NaNoWrMo - I'm ready!!

Its that time of year again - NaNoWrMo!

I must admit that I wait for it anxiously, counting down the months and constantly deciding and re-deciding what I will write! Last year due to issues that I can't quite recall, I was very late and had to write my novel in 15 days to finish in time and I did! Though 'Deep World' needs some serious work, but it will have to remain in the 'not now' folder for a while longer.

I'm going to re-write my first book in my Blue River Chronicles series - OK maybe this is cheating as I've already written it, but I will be re-writing the whole thing, as even though I THOUGHT I was ready to publish it, having written the first half of my second book has shown that I need to give the first book some serious work again if I want it to jell with the rest of the story - mine you I still think Book 1 is great, but at present it feels too much like a separate story, and if I want BRC to be 4 to 7 books, I want my readers to know that I have planned out the whole story from page 1.

NaNoWrMo starts tomorrow - I can't wait! I've even illustrated a scene from Book 1 in anticipation

My characters lead the way

In terms of maybe years or experience, I am a fairly new writer. Having completed my University courses in English Literature and Creative Writing only last year; though I have been developing my stories, especially my main one, namely Blue River Chronicles, for many years, having made up the main character in my early teens. Him being the result of listening to my brother’s music while staring the poster of my teen idol on my cupboard door - but that’s another story and I’m rambling a bit.

The point I’m getting to is that it still amazes me how a well-rounded character actually seems to write the story for you. I’m busy with my second book in the BRC series and in the short time of about 120 000 words (about one and a half books), my character has grown so much; his personality has developed and his true character has come through. I had always planned to make him rather gloomy at times and a little down on himself, but apparently he did not agree with that.

As my story processes, I find him to be a lot more optimistic than expected, in spite of the terrible strife I have put him through. I have found my character reaching out more and more to those around him, instead of pulling back as I had expected, and this is, I am pleased to say, a natural development of him, and of the way the environments and scenes I put him in, contributing to his development. To force him to reform to my ‘expected’ outlook on him, would be to stem the natural development and flow of the true nature of his story, or like eating a pickle with chocolate – doable, but the result is undesired.

The reason why I’m stating my … well adoration, if I can call it that, to my character’s initiative to developing the story, is because in my second book he meets his love interest - his true love interest. I did not want them to fall head over hills for each other, like some characters that spend an hour together and now they’re soul mates - no I’m not that type of writer, but as my main two characters started to spend more time together, it was clear that there was attraction. I had not planned them to kiss until the end of my third book, but to my surprise I ended up writing a kissing scene in the middle of book two that left me blushing by the end of it just as deeply as the female antagonist, who had expected it just as little as I had.

To let the characters lead the way has now become a style that I have adopted in my writing, and the results have been pretty good in my opinion. I might have a destination in mind and a few scheduled stops on the way, but it’s clear that my characters will decided the route we will take on our journey, and that is perfectly fine with me, especially when we end up in a wonderful place by accident.



Juliet and Tristan



How to Cure Writer's Block

All right, maybe that’s too dramatic, but face it; there is nothing worse when one finally finds that precious free time, make a mega cup of coffee, get a comfortable spot, flip open your laptop and …..

Exactly that! You just stare at the screen. I usually type some words, just to get frustrated and delete them, or I force myself to continue typing and almost always when, in a few days or so, I review everything I’ve written so far, I end up deleting this strained dribble. And don’t give me that ‘I never get writer’s block’ nonsense, I use to say that, but then I realized I might not hit a wall, or my mind may not go completely blank, but when the ideas are mandatory, put-on and don’t flow easily from your prospective imagination onto the page – well, that’s also included as writer’s block in my opinion.

Now how to solve this problem? Well I will list some suggestions that friends have given me, and that I have found to work or not work:

• My friend said: take a long hot bath, seep in the water and let your mind wonder and the ideas will flow in - well this method is utterly ineffective for me as I’m not the type to ‘seep’, and I find the hot environment and the not so comfortable bath, unproductive to creating ideas. I have tried a hot shower but then the hot shower scene in my second book just keeps popping into my head and no, it’s not kinky in any way.
• Brainstorming - just jot down ideas of where you want to go with your story or your character, and it will help you form ideas and plots - this is effective to a point with me, but then when I write, I tend to constantly stop to check that I am following my ‘mind maps’ and it does disrupt the flow, I also tend to lose these pieces of paper.
• The next method, and one that I have found many writers use, is to listen to music when you write, I tend to listen to Rob Thomas when I write sad scenes, Taylor Swift when I write intimate scenes etc - it is effective and helps to put one in the correct mood. But generally my infinite - though still not long enough - playlist on my laptop is set at random, and there is nothing better than a good ‘mood’ song starting to play just as you start to write the scene, it’s like the universe giving you a leg -up.
• Another way to get the juices flowing, and one that is terribly important in my opinion, is to read! Reading a writer that writes in a similar genre to you or in a similar style, helps to put one in the right frame of mind and helps the process flow more.
• On the same note, watching TV shows or films that inspire your writing is always a good way to go and a sure-fire way for me to get ‘writing fever’. Though I am not so fond of the show, but since my main book that I’m focusing on at the moment is about a werewolf, I watch Teen Wolf. The story annoys me, the acting is terrible, except ‘Stiles’ - I practically only pay attention when he is shown - but it does inspire me and almost guarantees that I end my Monday nights writing feverously until the early hours of the next day.
• Now the last method I use is one that I have found takes time, and usually I don’t get to writing until my next free time session, but it works really well for me. If I am in a scrupulous ‘funk’ on how to write through a particular scene: I stop my writing, close my eyes or leave them open (warning dazed look will result) and imaging the main character of that scene waiting for me in the sunlight, at the end of a path that has wound its way through dense, dark wood. I approach and greet him and we stand on top a hill, below us is a grass field and beyond that is the scene I’m having trouble with. I and my character start to descend the hill together and walk through the field. On the way I ask him questions like ‘how he will think it will play out’, and he asks me questions like ‘why I want him to do a certain action’ excreta. If your character is very developed and true to his personality, the answers will help one find out what is wrong and right about the scene and usually by the time we have arrived at the edge of the field, I have bantered enough with him to know what I have to write next and where I am going. This method is highly effective and works very well for me, but I have not heard of anyone else using it and I have gotten a few quire looks when I mentioned it to friends.
• Another method is to just forget about writing for now, put one of your favourite ‘uppity’ songs on loud and dance around your room not caring if anyone sees you and leave writing for another day – I recommend ‘Determinate’ by Lemonade Mouth for this!

Ok now back to writing. All the best with your writing and cheers for now – C M