a new writing project today. 

(Want to participate in the Camp NaNoWriMo challenge with a project you’re already tracking on the site? Check out our FAQ.)

Why join the official challenge?

1. It’s a great way to participate in the community spirit of an official challenge, while still getting to set your own writing goal. It’s solid practice for the 50K challenge in November!

2. You’ll receive a special badge on the website for participating in Camp NaNoWriMo, and another for achieving your official goal.

3. You’ll earn a winner’s certificate and other rewards (including discounts on writing software like Scrivener, etc.) for reaching an official Camp NaNoWriMo goal.

What else happens during Camp NaNoWriMo?

Published authors will act as your Camp Counselors, sending advice in Camp Care Packages throughout April. Plus, keep an eye on HQ’s virtual events for a packed schedule of Virtual Write-Ins, webcasts, and more.

Find out more about Camp NaNoWriMo. 

Share what you’ll be working on during Camp NaNoWriMo this April!

April’s session of Camp NaNoWriMo has begun! Have you created your project yet?

Balancing the Chaos of School and Writing

With Camp NaNo starting up this Friday, so many of our young writers are going to be balancing ambitious projects with school work, so Jaydon Taylor, a young writer, has some tips and advice to navigate the chaos of school and writing.

Let me be real with you all: School can be a bummer sometimes.

Every day, I try to utilize my imagination and jog down several notes so I can start penning my next big adventure. But I feel like whenever I’m mapping out a plot or beginning the first draft of a great idea I have, schoolwork becomes my biggest hurdle.

That’s why I want to tell you all that there are different ways to balance a chaotic load of schoolwork and take part in something like NaNoWriMo. 

First off, I’ve always set goals for myself when working on a novel or script. But usually, the amount of pages I want to complete isn’t what pushes me forward. It’s how I’m able to complete my assignments and manage my time on those before I start working on my personal writing. 

Don’t Let Your Word Count Intimidate You

When I took part in NaNoWriMo in 2021, I nearly didn’t reach my word count goal. I started to feel stressed because both my schoolwork and mental health were in a rocky state at this point. But somehow, I managed to reach the finish line, and why? I ignored the word count and just shot for the ending during the last two days. With this mindset, I was able to complete the novel and reach a word count that I was satisfied with.

So believe me when I say you shouldn’t let a daily or monthly goal intimidate you. It’s okay if it doesn’t get fulfilled within a day or a week or a month. Put school and mental health as your top priorities before setting a writing goal for yourself.

Writing and School Connect in Everyday Life!

Another thing you can remember is that writing and school connect in your everyday life! Whether you realize it or not, you’re writing every day to complete your daily tasks for your teachers, even if it’s just a quick bell ringer. 

Applying your skills from creative writing to how you complete assignments for your teachers might seem like a better option than you think. Just don’t get too carried away in having fun with it or it’s missing the point!

You Can Always Find Time to Write Something

Lastly, I want to share an anecdote to emphasize my final point. When I was finished with my first draft of Dawn, I realized that my main problem with my writing habits was that they distracted me when I was already worried about my schoolwork. I started to feel worried and pressured more than joyous and fulfilled from it.

After I finished Dawn, I began to write at home and spent a few hours after school, working on longer stories. This worked to my benefit and my grades continued to soar. So just remember, you can always find the time to write something. As a wise Pixar movie once told me, “You can’t rush art.”

I hope I was able to emphasize the importance of balancing education and storytelling. There are many of us who want to do successful and get well-deserved careers through the hard work that is creative writing. But remember, good grades can make a big difference too.

Jaydon Taylor, or Inkwright as he prefers to be called, is a freshman who enjoys writing novels that are driven by the characters. Dawn is his first fully realized novel after a year of painstaking editing, which he dreams of getting published soon and made into an animated feature eventually.