Another NaNoWriMo… Will This Year Be Different?
I believe it can be. I believe it should be. Last October I wrote 31 posts in 31 days as a sort of NaNoWriMo bootcamp. Damn near killed me. But in the end I had what amounted to a valuabale guide to writing a book quickly and effectively. I had intended to do it again this year. […]
“NaNoWriMoReMo” – Make December Your NaNoWriMo Revision Month
Say it out loud, it’s sorta fun – “na no wri mo re mo” – sounds like a cross between a playground jump rope rhyme and the latest from Jay Z. Or your crazy uncle Buck after too many glasses of merlot. A 9-Point Guide to Revising Your Novel It’s over. You may have “won” […]
More on Criticism, Confusion and NaNoWriMo Nausea
Last week’s post about handling criticism struck a chord with many Storyfix readers. It should — we all get it, and we all get to decide what to do about it. If you’d like more on this subject, this time from a fine artist’s point of view, here are three essays on the subject from […]
NaNoWriMo eBook Now Available as as PDF
Is it polite to lead with a caveat? Here’s mine: I just released my new ebook, “When Every Month is NaNoWriMo: Principles, Guidelines, Tips and New Thinking to Make Sure Your Novel Doesn’t Tank.” The caveat is that the book is a sequenced, buffed-up version of the 31 posts presented here in October… plus the […]
Chipping Away at the Scariest Number Ever
Perspective is a beautiful thing. Keeps us sane. Smacks of reality therapy. Lets us know we are not alone, yet we are the primary architects of our own destiny. You may have heard of a guy named Malcom Gladwell. Looks a little like Richard Simmons, but with something important to say. He’s actually a brilliant […]
NaNoWriMo #32: Day 1… How Did It Go?
We would love to hear your Day 1 NaNoWriMo experience, especially if you’ve engaged with this series and, perhaps, are now writing from a story plan. Or not. Whatever works for you… works for you. There are a whole bunch of us in this boat… let’s support each other and share the love. Please follow […]
NaNoWriMo #31 — Into The Abyss
It’s time. You kick your kids out of the house before you’re certain they’re ready (or they just leave, in which case you’re absolutely sure they’re not ready), and it never feels quite right. So it is here, for me, with this series. Not that you’re my kids, in any way – some of you know way […]
NaNoWriMo #30: On Sub-Plots, Sub-text and Submarines
Unless you are an MFA who doesn’t get out much, you probably know a lot about plot. Plot is the primary dramatic engine of your story. The dramatic question in play. As such, plot becomes the primary dramatic engine of your story. The linear quest of your hero. The source of antagonism and heroism and […]
NaNoWriMo #29: Six Tools to Rescue — or Beef Up — Your Beat Sheet
Maybe you’re there with your beat sheet at this point. You’re just about ready to write your novel come Tuesday. Maybe you’re struggling. Tempted to resort to old tapes that whisper sweet poison into your ear as comfort: just wing this, it doesn’t matter. But you know it does matter. Either way, you should be […]
NaNoWriMo #28: Don’t Allow the Parts or the Process to Smother the Whole
This is complex, sticky stuff. We’ve covered an entire year of grad school creative writing… nobody expects you to absorb it all. All of us find our path, are preferred process. And it’s all over the map. You now have some new tools and options to find yours. If only a percentage of this sticks, […]