Category: Writing Encouragement

No more waiting for me

April Belle

Looking into the future

If I’m honest, waiting is my superpower.

My theory has always been that at some point, something will arrive and reward my patience, my suffering.

At least that’s how I thought it worked. Except these days I’m feeling restless. I’m dreaming of mesas and blue sky. I’m wondering if I can choose differently. Deal myself a new hand.

The tickets to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico lay on my kitchen table. I bought them last week, knowing nothing about the area but intrigued by the name.

I walk to the sink and pour out my stale coffee. There’s a trembling in my body that I don’t recognize. Something did happen to me (or perhaps through me). My suffering isn’t gone but I don’t mind taking it with me.

………………………

The Daily Post Waiting

Photo by Alice Popkorn

Prompt: Curious

April Belle

I’ve been drumming my nails about something for a long time now… I have a ton of writing books that back me up on this. The question is:  Can I write a book?

I’ve been very curious about NaNoWriMo for a quite a while. Until now, I’ve always missed the deadline. Well, I can’t use that excuse anymore! For those who don’t know:

NaNo in a Nutshell

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.

Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Where: You write wherever you’d like. On your computer, on your iPad, on a typewriter—anywhere is fine, just as long as you’re writing!

 
Has anyone tried this? I have some wild ideas racing around regarding plot – Granted I have no idea how to pull it off. Maybe that’s not the point. Maybe the point is to go balls to the wall and just put it out there.

It’s a little exciting. It’s a little scary. Damn. This sounds fun. 🙂

(Thanks to Sunday Scribblings for this writing prompt!)

The Many Stages of Suck

April Belle

Brilliant article I’ve had in my files for a while… Boy, does it help to see this again!  Here’s an excerpt from http://www.passionatepen.com/stages_article.htm:

“I think a lot of new authors get really overwhelmed when they read published books because they can’t ‘write like that’. When they read the chapter or book they just finished by their favorite author, they cringe and immediately let self-doubt overtake them.

But the thing about writing is that it’s a lot like actors and actresses. Ever seen a really beautiful actress or supermodel without her makeup? Sure, lots are still stunning… but for many, it’s a sight to behold. Pimples. Bags. Wrinkles. It takes makeup and lighting for them to shine. But you’d never know that just from looking at the spread in Glamour Magazine.

The same goes for writing. There are very few authors who are able to sit down and churn out a 100,000-word romance and have the first draft be perfect. There are some, yes, but most of us go through some kind of process that gets us there. Whether they edit as they go along, or at the end. Whether they write in order or in scenes and sequels in no particular way, they have a lot of stages that get them to the keeper shelf.

So in the spirit of full disclosure, I present to you, the stages of writing… Jenna Petersen/Jess Michaels Style. Perhaps you’ll see some of your own stages of writing here:

Stage 1: Oh My GAWD, I have the best idea EVER!!
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Stage 6: Oh My GAWD, I’m writing the worst book EVER!”

Read more →

Ooooh, this really grabbed me…

April Belle

Coincidentally, I found this article called “The Little Writer that Could – And Did”  

It’s a little long, but truly worthwhile of your time.  And can I just say, perfect for my second post ever on this blog?  Here’s an excerpt:

…”[writing] is nervous work.  The state you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of.”

 Let’s face it.  We sometimes “sit and stare at that blank sheet of paper until blood forms on our foreheads” or words on the page.  Sometimes all we get is blood.

 Some of us have found that bleeding words is easy when faced with the challenge of trying to share those words with a sometimes uncaring world.   It requires risking rejection from our critique partners, from editors, and if we manage to sell our work, then by reviewers, and finally by the toughest market of all: the reader.  Read more →