by Jemi Fraser
'Tis the week before NaNo,
And all through the 'verse
Writers are mumbling, and cursing,
And swearing, and worse.
November is on us,
How'd it get here so fast?
The last time we checked,
Summer barely had passed!
We need time to start plotting,
We need time for a plan!
We need time to develop
Our characters...oh, man!
The outlines are bare
No settings are made,
The backstory's blank
No foundations are laid!
At From the Write Angle,
We writers are tough,
But it's that time of year,
So we're screaming, "Enough!"
NaNoWriMo is calling,
We must heed its call,
So we'll be back in December,
With more posts for you all!
Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs.
Showing posts with label NaNo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNo. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2014
Monday, December 23, 2013
'Twas the Month after NaNo
by Jemi Fraser
‘Twas the month after NaNo and all through the lands,
Writers were massaging cramps out of their hands.
The stories were resting all snug in their files,
Hoping to one day bring readers some smiles.
The writers were exhausted, brain-dead and worn out,
Only raising their heads when others bothered to shout.
Fed up children and spouses fought for attention,
But writers only used that as fodder to increase the tension.
“It’s December!” they shouted, “It’s time for St. Nick,
You have to prepare and you have to be quick!”
Lifting their heads from desks with the blurriest of eyes,
The writers considered a multitude of lies.
But writers are persistent, hard-working and smart,
As one they declared, “It’s past time to start!”
With NaNo as practice, they outlined their chores,
Drafted their lists and headed out their front doors.
They searched and they shopped and they bought and they wrapped
They baked and they cooked and they prepped and they napped.
Like good ol’ St. Nick, they enlisted their crew,
With NaNo as training, there’s not much they can’t do!
Writers finished their lists with extra time on their hands,
And thoughts turned to NaNo with revisions and plans.
The story was settling, marinating with time,
With lots of revisions it soon would be prime.
So the chaos of the season has its own special gift,
Allowing the story to simmer and ideas to sift.
For great writers know without any doubt,
Stellar stories never follow the easy, short route.
Sit back and enjoy the season shining so bright,
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good write!
(With apologies to Clement Moore and the wonderful folks at NaNoWriMo!)
Here at From the Write Angle, we're going to take the rest of the week off to enjoy some of that shining season with our friends and families. We hope each and every one of you find something wonderful to celebrate this season! Best wishes to all!
Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance who is currently emerging from a NaNo coma. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs along with a gingerbread cookie or two.
‘Twas the month after NaNo and all through the lands,
Writers were massaging cramps out of their hands.
The stories were resting all snug in their files,
Hoping to one day bring readers some smiles.
The writers were exhausted, brain-dead and worn out,
Only raising their heads when others bothered to shout.
Fed up children and spouses fought for attention,
But writers only used that as fodder to increase the tension.
“It’s December!” they shouted, “It’s time for St. Nick,
You have to prepare and you have to be quick!”
Lifting their heads from desks with the blurriest of eyes,
The writers considered a multitude of lies.
But writers are persistent, hard-working and smart,
As one they declared, “It’s past time to start!”
With NaNo as practice, they outlined their chores,
Drafted their lists and headed out their front doors.
They searched and they shopped and they bought and they wrapped
They baked and they cooked and they prepped and they napped.
Like good ol’ St. Nick, they enlisted their crew,
With NaNo as training, there’s not much they can’t do!
Writers finished their lists with extra time on their hands,
And thoughts turned to NaNo with revisions and plans.
The story was settling, marinating with time,
With lots of revisions it soon would be prime.
So the chaos of the season has its own special gift,
Allowing the story to simmer and ideas to sift.
For great writers know without any doubt,
Stellar stories never follow the easy, short route.
So enjoy all
the chaos and family and fun,
Give weary
brains a rest and get other things done.Sit back and enjoy the season shining so bright,
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good write!
(With apologies to Clement Moore and the wonderful folks at NaNoWriMo!)
Here at From the Write Angle, we're going to take the rest of the week off to enjoy some of that shining season with our friends and families. We hope each and every one of you find something wonderful to celebrate this season! Best wishes to all!
Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of contemporary romance who is currently emerging from a NaNo coma. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs along with a gingerbread cookie or two.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
3 NaNo NoNos
by Jemi Fraser
It's easy to get caught up in the euphoria that surrounds a NaNo win. After all, writing 50k words in 30 days is something to be proud of. Go ahead and celebrate!
But...
There's always a 'but', isn't there? Here are a few Nano NoNos to keep in mind.
NaNo NoNo Number 1
Submitting your novel on December 1st. Or any day in December. By and large, this is a very bad idea. Maybe you are Super Drafter and your story is error free, but I have my doubts! I know mine sure isn't. I imagine agents cringe when they see the words, "I've just finished this novel for NaNoWriMo..."
NaNo NoNo Number 2
Revising right away. So you decide to give those agents a break over December, but on January 1st, you're submitting. After all, the agents will be rested and salivating over the thought of a new story. Wait! For most writers, it's a really a good idea to let your first draft sit for several weeks before you go back in and revise it. That way, you've got a bit of distance between you and the story. Your brain will actually see the words you've written instead of the words you THINK you've written.
NaNo NoNo Number 3
Putting your novel aside - forever. This is kind of the opposite of the first two. Don't assume your story is garbage just because you wrote it in a month - or because you're sick of it at the moment. Sure, it might be a hot mess, but the idea sparked enough of your creativity for you to spend 30 days on it. I bet if you give it those weeks I spoke about in #2, you'll find there's a lot to like.
So, give yourself some time away, then go back in and dig into the wonder of that first draft your wrote. Once it really shines, submit away! And make sure you have some cupcakes to celebrate along the way!
Any more NaNo NoNos you can share?
Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of romantic mysteries, currently recuperating from her NaNo win. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs.
It's easy to get caught up in the euphoria that surrounds a NaNo win. After all, writing 50k words in 30 days is something to be proud of. Go ahead and celebrate!
But...
There's always a 'but', isn't there? Here are a few Nano NoNos to keep in mind.
NaNo NoNo Number 1
Submitting your novel on December 1st. Or any day in December. By and large, this is a very bad idea. Maybe you are Super Drafter and your story is error free, but I have my doubts! I know mine sure isn't. I imagine agents cringe when they see the words, "I've just finished this novel for NaNoWriMo..."
NaNo NoNo Number 2
Revising right away. So you decide to give those agents a break over December, but on January 1st, you're submitting. After all, the agents will be rested and salivating over the thought of a new story. Wait! For most writers, it's a really a good idea to let your first draft sit for several weeks before you go back in and revise it. That way, you've got a bit of distance between you and the story. Your brain will actually see the words you've written instead of the words you THINK you've written.
NaNo NoNo Number 3
Putting your novel aside - forever. This is kind of the opposite of the first two. Don't assume your story is garbage just because you wrote it in a month - or because you're sick of it at the moment. Sure, it might be a hot mess, but the idea sparked enough of your creativity for you to spend 30 days on it. I bet if you give it those weeks I spoke about in #2, you'll find there's a lot to like.
So, give yourself some time away, then go back in and dig into the wonder of that first draft your wrote. Once it really shines, submit away! And make sure you have some cupcakes to celebrate along the way!
Any more NaNo NoNos you can share?
Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of romantic mysteries, currently recuperating from her NaNo win. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Writing Cycles
By Jemi Fraser
This summer has been a lot of fun for me with my writing & I've realized a few things about my writing process. I do things in cycles.
I often like to jumpstart a novel with NaNo. This August I signed myself up for CampNano which has been a lot of fun (almost 40k now thank you very much). I don't need the incentive to write, but I like the camaraderie and there's something about inputting the word count into the site and watching that graph climb. Love it!
After NaNo though, I tend to put the wip aside for a while - mostly because NaNo never comes at the perfect time for me. I'm usually in the middle of revisions. So after the crazy month, I put that wip on the shelf and head back to my revisions.
Because I'm a pantster, I think this gives my subconscious some time to work on the last part of the story. If I leave the story for a bit, it's amazing how well the subconscious can pull together those plot threads.
When I head back to the NaNo story, I read it over from the beginning - and get excited about it all over again.
I like to let the stories marinate for a while between drafts - several months is best. I have a very strong memory for words and patterns. If I don't let the story sit for a bit, it's really hard to catch some things that need changing because my memory believes the words are right - just because it's seen it before. So I trick myself. :)
Rinse and repeat. Right now I've got 3 stories on the go - although I rarely work on more than one at a time. I focus on one for a few months, let it sit. Switch to the next story.
Now I just need to break the cycle and start getting ready to send some of these stories out into the world!
Do you have cyclical patterns in your writing? Do you need to let things marinate or can you dive right back in?
Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of romantic mysteries. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs.
This summer has been a lot of fun for me with my writing & I've realized a few things about my writing process. I do things in cycles.
I often like to jumpstart a novel with NaNo. This August I signed myself up for CampNano which has been a lot of fun (almost 40k now thank you very much). I don't need the incentive to write, but I like the camaraderie and there's something about inputting the word count into the site and watching that graph climb. Love it!
After NaNo though, I tend to put the wip aside for a while - mostly because NaNo never comes at the perfect time for me. I'm usually in the middle of revisions. So after the crazy month, I put that wip on the shelf and head back to my revisions.
Because I'm a pantster, I think this gives my subconscious some time to work on the last part of the story. If I leave the story for a bit, it's amazing how well the subconscious can pull together those plot threads.
When I head back to the NaNo story, I read it over from the beginning - and get excited about it all over again.
I like to let the stories marinate for a while between drafts - several months is best. I have a very strong memory for words and patterns. If I don't let the story sit for a bit, it's really hard to catch some things that need changing because my memory believes the words are right - just because it's seen it before. So I trick myself. :)
Rinse and repeat. Right now I've got 3 stories on the go - although I rarely work on more than one at a time. I focus on one for a few months, let it sit. Switch to the next story.
Now I just need to break the cycle and start getting ready to send some of these stories out into the world!
Do you have cyclical patterns in your writing? Do you need to let things marinate or can you dive right back in?
Jemi Fraser is an aspiring author of romantic mysteries. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Give Those Agents a Break!
by Jemi Fraser
So? Are you NaNo-did, NaNo-didn't, NaNo-done or NaNo-brain-dead?
November has been a crazy month for the many writers who participated in NaNoWriMo. A lot of bright and shiny new ideas have taken flight. A lot of shiny new ideas have dulled, dried up and jumped into the recycling box of their own volition.
If you've finished, or are about to finish, your 50k in 30 days, good for you! I'll do a happy dance for you ... once I find my energy again.
Whatever you do, for the love of all that's pure and golden in this universe, do NOT, under any circumstances query your NaNo novel yet! All great NaNo novels (yes, even yours) need to marinate. They need to sit and simmer. And you need to let them.
This is non-negotiable.
Give that novel a few weeks. Then go back. Reread. You'll be amazed at some of the things you've written. You'll find some nuggets of gold. You'll also find some nuggets of ... yeah, that.
Your NaNo needs some loving attention after November is over. Reread. Revise. Revise again. Polish. Shine it up. Then, when you're sure it's the best it can possibly be, that's when you start researching agents who are going to fight over it.
But do those lovely agents you hope to work with one day a great big favour. Don't query yet. You'll be doing yourself a favour too!
Any NaNo stories (success, horror or otherwise) to share?
November has been a crazy month for the many writers who participated in NaNoWriMo. A lot of bright and shiny new ideas have taken flight. A lot of shiny new ideas have dulled, dried up and jumped into the recycling box of their own volition.
If you've finished, or are about to finish, your 50k in 30 days, good for you! I'll do a happy dance for you ... once I find my energy again.
Whatever you do, for the love of all that's pure and golden in this universe, do NOT, under any circumstances query your NaNo novel yet! All great NaNo novels (yes, even yours) need to marinate. They need to sit and simmer. And you need to let them.
This is non-negotiable.
Give that novel a few weeks. Then go back. Reread. You'll be amazed at some of the things you've written. You'll find some nuggets of gold. You'll also find some nuggets of ... yeah, that.
Your NaNo needs some loving attention after November is over. Reread. Revise. Revise again. Polish. Shine it up. Then, when you're sure it's the best it can possibly be, that's when you start researching agents who are going to fight over it.
But do those lovely agents you hope to work with one day a great big favour. Don't query yet. You'll be doing yourself a favour too!
Any NaNo stories (success, horror or otherwise) to share?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)