witter (ˈwɪtə)
vb – (often foll by: on) to chatter or babble pointlessly or at unnecessary length
n – pointless chat; chatterCOLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY – COMPLETE AND UNABRIDGED, 12TH EDITION 2014 © HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
A Thousand Thanks Bloggers!
Last week we finished the Angel Blue Tour with Xpresso Book Tours. I am above and beyond pleased with all the hard work Giselle and her team put into this tour, but especially with all you wonderful book bloggers. So many shared the word about Angel Blue it was humbling. I’m so grateful to be part of this community of book lovers. A thousand thanks to you and to the many who entered the giveaway! Congrats to Andrea and Victoria, our big winners! I can’t wait to send the rest of your prizes 😀 Stay tuned for my next book event with We Write Fantasy’s 3rd year participating in Prism Book Tour’s “12 Days of Fantasy for Christmas.” Happy reading!
and now for something completely different…
2019 marks my 8th year in a row to be participating in #NaNoWriMo. Wild, right?
In the past I’ve used this event to begin books that never made it past the first draft. Other years I used NaNoWriMo to complete books I was absolutely stuck on. A few, like She Walks in Moonlight and Wolfsbane’s Daughter seemed to write themselves. It happens like that sometimes. The words just flow.
By this point, I’ve experienced just about every NaNo trope you’ve heard about. (except that pesky one where the first-time author writes their soon-to-be #1 bestseller lol)
No matter where you’re coming from today, I hope you love November because it brings the #writingcommunity together. No other time will you find Indie authors like me in the same ring as first time novellists and bestselling traditionalists. NaNoWriMo truly levels the playing field.
If this is your first time to participate but you’re worried about being too far behind: DON’T.
Trust me, you will regret not taking advantage of the wordcounter. NaNoWriMo can be as public or private an event as you want. You can buddy up with other authors like me if you fancy. Don’t be shy! Now is the time to be brave and join the larger writing community. (Friend me here!) Wherever you’re at, know you are not alone. We’re all crunching those words away.
A couple tips if you are like me and either in the middle of or beginning your book baby:
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Stop worrying about what the “daily word count goal” on your ticker should be. Everyone writes at their own pace. Some days you’ll write 2000 words, other days you’re good to write maybe 500. Do what feels right and don’t push. Have fun with it!
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Don’t waste time you could be writing, editing what you just wrote. It’s so easy to get stuck refining your rough draft. Plenty of time to revise later. For now, focus on getting your story on paper.
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Share your progress, whether it’s on social media, or with your best friend. NaNoWriMo works because it keeps writers accountible. If you aren’t participating in any live group workshops, connect with other writers or bookish friends. I promise you’ll get twice as much done.
For this year’s NaNo, I chose to work on Blackbriar Cove. One of these years I’d love begin a fresh novel. Someday when I’m not in the middle of writing an over 100K book 😉 Even though I started my NaNo19 with around 20K of the current draft, my plan is to write over 50K more words before Dec 1.
I’m happy to report I’m already less than 2K from reaching 30K in the book! The best part? I’ve had a major plotting break through that will bring this book to the next level. I can’t wait to share with y’all! Meanwhile, I’m going back to my bat cave to get back to what I should be doing: writing.
I hope you’re inspired this week to write your story. I hope you sit down and the words flow from your fingertips. Be honest in your story as you don’t dare in real life. Write what moves you. You may not be writing the next bestseller, but I guarantee you’ll learn more about yourself in the process. You’ll be enriched and better for the experience. Go find your creative happy place and let’s write!
#beinspired
Helpful Links
“30 Scariest Author Website Mistakes & How to Fix them” – by @PaulineWiles
50 Greatest Film Scores of All Time – because if you ain’t aware of movie scores you should be!
Business Musings: 3 Kinds of Writers – by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Miss the #SciFiMonth #SatBookChat?
You can still join the discussion via:
Jennifer Silverwood 