How not to be a writer #19: Don't participate in NaNoWriMo

Everyone is different, and some writers don't want to participate in writing events or challenges. That's fine. The purpose of naNoWriMo is to help writers have a deadline and a goal, and establish a habit that will be the building blocks of their writing career, or solidify their existing ones.

Case in point, if you don't want to be writing consistently, and don't want help in establishing a habit and a routine, then don't bother trying NaNoWriMo 2017.

I've been doing NaNoWriMo since 2004, a vet. I didn't do it every year, but I did the first 7 years in a row, until life took over. Then I did it every other year.

I would love to do it this year, but I have a WIP story in progress, and per NaNoWriMo rules, you need to be writing a whole new story from the beginning. Right now, I'm at 25k words, and my goal is to write 80k words. That means I have 55,000 words left, and NaNoWriMo's challenge is 50k words in 30 days... so, I COULD join in and be a NaNoRebel. But naw, I'll be there in spirit.

Are you going to join in?

Structuring your Story

All stories have structure, or they would be confusing or boring.

To help you write your story, I recommend reading the blog series on storyfix.com. It's a great read, and I suggest you study it in depth. Once done, you can try the following spreadsheet I'm going to use to drafting new stories for me to write. Whether this is for a short story or a series of books.

The first column below is where the structural point is located in the story. The last two columns are to jot down your answers as well as the outline notes.

I've also added two more places to put your thoughts in: Beginning and Conclusion.

Feel free to snag it and put it in a spreadsheet or word document!

Location	Structure Points	Ask these questions	Story's answers	Outline Notes
0%	Pre-Plot Point	Where does the story begin?
20-25%	First plot point	What changes the stakes for the main character? What will be the result or consequence if it's not taken cared of?
33-40%	1st Pinch Point	What event reminds the character about the stakes? The character is usually reacting, lying low, training, etc
45-55%	Mid-point (revelation)	What new thing that completely changes the story? A truth about the stakes or the narrative
55-65%	2nd Pinch Point	What second event reminds the character about the stakes? Charcter is usually ready to take on the stakes
75-80%	Second Plot Point	What event is requiring the character to give their life for? Literally or otherwise
90%	Conclusion	How does the story end?

My thoughts about the status of my writing these days

As you've no doubt noticed, I've got a gap in history in my blog. That's part of my journey as a writer, and I will leave it as that, a chronicle. The big reason for such a big gap is bcause of the birth of my daughter. Becoming a parent will do that to you. I tried to continue writing while she was an infant.

Being a nursing mom 24/7, that's basically impossible. Not to mention that a certain nephew destroyed my computer monitor, so I couldn't use my computer regularly. Exxcuse my language, but fuck that guy.

Regardless of such a gap, I'm trying harder than ever to get back into writing regularly. I'm happy to say that I am at day 6 of my unbroken streak in writing my story I'm working on!

So, here's to many, many more session. I may even hope to participate in NaNoWriMo again.

Regards,
New mom since 2015, Wrimo since 2004

How not to be a writer #9: Don't read, TV will do it for you

TV is a great source of inspiration and storytelling elements to be used in stories we write. They are also a great source for how to write stories. Wait, what?

Television--whether it's on your TV proper or an internet channel like YOuTube, will never equate to writing in the sense that it doesn't show you sentence structure on a page. The word choices to describe a setting, an emotion. Writing digs in deeper than any shows ever can.

So, sure, watch some TV, but reading is much more important for writing as it will help lend a hand in shaping your style of writing. Only watch television if you're writing screenplays.

Otherwise, stick to reading stories.

How not to be a writer #18: Pass on your writing to someone else

In the last post, How not to be a writer #16, we covered routine. I mentioned in passing that you could pass on your writing if it is taking up too much of your effort.

Well, you do need yto put the effort in.

As writers, we can't pass the writing on to someone else unless you're doing ghost writing, in which case, that's different. The main thing is, your writing are your OWN words, your own ideas, our own style. No one else can do that for you.

End of discussion.

How not to be a writer #17: Don't be consistent in where you write

Humans are, for the most part, reliant on habits to form their daily routines. That's why infants and toddlers do well when there's a set routine so they know what to expect next. For us adults (and teens), when we have such routines, then it's easier to get things done without much effort.

So, if we want to always put so much effort into completing something we don't want to do, then it will never become a habit as we continually try different ways of tackling the undesireable tasks. And perhaps hopefully pass it on to someone else. More on that in the next post.

Anyway, not having a routine requires a lot more effort to get things done because we have to think about it.

Set a time every day. Set a place, and go there to write and nothing else. Well, little else. YOur desk has your computer, and computer is more than just writing, but you know what I mean.

Develop a routine, and you'll get a lot of writing done. Today, I am happy to say that I finally have a desk and a computer chair today! It is so good to be sitting properly and not in an armchair. I can write so much more. So, think writing from your armchair is nice? It's not all cracked up to be. So make sure you consider the location of where you write when you do your routine.

How not to be a writer #16: Don't aim for 10,000 hours of writing time.

Writing is not something you want to do if you don't want to take the time to write. To remain a mediocre writer, practice writing less than one hour a week.

There's some studies and analysis out there that show  who are masters at something have amassed at least 10,000 hours of practice time. That's about an hour and half a day for 19 years. 3 hours in less than ten years.

You have to be truly dedicated to what you want to do, because you're in it for the long haul. Write, edit, read. Though, for the most part, reading isn't counted towards that 10,000 hours of writing time, especially if you are not actively analyzing the book you're reading.

Practice one hour a week is 10,000 weeks, and by that time, you're dead. 192 years year old masters don't exist.