Monday, December 28th, 2015 at 12:05 am
Happy New Year!—Well, it is a bit early but just the same, I thought I’d take a moment and just throw down a challenge to my readers this week. Since 2016 is just around the corner, I’d like to know what are your writing goals for the coming year?
Writers Challenge # 1: Do you have a book, novel, short story you plan to publish? Announce your work to the world. Stop by either here at the blog or on my Twitter account and let us know when it’s out so we can pass along the good news!
My book, Crossroad in Time will be published early this year. I’ll let you know when it comes out. Read the rest of this entry
Monday, December 21st, 2015 at 12:05 am
Chances are if you’re a writer you’re familiar with the story behind the successful book The Christmas Box.
Richard Paul Evans, the author is said to have authored his book for his children. Originally self-published, the book became a local hit in Utah.
Needless to say, major publishing house caught wind of the book and Evans eventually received several million dollars in publishing rights. What began as a way for one writer to entertain his children became a successful writing career with over 20 million books in print. Read the rest of this entry
Monday, December 14th, 2015 at 12:05 am
Night
tells the story of a young Jewish boy, Eliezer Wiesel, who lives in a small town in Romania. Set in a Europe at war, the story begins with a warning, ignored.
An older Jewish man is deported from Elie’s town for being a foreigner in 1941. Moishe the Beadle escapes and returns with warnings of mass killings and other Nazi atrocities. He pounds on doors and pleads with the Jews of his village to believe his stories, all to no avail.
“Who can believe such tales,” they ask, “What kind of men would do such things?”
Read the rest of this entry
Monday, December 7th, 2015 at 12:05 am
It’s the number one advice given to new writers. “If you want to be a writer, then write, and write every day.” Sound advice, and it makes sense, but…
As Jesus is said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” New writers want to write, but getting around to writing each and every day is fraught with peril and pitfalls. A writer will start the day with a set goal, resolved to write a magic number of words, then…
If you’re a writer or aspiring writer chances are good you know what I mean. Life gets in the way. And although you have every intention of getting 500, 1000, or more words onto the word processor—it just doesn’t happen.
How can you become a writer
if you don’t write daily?
Newsflash: Ain’t gonna happen
Read the rest of this entry
Monday, November 30th, 2015 at 12:05 am
Today marks the last day of National Novel Writer’s Month for 2015.
If you participated and completed your goal of writing a 50,000–word novel for National Novel Writer’s Month—congratulations, you’re a winner!
Why is being a NaNoWriMo winner important?
1. Winning NaNoWriMo gives you fodder for your bio. I remember reading another writer’s ‘about’ page and noticed, “Winner, National Novel Writer’s Month”. I have to admit, when I read that little tidbit I had no idea what that meant other than he’d won a national writing award. Needless to say, like any curious writer, I Googled NaNoWriMo and learned about the NaNoWriMo challenge.
The rest, as they say, is history. I decided to take the challenge; I wanted to be a winner. I wanted to show I was a WINNER on my bio! Read the rest of this entry
Monday, November 23rd, 2015 at 12:05 am
Sunday, 15 November 2015
Are Writer’s Crazy?
I just tweaked my blog and now I’m rolling up my sleeves for another week of writing! I made it to 31,000 words today.
I read on one of the NaNoWriMo.org forums that our writers in Paris are all accounted for. Thank God! Even as a writer I find it hard to put into words the outrage I feel about the killings in Paris. What madness drives one human being to such fanaticism to kill innocent people?
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Paris attack victims, their families, their friends and the survivors. Today, like many around the world, I am a Parisian.
Monday, 16 November 2015
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Monday, November 16th, 2015 at 12:05 am
Eating the Elephant
Question: How do you eat and elephant?
Answer: One bite at a time!
It’s Week Two of National Novel Writer’s Month and my first NaNoWriMo novel. This is a daily update on my progress.
Week Two Day One NaNoWriMo:
It’s Sunday and today I made it to over 17,000 words on the novel. Also took a photo and posted my selfie on Twitter for NaNoWriMo selfie day.
A thought on word goals. I’ve been in the habit of writing a minimum of 500 words every day for about a year now. That’s a handy habit for NaNoWriMo. I’ve increased my daily requirement to 1800 words per day for NaNoWriMo to make the 50,000 word goal.
Despite working a forty-hour full time job I’m finding the bump to 1800 words has been fairly easy.
I’ve spent time with family and friends, finished a Brad Thor
novel, written for NaNoWriMo and two blogs, and still reach my daily goal.
However, I don’t think if I’d have started out trying to write 1800 words a day reaching that goal would have been this easy. In fact, I can honestly say I KNOW it wouldn’t have worked. I tried the thousand word a day habit earlier in my writing career and it didn’t take. But a small bite, one day at a time did.
So if you’re struggling to make your daily word count, take smaller bites of the elephant and slowly, but surely, make the bites a bit bigger as you go along. Pretty soon that whole pachyderm will be nothing but bones on your plate. Read the rest of this entry
Monday, November 9th, 2015 at 12:05 am
NaNoWriMo Day 1:
Remembered to use Toggl to keep track of my actual writing time. Chunking the time up in Eugene Schwartz thirty-three minutes and thirty-three second bites.
Day 2:
I’ve got a headache, blah. May end up changing how the book starts, but that will come later with the editing after NaNoWriMo.
Monday, November 2nd, 2015 at 12:05 am
NaNoWriMo Day One
Yesterday was day one of National Novel Writer’s Month 2015. As I write this post, I’m working on an outline for the novel I plan to write for my first NaNoWriMo.
By the time you read this, I should have completed the first 1667 words for my new novel.
I’ve decided to take this time and write a first draft to the prequel to my novel Crossroad In Time; due for publication at the end of the year.
This new novel will give the background of the main antagonist in Crossroad In Time. It will explain how he became the person he is and why he antagonizes my protagonist. Read the rest of this entry
Monday, October 26th, 2015 at 12:05 am
Did you know November is National Novel Writing Month?
This year writers from all walks of life will dedicate themselves to writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.
NaNoWriMo.org
Sponsored by NaNoWriMo.org, National Novel Writing Month has been going on since 1999. This year I’m taking the plunge and participating in my first NaNoWriMo.
In preparation for NaNoWriMo, I’m taking several steps that I thought I’d share with you:
-Finish reading The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne
-Working step-by-step through NaNoWriMo.org’s preparation page (http://nanowrimo.org/nano-prep)
-Let my family know what I’m up to
-Get my social media on
-Touching base with local authors
-Jotting down some ideas
Read the rest of this entry
Happy New Year!—Well, it is a bit early but just the same, I thought I’d take a moment and just throw down a challenge to my readers this week. Since 2016 is just around the corner, I’d like to know what are your writing goals for the coming year?
