Preparing for NaNoWriMo

You have disappeared for months on end. Friends, family, and dedicated readers are wondering where you’ve gone. You don’t remember the last time you saw a light that wasn’t coming from your computer screen. The plot is laid out before you, you’ve compiled your own soundtrack to listen to while writing- everything is going smoothly, except your anxiety is through the roof! That’s right; you’ve been spending the entirety of summer (and a bit of fall) preparing your novel for National Novel Writing Month!

Many of you are probably wondering why I haven’t posted anything in a while, and you would be wrong because I have posted something: a new book! I spent my summer preparing my second book, Barely Adrift, for publication. Sadly, a writer’s job is never finished, for immediately after Barely Adrift was released to the public, I began preparing myself for NaNoWriMo with the determination of actually making an effort to win this year… or at least start. I had wanted to take part in 2016, but life got in the way. It has come to my attention that writers are not allowed to have lives, so I will allow myself to be consumed by the page this year and let the words come flying forth from my fingertips. I’m so excited!

Now, for those of you who do not know what NaNoWriMo is, it is an entire month (officially November, I’m assuming because it starts with the same four letters as “novel”) that is set aside for starting a completely new novel manuscript and attempting to reach at least 50,000 words by the end of the month. This is no small feat, especially for us slow writers who take months to write even 8,000 words. Don’t judge me. As such, there is a lot of planning and mental preparation that goes into this challenge.

Since I am not a NaNo veteran, I won’t say that my methods are the best, but I wanted to share what I’ve been doing to get ready for a month of intensive, continuous writing. First of all, I wrote a summary of the story- not the synopsis, but a very rough version of what the story as a whole is. Then, I tried to outline the novel, and I got about a third of the way through when I discovered that outlining is not for me. I do enjoy writing character bios, though. I do the ShaelinWrites method of putting down a bunch of things that I would associate with each character (thoughts, feelings, moods, etc.) and add their physical descriptions afterward. That way, I get a sense of the characters’ personalities first, which is far more important than their looks.

The part that really gets me motivated is planning scenes. I start out with just the dialogue happening between two characters and where it is taking place- the first one I made took place inside a school bathroom! Strangely enough, that scene marks an important moment of character growth for the two main characters. This is where the novel really starts to take shape. The characters are interacting with each other, you can get a feel of the language your book will be using, and one scene can even spark some inspiration for a completely different scene. For example, this bathroom scene caused me to think of another bathroom scene that happens later on in the novel and has a much darker tone. The first one symbolizes the reconnection of an old friendship, and the second one represents a shattering of trust.

Now that I’ve gotten a feel for the characters and the overall tone of the novel by practicing with some small scenes, I think I am ready to take the plunge and begin writing the novel! Of course, I have to wait for November to begin. However, I am very excited to begin and will be posting updates on my progress on my YouTube channel, KiraKira Clover, since I am sure that I won’t have enough to say for an entire blog post with each update. If you are interested in keeping up my progress, you can follow me on there or simply search for Clover S Laurel on the NaNoWriMo site.

And now, I will leave you with the “finished” synopsis of my novel:

Lydell is in her second year of high school and attends an all-girls boarding school in Vermont, where she wants nothing more than to have an uneventful and stress-free experience. On the first day of term, she encounters an old friend named Chiara who seems ecstatic to see her. However, Lydell does not feel the same. Crossing paths with this acquaintance has brought back painful memories that she has repressed during her time at the school, and she finds that she cannot avoid running into her each day.

The girls discover two mysterious stones left in their dorm rooms one night and learn that they possess powers that have lain dormant within them throughout their entire lives. They are soon plunged into an ongoing battle with an ancient enemy that could come at them from anywhere at any time. Tensions run high between Lydell and Chiara as they reflect upon the past they share while trying to identify the source of the evil that threatens to destroy humanity. Armed with bow and rapier, the girls must open up to their true selves and learn to fight as one.

The Uninspired: Forcing Yourself to Write Through Block

Perhaps you have a strict deadline coming up on a project you haven't yet finished. Perhaps you want to finish your novel because you are just so close. Or perhaps you just haven't posted anything to your blog in months and don't want people to think that you've died. (Ahem) Whatever the reason, you need to write something, but you feel that you just can't. Something is there, preventing you from getting words onto the paper or screen, and whatever words do end up there just seem like garbage to you. This is the dreaded "writer's block". I am sure you've heard the phrase before. It passes on from generation to generation in legend like some fearsome mythical beast that no one has been able to conquer for good, so we all must bear the curse at one point or another. But you can't bear it. You must write. The universe won't wait on you forever.

So, how can you write something worthwhile when you have the block? Well, you can't- at least, not in the traditional sense. It's mostly because the thought of the writing is looming over you, and you may feel like it is taunting you because of your block. That makes you feel even worse, and it just snowballs from there. You can try to channel this negativity into your writing by writing about the block in either a metaphorical sense or a literal one (like I'm doing right now!), or you can use this time of word-constipation to focus on other things that will move your project forward, such as research, world-building, or character development exercises.

Of course, if you want to just forget about your project altogether for a little while, you can read the work of other authors. I know that reading is preached a lot in the writing community, but exposing yourself to many different authors and writing styles really does improve your own writing, and it may even spark a little inspiration in you! But if reading a book is too daunting a task during this time, as seeing words on paper may just make you feel more frustrated about your own lack of producing good work, listening to music is an excellent way to take in the words of another creative mind without having to strain your eyes or consciously tell yourself that the book in your hands is not your own. The best part about music is that you don't have to concentrate very hard on it. You can listen to it while doing something completely different like sewing, taking a shower, or browsing the Internet. Music has been a major source of inspiration for me in my own writing, spurring me on to deciding on a title for something that reminds me of some lyrics, or coercing me into writing entire poems around certain theme that is explored in one of my favorite songs. (See the poems "The Depths", "Immortal", or "Tea and Mushrooms" in my book, Solitary Tree and other poems. All three were inspired by the band maudlin of the Well. Their lyrics and sound have a sort of Gothic surrealism to them that really speaks to me and the style of literature I enjoy producing.)

That said, you can't put off your project forever. As I mentioned before, you can focus your efforts on building the bones of the work, but many of us are long past that stage when we are hit with the block. So, what can we do? Well, try adding a little spice to your story by working in your real life experiences and hobbies. My college professor (gods, that was three years ago already!) told me that he brought a little notebook with him wherever he went so that he could jot down anything funny or interesting someone would say or do and tinker with it a little later until it fits into the context of his story. The world is a strange place; you never know what you are going to see, so something mundane that happens during your day could turn into a great scene in your story. Adding your hobbies into the story should be a no-brainer. Many writers already do this. A writer with a love for unsolved mysteries or serial killer documentaries, for example, will likely use this knowledge in a mystery novel or a gritty science fiction. A writer with a love for history or other cultures may write a historical fiction or else create his own world, drawing from aspects of different cultures around our own world to give a rich history to the land he has created.

The last strategy I have for overcoming the block is to always have some kind of notepad or phone that you can type something on- always. I even take my phone with me to the bathroom. Why? Well, certainly not to talk to anyone, rather I always seem to get ideas when I am in the shower. Not every time I shower, of course, but more often than not I find that letting my mind wander while I stand beneath the warm stream of water allows me to find something that I was not about to before. So, as soon as I get out and wrap myself in a towel, I grab my phone and begin typing away in my notepad whatever little tidbits I could come up with- usually it is just a conversation between characters, which I play in my head like a movie while I'm in there. I will also keep my phone by my bed in case inspiration strikes me during the night. A lot of writers have claimed to do their best work at night. This is because the mind goes through cycles of sleep and works differently during those times than when we are fully awake, so keep this in mind when you are dealing with the block!

If none of these things work for you, and the block is continuing to haunt you like those student loans that we don't like to talk about, just wait. Seriously, wait it out. Your talent for writing will never leave you completely. Sometimes, it just takes a while for you to produce something that you can be satisfied with, and that's okay. That is just a sign of you growing as a writer. If we were always 100% happy with what we have written, we would never get any better! If you think of it that way, the block could just be the creative side of your mind going through the angsty stages of puberty.

Finding the Perfect Title: Your First Love Isn't Always the Best

Before I start the meat of this blog post, I just want to say that I hope everyone had a very lucrative National Novel Writing Month! Even if you were not working on a novel, I hope that you were able to get a lot finished in another project. Even if you did not reach your goal, remember that any writing that you were able to do is more than what you had at the beginning of that month!

I have recently been focusing on a short story anthology that I had been planning for a while. With my poetry collection book, I simply used the title of one of the poems for the title of the book, and that made it very easy and avoided any kind of stress. For the anthology, I wanted to do something a little different, so I came up with a title a few months ago that I fell in love with... The thing is that not all loves are meant to last. I always search online for the title I choose to see if it is taken, and having one or two other books with the same title is okay, but the original title that I had planned on using was taken by dozens of other books, and most of them were psychology textbooks. There is no way prospect readers would be able to find the anthology if I had used that title. My book would be buried in the search!

Something that you have to keep in mind when naming your book is how well it fits with the theme of your book and if it catches the prospect reader's attention. However, it is also important to think about the reach of your book. As I stated before, when a title is shared by many different books, it can be more difficult to find what you are looking for. And what if they aren't even looking? What are the odds of someone stumbling across your book in the massive online market if it is on page 19 of the search? And how many people who would stumble across your book would also be interested in it enough to buy it? The odds grow ever more improbable as you go down the line, so the most ideal situation is to have your book appear on the first few pages of an online search!

Since I discovered that my first title that I had fallen in love with would not work realistically to my advantage, I had to come up with another idea for a title, so that is what I did. "Ink Stains", I said. I figured that it was artsy, it sounded like a good title for an anthology of dark literature; it was perfect! Just to be sure, though, I searched it. Low and behold, there was a result for that title: it was an anthology of dark literature... just like mine. My book would be easily confused with that one if I used that title. (Shoutout to the person who came up with that title for a collection of multiple authors' work. We are like-minded people, and I'm giving you free advertising!) So, your second love will not always last either.

Now, I have decided on a title for my short story anthology. (Listening to music can give you your muse and help you see the beauty in words that you previously thought ugly.) I am not totally in love with it as I was with the first two, but it is mature, safe, and it has its life together. I can see us having a future. I am ready to move forward with my plans using this title. And I never would have found the right title for me if I hadn't done some digging on the others I had thought of using.

I wanted to share my experience of trying to decide on a good title with anyone else who may be going through the same thing. I have never been the best at choosing good titles (or boyfriends, hence the metaphors), as I have a hard time imaging a brief phrase that would help describe such a broad idea as an anthology or a novel. Other writers I know have no problem coming up with a title right away, but it may be someone else's already. Don't be discouraged if your first love is taken by someone else. That just means that it wasn't good enough for you, anyway! Just keep trying to find that perfect title, and true love (success) will soon follow.

Don't Feel Guilty About Non-Traditional Writing

It's November, which is a big month for writers everywhere. Even if NaNoWriMo is too daunting for you, it is likely that you have set some kind of goal for yourself. For me, this goal was publishing my first ever book and balancing promoting it while starting on my next project. I have never finished a novel before, so I'm using this month of writing to force myself to get a significant amount of a novella finished so that I can feel like I have accomplished something.

I mainly wanted to make this blog post because it was something that I have been thinking about recently since a lot of the poetry in my new book is more experimental than following a certain style. I worry that writers who are working on projects this month may be trying to force themselves to mold their writing around the "rules" that many think exist for writing such as the three act structure. To be honest, there are no rules for writing. You may argue that grammar is basically a list of rules one must follow when writing, but Lewis Carroll has proved that entire sections of books can completely ignore grammar rules and still be very successful. As an editor, I prefer to follow grammatical rules, but following a certain structure or plot that is already laid out for you just seems like it takes the fun out of writing.

Those who say that you need to follow a certain formula or style of writing are wrong. Poetry is writing what you feel, and no one can tell you how to feel. It can be beautiful without rhyming. It can be beautiful without iambic pentameter. The main questions you should ask yourself are "does it say what I need it to say?" and "will it connect with my readers?" It is the same with stories, whether short or long. Stories do not have to follow a three act structure as long as they are engaging. Some micro-fiction do not have acts, and they are still enjoyable to read. Even blog posts like this are written mostly without any structure and are only stream of consciousness.

My main point is that you, as a writer, do not have to force yourself to write a certain way simply because that is how you are told it is done. Some of the most iconic writers of all time have broken boundaries of rules in their literature. Write what you want to convey to the reader, and if you convey it well, the reader will enjoy it. And if you like following the rules, that's fine too. Everyone should write in whatever way makes them feel the most inspired. Happy National Novel Writing Month!

Finding Your Style and Resisting the Urge to Follow the Crowd

Lately, I've been going through a sort of crisis with the fact that I have next to nothing published. It seems like many other people my age are living on their own with amazing jobs, doing what they love. Meanwhile, I am stuck in the same rut I have been in for years. So, I decided to do something stupid in an effort to make some money off of writing: sell out. 

I was struggling to write a children's book because they tend to be easier to publish since they are much shorter and printing costs are low. However, I came to the realization that writing at a 1st grade level is not my style. The story was boring to me; and, if it is boring to me, you can bet that it would be boring to the kids reading it too. There was no way that this would sell, and, even if it did, I would hate it. 

I had to come to terms that my style is not suited for the profitable market of publication. I like big words and prose-like descriptions. I also like writing Gothic literature, and it's hard to write that for youngins, being that it would be too scary for them. I like writing deeply psychological character-focused stories with themes too complex for children to understand. I might be able to get away with writing a 4th or 5th grade level children's novel if I push the fantasy aspect of my writing over the psychological stuff, but it would no doubt take a very long time for me to find the inspiration to get through an entire novel when it takes me over a month to complete a simple short story. 

Yes, this post was a lot more rambling than my last one, but I wanted to share these thoughts because I am sure there are other writers out there who had the same thought as I did to write what is popular with audiences just to make some quick cash when it really goes against the very essence of your work. My advice is not to go down that path because you will struggle the whole way through writing it, and you will hate yourself for it. Writing is pain, yes, but it is also supposed to be fun, and you should be proud of the work you put out into the world. Don't follow the crowd because the average reader these days likes crap like Fifty Shades of Grey, so what do they know? Someone who reads just what is popular and can't form their own opinions is not worth your talent.

The Agonizing Wait- Or Wondering if Your Work is Good Enough

As some of you may know, I had recently written a short story to submit to an online publisher that was having a special themed magazine in mind and were accepting short story submissions of the post-apocalyptic genre. Of course, this was a struggle for me because apocalyptic stories of any kind are not my strong-suit, as I am usually more character-focused than world-focused. It was also stressful because I had never written a story outside of my genre in only two weeks, which is all the time I had before the deadline. (I only found out after I had submitted that the deadline was pushed back. Sure, I was angry, but I apparently work well under pressure, so hurray for that!)

Nonetheless, with many factors working against me, I made it work. While the story I turned out is of the apocalyptic persuasion, I still crafted it to be the Gothic literature that I know and love. In fact, the ending was so cruel that it even made me, the writer, tear up a bit. It was perfect.

However, I didn't feel that way for long. Many writers go through this stage of thinking that their work is crap after they have already submitted it and can make no further changes to it. Not to mention the fact that I have to wait on a response, whether positive or negative, for about five months. Five months! That is such an agonizingly long wait. I would really like the response to be affirmative so that I can have a publication under my belt that is my work alone. (I have only previously published a comic book that I only co-write and an article about steampunk, but none of my own stories have been professionally published.)

The other sad thing about this is that I expended so much creative energy trying to push that story out in two weeks that, when I attempt to work on some of the other stories I have planned, nothing good comes out of it. I was working on a children's book that I wanted to be a picture book, but now I'm thinking of restarting it as a chapter book because I can't seem to get the plot going fast enough for such a young audience. I know that it is a petty complaint, but I want to branch out a bit more with age groups because most of what I have produced so far can only be enjoyed by young adults or full-grown adults, but I enjoy reading children's books the most, so it would make sense for me to write for that audience, right?

In short, waiting for a response back about one story is making me doubt my ability to write other stories. It is not like this is the first time I've ever submitted something. In fact, I have tried to publish two other short stories and three poems before, all to no avail. However, for some reason, this one is hitting me hard. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the fact that I have been joining in on writers' groups and meetings lately, and it seems like everyone is published except for me. I don't want to be trailing behind the group, floundering in a world that I can't seem to break in to. I want people to recognize that I have talent, too. Maybe that request is a little selfish... but it would be nice to be able to share my creations with many people in a way that will also allow me to pay off my student debt.