Writing
The No-Excuse 100-Word Writing Challenge
Join me for the No-Excuse 100-Word Writing Challenge. The objective is to move beyond creative block and procrastination to craft a micro story in a few minutes. In doing so, you can reprogram the limiting belief that you are creatively blocked, lack enough time to write, and you’re a hack with no talent.
Read More ...How to Survive Your Fourth Week of NaNoWriMo
Research shows it takes twenty-one days to make a new activity a habit, so after three weeks of writing daily for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), you have established writing every day as a habit. In addition, your word count should be around 35,000 words. You’re in the final stretch, and the 50,000-word finish line…
Read More ...How to Survive Your Third Week of NaNoWriMo
The beginning of the third week of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) feels like you’ve just reached the top of the mountain, and you’re gazing down at your final destination—the charming village in the valley below. Sure, you still have to descend the mountain; however, your body has gotten used to climbing and works faster…
Read More ...How to Survive Your Second Week of NaNoWriMo
In many ways, the second week of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) feels like a race where you blew out of the starting gate, sprinted over the hill, and then developed a stitch in your side. Your endorphins have abandoned you. You’re tired. You’ve drunk too much coffee. You said good morning to your children,…
Read More ...How to Survive Your First Week of NaNoWriMo
When a blogger friend casually suggested I attempt National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in 2004, I naively took the bait and signed up. On November 1, I dragged my big-ass laptop to a bookstore, ordered a cup of coffee and a muffin, and began pecking out a story that first took genesis in 1987. Two…
Read More ...How to Use a Character Bible While Drafting Your Manuscript
A character bible is essential when starting to draft a novel because inevitably, as I get into the thick of my manuscript, I’ll find myself trying to remember the name of a minor character from earlier in my draft.
Read More ...How Music Playlists Help Create a Sense of Place and Atmosphere in Your Writing
Music is an innovative and fun way to create a sense of place and atmosphere in writing. Listening to certain genres of music and artists helps me connect with a specific time period or a subculture. Also, referencing particular songs or artists can serve as a shortcut to instantly create a sense of time and…
Read More ...How to Build Your Fictional World for NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) begins on at midnight on November 1, so I thought I would transition from setting into how to prepare your fictional world in advance of NaNoWriMo. Grab your camera or SmartPhone and head out to someplace you’ve never been before. Snap pictures of anything that catches your eye or intrigues…
Read More ...How to Increase Your Understanding of Setting When You Travel, Part 3
When we drove into Reykjavik late on Friday night, we entered a new phase of our trip. Outside the city, the dramatic landscapes felt expansive; however, walking through the narrow European streets of Iceland’s capital seemed smaller, cozier, and introspective. I’d also encounter some synchronicity.
Read More ...How to Increase Your Understanding of Setting When You Travel, Part 2
The customs agent said, “Welcome to Europe, Mr. Blocker.”
I smiled as I had always expected to visit Europe many years before that moment, yet I was happy to have finally arrived.
As I proceeded through the airport, it seemed much like any other airport in the U.S.—especially when I saw a display of Doritos in a duty-free store near baggage claim.
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