Revising NaNoWriMo

November is #NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month. You take 30 days and write 1,667 words a day to complete a rough draft novel of 50,000. I usually do it every year.

This year, I'm revising NaNoWriMo and here's why. On Saturday I attended the Albany Book Festival at SUNY Albany. Chatting with my tablemate, Johanna Spero (*waves) I found out there is an underground movement in NaNoWriMo: doing it in January.

Seriously, whoever conceived of doing 1,667 words a day in NOVEMBER, when we have the prep of Thanksgiving and teachers' conferences, and the prep for Christmas, obviously wasn't a person with schoolkids, or families who descend on them for an all-out holiday meal. It's just too insane. When Johanna told me about a renegade group who does NaNoWriMo is JANUARY, I was like, wait, what? AFTER the holiday rush? During the crappy winter when all you want to do is stay inside? When there are no holidays? When the college kids have returned to school and soccer/football is over? It's freaking GENIUS. I salute these brilliant people and am joining your ranks. Every year I burn the all-night oil to get at least several days ahead because who can write on Thanksgiving Day when you're cooking, and stuffed, and visiting? The day before- it's all prep. The day after, it's cleanup. Then starts the Christmas madness. It was insane, draining, and I came to dread trying to catch up before the 30th deadline. So many people gave up because they felt like failures. It was a Herculean task, at best.

Photo courtesy of Energepic, Pexels. 

No more! I am free! January is perfect. And while we're here, let's talk about #NaNoRevMo, or National Novel Revision Month. Again, who is this crazy person that thought revising your rough draft in JUNE was a great idea?? Oh, sure, the kids aren't in school, they are HOME, or you have to take them to camps. There are weddings, graduations, First Communions, etc. If you write your novel in January, the best time to revise it would be September. Kids are back in school, and yes, you have the sports to deal with, but it's easier to revise a few pages sitting in the car while the kids practice than it is to write.

So RISE UP! Revolt against the oppression of trying to write a novel in November! Free yourself! No disrespect to those who do it in November, I did it for a number of years, but this year, I take control of my own NaNoWriMo.

Join the Rebellion! 

Photo courtesy Pixabay, Pexels.

As long as you keep writing-

Char

How Am I Supposed to Have a Happy Labor Day?

Happy Labor Day!

Or restful.

Or lazy.

Or fun.

Or whatever. 

I'm taking the day off. I have to deal with the end of summer. I'm not ready for fall and dying flowers, cold days, less sunlight, and closing my pool.

I need to sulk. 

Photo courtesy of Flora Westbrook, Pexels. 

Char

Waste Not - Want Not?

I know a very talented artist. Won awards. Got scholarships for his talent. Sadly, he turned them down and studied Criminal Justice. And then worked in the food industry. He never seriously picked up a pencil or brush after high school.

Photo courtesy of Alicia Zinn, Pexels. 

And I think, 'what a waste.'

If I had that talent, I'd do so much... Besides writing, I would illustrate books. I'd make art not only for books, but for my house, heck, maybe even sell some next to my books.

But I understand why someone would not want to use their talent. It's draining. You're constantly bombarded with ideas and possibilities, and it drives you crazy when you can't bring those ideas to fruition. You spend so much time in your head; characters won't shut up, demanding to have their story told or drawn. Life demands a lot and there's only so much time, motivation, and opportunity. I'm reminded of artists who suffer for their art; little or no recognition or appreciation during their lifetime so they face not only frustration but economic hardship.

So be kind when you think someone is 'wasting' their talent/skills by not using them. There are many reasons why they don't. And, keep in mind when you're looking at someone's work, what went into creating it. Don't begrudge them the price of their hard earned work. Whether painting, novel, jewelry, or other craft, much time and effort went into it. Give artists their due.

They deserve it.

Char

Tech Update...

Okay, I was ranting about Amazon and the VAT (value added tax) certificate, which is just another form of taxation. Connecticut has it in that they tax your car every year.

Turns out, it was a spoof- made to look like Amazon Britain was sending this, along with Amazon Germany. (Those countries have even more taxes than we do- so not like it looked suspicious right away).

Being so-so on tech savvy (ok, maybe a little less than so-so), I knew enough not to give out any personal info or passwords. From now on, whenever I get anything that asks me to do something, I'm going to double check with the company directly.

Lesson learned.

Now, I'm busy with getting ready for a party for the hub's work associates, working on my YA revisions, doing physical therapy, and so much other stuff. But here's a nice picture of a squirrel. Because I love squirrels...

Photo courtesy of Pixabay, Pexels Inc.

Enjoy the rest of summer.

Winter is coming...

Char

It's The Little Things...

That drive you the craziest. Like, "Fill out this form." Okay, sounds simple enough.

Except when it's in German. Okay, Translate function!

Except when Amazon.UK (Britain) is sending you the message about a tax certificate in Germany. Okay, contact Amazon and talk to them.

Except when you go to fill the forms, Amazon won't recognize the email that you've been using for sooooo long (like forever) for your books, but wants to use the family email that you use for Amazon Prime when you BUY things, not when you SELL your books. Okay, Amazon tells you to clear out your cookies.

Except even though you know what cookies are, where they hell are they? Okay, get son to help clear out cookies.

Except thanks to Amazon for that stupid advice, now I can't access ANYTHING- like Twitter, Facebook, Author Central on Amazon... OKAY, so son helps me load in ALL NEW FREAKING PASSWORDS.

Except I STILL CAN'T ACCESS THE DAMN TAX FORM TO FILL OUT BECAUSE AMAZON GERMANY WON'T RECOGNIZE IT ME.

Honestly, I don't think I've sold any books to Germany, so F it.

Take that, stupid European Union.

Photo courtesy of Pexels

Some days, I need something stronger than chai lattes to deal with this stuff.

And Amazon wonders why authors hate it (besides the fact that they squeeze every last penny out of us that they can).

Onto revisions while I wait for someone who may/may not show up to buy a bed I listed on Letgo, and then want to chew the price down to like $5 and pay with a check that could bounce and then I get stuck with $35 in bank fees like ten other people previously, because I haven't SUFFERED enough.

Char

Rutgers, Here I Come!

I am excited, thrilled, joyous, flipping out happy that I have been selected to be a mentor at the Oct 2019 Rutgers One on One Conference! This conference, which is put together by the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature, is celebrating its 50th anniversary! Not only is that special by itself, but I attended two of these conferences at the beginning of my writing journey, and I'm a Rutgers alumna! It's almost like giving back.

So if you're an aspiring writer, I'm sorry you've missed this year's deadline, but I will be taking notes and pics, so stayed tuned. I'll pass on news and helpful hints from the conference.

For now, I've got to go shopping- I have NOTHING TO WEAR!  JK. But I've gotta start thinking now about getting ready.

*Sings:  I'm so excited....

So stay tuned, and I can't wait to meet all those fresh-faced, energetic attendees! (I think I'll bask in their aura of hope and determination to give myself another kick in the butt to get through these revision blues.)

Tools of the Trade

Or rather, tricks.

Every profession and hobby has little secret ways to do something, a shortcut unknown to the amateur. We on the inside like to keeps these tricks to ourselves- it makes us feel like we're in on the 'know' while others aren't, and it's a big help that we hope gives us an edge.

When I was a house painter (a very short career), I worked with my mom and stepdad in his business. He had all these little tricks that the average homeowner didn't know that helped him be a better painter than they were, which is good for business. Nothing a lay person does looks as perfect as when the pro does it.

One of those tricks was to tint the primer as close as possible to the paint color. Back then, primers and paints were separate- first the primer, then 2 coats of paint were required for a perfect finish. But tinting the primer usually meant you could skip the second coat of paint.

One of my tricks that I'm going to share with you is how to stop in the middle of a writing run, and be able to pick right up when you get back. You've been there; you're writing up a storm, the muse is dictating faster than you can type and you don't want to lose the momentum.

But life intercedes.... Gotta make dinner. Have to go to work. Must take care of kids/parents/pets etc. Some say stop in the middle of a sentence. Sorry, but that just doesn't make sense. How are you to know where you were going in that sentence? It might be obvious if you're in a situation like where the lookout on the Titanic spots the iceberg, or your characters are in the middle of a love scene. Or, if the previous sentence was something like, 'She pulled the gun and aimed right between his eyes.' All these examples pretty much set you up for when you return. However, unexpected breaks in writing sometimes leave you in unexpected places and you won't remember where the plot was marching.

Trick of the trade: First, finish that sentence. (I don't know too many authors who can stop in mid-sentence anyway.) Second, jot down a few sentences about where you're heading on that page. (Sometimes sticky notes get lost or pushed off, so put these notes on the page where you'll pick up.) I think 3 or 4 are good, and you can write them in shorthand like: she shoots, misses. they grapple over gun. gun goes off, him dead. Twelve words, and it feels like at least one chapter. No more guess work, or trying to wrack your brain (what was I thinking here? where was I going?). This is especially helpful during NaNoWriMo when you're attempting to write a whole book in 30 days and you have to get words down whenever you can to stay on track. If you get interrupted numerous times, it's hard to get back in the zone and that's why a few notations on where you're going can be a life/story saver.

Photo courtesy of Start Up Stock Photos by Pexels

Back to revisions... Now where was I....