Blogger KRISTI HOLL is the author of 42 books, including MORE WRITER'S FIRST AID.

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NaNoWriMo Kick-Off!

October 31, 2008

Are you getting ready for NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month starts tomorrow! (See last week’s post for an explanation of NaNoWriMo.)

I received several questions when I wrote about NaNoWriMo last week, and thanks to people who wrote to share their advice with me on how to make it through the month and accomplish the 50,000-word goal. I also wanted to pass along a link to a free e-book called NaNo for the New and the Insane: A Guide to Surviving NaNoWriMo by Lazette Gifford. It’s full of preparation tips as well as survival strategies for making it through the month.

Also, The Institute of Children’s Literature did an interview last week with Ann Gonzales called “NaNo Evangelism.” Ann sold the book Running for My Life (available spring, 2009) which was written in a previous NaNo month. Be sure to also check out the interview for helpful tips and inspiration.

I’ll update as we go through November, and if you’re a NaNoWriMo writer in 2008, look me up on the site. My name there is I-write-4-kidz.

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NaNoWriMo: What Is It?

October 22, 2008

It’s almost time for the tenth annual National November Writing Month! Get a friend and sign up!
 
According to their website, “National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30…

 

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved. Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.” Read more about the group here. 

 
In 2007, this group had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline at the end of November. Want to try? Or just curious exactly how it works? Then read “How NaNoWriMo Works in Ten Easy Steps.”    

 

Last year, I tried NaNoWriMo with a friend, but I wasn’t very well prepared. She finished with flying colors, but I quit about 1/3 way through. This time I’m preparing sooner, so I’m ready to hit the floor running–er, typing–on November 1. Since I write for children, 50,000 words is too long. But I have ideas for two 25,000 word series books I want to try, so I think that’s what I’ll do. (It may not qualify for their rules–I’ll have to check–but getting the writing done is more important to me than winning a prize.)

 

They have fun radio spots on their home page, you receive encouraging emails throughout the month from some very famous writers, and they’ve organized local groups if you want to get together socially with the other NaNo writers in your area. Lots and lots of support available, and we all need that. 

If any of you decide to give this a whirl, let me know. Stop by my web page on NaNoWriMo (everyone gets a free web page) and let’s encourage one another.

 

 

 

 

 

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Believe in Your Writing

October 15, 2008

Through the Shadowlands

Critiques are very valuable, but in the end, you have to be the judge of your own stories. You have to believe in your own writing. And trust me, negative critiques come to everyone.

 Case in point: this week I’m reading C.S. Lewis Through the Shadowlands: The Story of His Life with Joy Davidman. I love C.S. Lewis‘ books, both his adult works and those for children. He’s probably most famous among children’s writers for his Chronicles of Narnia books (and now movies). Surely his books were well received from the beginning, right? No–his critique partner (none other than J.R.R. Tolkien of The Lord of the Rings fame) didn’t like it.

From Through the Shadowlands: “When Jack [C.S. Lewis] had completed his story about four children who discover a magic wardrobe and, through it, find a way into the land of Narnia, he showed it to Tolkien, who was unimpressed. Feeling, perhaps, that Jack had aimed rather more at achieving an effect than at creating an Other World of the kind he was writing about in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien told him that ‘It really won’t do you know!’ Jack was discouraged and put the book to one side for a while before returning to it and rewriting the first few chapters. However, he still felt uncertain about whether it was any good or not, and decided to ask the advice of someone else.”

Thankfully the second person he asked was more enthusiastic. Jack then went on to complete this book, which became the first Narnia book: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

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Reading in the Middle of the Night

October 13, 2008

It’s the middle of the night. And, as always, I’m thankful to be a reader.
When I was a young mother, I was plagued by chronic migraines that kept me awake for hours during many nights each week. To take my mind off the pain, I often read or wrote, finding it a helpful distraction. But with improved health, I hadn’t needed that help for a long time. Until tonight, for some reason. I woke at 1 a.m., my head pounding, my neck cramped, and my back stiff. Nothing worked to relieve the pain, so I finally got up about 2, careful not to wake my snoozing spouse. I took two aspirin and curled up in the rocking chair, grateful that I wasn’t facing a houseful of toddlers and babies in the morning, as in years past. I made a cup of hot chocolate, listened to the quiet of the house…and I thought of books.
It had been a busy weekend, with a book signing and talk on Saturday, church on Sunday, and some other obligations. I’d missed having some quiet time to myself. Why not take advantage, as in years past, of this unexpected free time? I’d half expected to sit in the living room feeling sorry for myself, but then I remembered the new (used) writing book that had arrived in the mail Friday, the Elizabeth George book Write Away that I blogged about in “Demystifying Writing.” Sipping my hot chocolate, I read a chapter that detailed the author’s researching techniques when visiting England. It got my mind to racing, as we plan to visit England in the spring, and I could easily picture myself doing research there. Perhaps I could think of a tax deductible book idea before spring…
I’d also picked up four mysteries at the library last week that I hadn’t had a chance to look at yet, so I chose a cozy by an author new to me, kept sipping, and started reading… Now I’m three chapters into Aunt Dimity: Snowbound and so far, I’m hooked. I love a mystery set in England, minus the corpses, and while I read, the headache faded into the background. It brought back memories of how I dealt with those long years of constant chronic pain. What would I have done without books?
I think I’ll head back to bed for a couple hours of sleep before the day starts officially. Yes, I’ll be sleepy tomorrow and may need some extra caffeine at some point. But my blog for today is finished, I’ve started two excellent new books, and I’ve enjoyed some quiet hours of reading. My body may feel old and tired right now, but my mind is happy and my spirit refreshed. All because of the joy of reading good books. I’m so grateful that I love to read.
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Demystifying Writing

October 1, 2008

Yesterday I read an old article from The Writer called “Demystifying the Writing Process” about how the author, Elizabeth George, writes her mysteries. I’ve been a longtime fan of her books after seeing BBC productions of her Inspector Lynley mysteries. Ms. George creates intricate plots, unusual characters, and psychological suspense.
In the article, Ms. George was asked about her process of writing. She said, “I developed a complicated process to demystify writing. I do think everybody needs to develop a process that works for them that will demystify or deterrify the process.” She said she created a structured, step-by-step approach to writing that appealed to her organizational side (left brain), and that as she applied her approach, she did it in such a way that it triggered the creative side (right brain). She wrote about this approach in Write Away: One Novelist’s Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life. I wondered if her approach would be too structured for me. But then I read her statement: “When it comes to writing, I never listen to my mind; I always listen to my body. I’ve learned to trust that feeling right in my solar plexus.” I checked with Amazon, read a sample chapter, and ordered a copy right then! (Check out the used prices!) I can’t wait till it arrives.
We can always learn from each other. I’ve got a pretty good system that has helped me sell 35 books, a system I originally learned in 1979 when I took a writing course from The Institute of Children’s Literature. Over the years, I’ve adjusted the system to suit my needs, and I’ve found that most how-to writing books have at least one idea (often more) that I can use to help my own writing. When Ms. George’s book arrives, I’ll let you know what I find out.
What writing books have YOU learned the most from? Current ones? Timeless classics?
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