Knick-Knacks and their Potential Writerly Purposes!

    Does anybody like knick-knacks? You know, small trinkets and items that are left on a desk, like a tiny figurine or an interesting paperweight. They aren't exactly practical tools, but they still fulfill small purposes like serving as a paperweight, being souvenirs of a trip, and of adding a nice decorative touch to an area. But they can have even more purposes than that to a writer, I think. Left on the desk, within arm's reach, it has potential to fulfil some awesome writerly purposes!
    Like providing a brief diversion. Because everyone can use a very brief mental break every now and then, right? Writing or plotting the story, trying to come up with the right action or the best wording, having a cluttered, stressed mind doesn't work as well as one that's rested. Observing a knick-knack for a couple seconds can help to relax and clear the think tank for just a moment. In my case, I have a small, smooth pink rock that I turn over in my hand sometimes, to feel its coolness on my fingers and clear some of the clutter out of my mind.
    I also have a knick-knack with a verse printed on it, which encourages me to push on with writing. That's another great writer-thing knick-knacks can do: carry a message, or signify one that you'd remember just by looking at it. It could be something as straight-to-the-point as a sticky note with writing on it (which are very effective when placed on the wall behind your computer, or on the desk space around it), or it could be something symbolic like a puzzle piece (which doesn't take up that much space). And with the message so close, it's not difficult for wandering eyes to land on them and remember what's important.
    And on that same note, knick-knacks can also inspire a person as a writer. A knick-knack that represents something--like maybe finished novel manuscripts that one will try to get published--can stir up feelings of encouragement, and hope for success. It can also just serve as a reminder that "hey, I've sat at this desk to write with that paperweight on it a million times, and I still love to do it!"
    So what do you think? Do you have knick-knacks that have done this kind of thing?

Music Pieces

    My parents are mega fans of Downton Abbey. When new episodes aired, the family would get together and watch, then talk about it later. During those conversations, my father always liked to point out small clever details about the show--like the way colors and light contrast were used. And one of the nice touches he particularly liked to point out how lots of the main characters have their own theme music.
    Which is really an interesting concept. A music piece that perfectly summarizes a character, place, or scene taking place in the story. There are lots of intricate aspects involved.
    Like, for example, the way instruments can reflect special details about a character. NBC's Heroes has a villain who used to work as a watchmaker, and sometimes during his main scenes, you can distinctly hear a ticking noise. Various instruments were being used to imitate the ticking of a watch, hinting at his rare skill and his old occupation. In another show, where the main character is a lady usually tasked with running errands, her music is calm but purposeful, a soft kind of sound with strong undertones. The choice in music not only perfectly characterizes her daily duties, but it also sums up her own personality as well.
    Music pieces can also set the mood for different places and societies. If you've watched The Hobbit movie trilogy, you know that the music sounds different when the plot takes the group to the Woodland Elves' territory than it does at the Shire, or at the Misty Mountains. Because the Hobbits, Elves, and Dwarves are very different peoples, and their music reflects the different values of their cultures. Hobbits are homely and value keeping peace, so their music is pleasant and almost sleepy. The elves value beauty and dignity, so their music is serene and elegant. The dwarves, finally, value strength and glorious building accomplishments, so their music has loud notes and a grandeur tone. The music serves as such a perfect reflection that a person could easily picture these places just by listening to its respective musical piece for just a few moments.
    Sometimes, certain music pieces can also signal a break in the action, the "normalcy status" in a story. They do this quite a bit in Downton Abbey, and also in Sherlock. This is usually snippets or variants of the main theme, played at a break in the action or between scenes, where the characters aren't directly pursuing their goal or working hard. It's kind of relaxing, actually; like taking a nice, deep breath before pushing on with the excitement.
    It's true that all of these things are generally applied to movies and TV, but I think they could also be applicable to a novel. A friend of mine was able to construct a setting, scene, and characters from one good instrumental song she heard, and another writer-friend even wrote a song to characterize her main protagonist. Lots of others like to listen to music while writing because it helps them get in the mood of the scene.
    So what do you think? Do you ever pay close attention to musical pieces in movies or shows? Do you have specific songs that fit characters/settings/scenes in your story perfectly? :)

Writing Prompts!

    Does anybody here have a particular fondness for writing prompts? You know, the short sentences that give inspiration for a short scene (or even a whole story).
    It's fun to try to come up with some oneself, but if a person wants a new writing prompt they've never thought of before, they can always be found on the internet. Interestingly, there are not only millions of original writing prompts, but there are completely different kinds of prompts, each special in their own way. Like for example . . .
    Specific writing prompts. This would be where you're given a specific character, setting, time, and issue to write about. A basic example of this would be: "A young man wakes up on an island that looks oddly like Hawaii, only there isn't another living soul there." We're given the character (the basic concept of one anyway), we have a very specific location, and we also have a specific problem for the character to face. Some might find it restricting to have to stick to all the given rules provided by such a direct prompt, but the provision of such specifics can really be liberating (especially if you don't feel like coming up with a completely new story out of the blue). These kind of prompts are also really good for dipping into new writing adventures head first, with surprises around every corner.
    Bare bones prompts. These are very different than specific writing prompts. Rather than getting an already outlined story , this kind of prompt provides only a handful of terms. A basic example would be just: "Kenny, Valentine's Day, and cinnamon rolls." It's very vague, but this vagueness leaves a lot of power to imagination, because there's no absolute necessity for these things to have their traditional meaning in the story being written. "Kenny" can be the name of an airship instead of a person, "Valentine's Day" can be the title of a music album playing in the background rather than a holiday, and "Cinnamon Rolls" could even be the name of a town instead of food! Everything about a bare bones prompt is a wild card, an invitation to take concepts and get really creative in using them--or, of course, to write a nice, regular scene in which the terms are used in their traditional sense.
    Visual story prompts. These are basically pictures you look at to build a story from--like a picture of a sunny beach with tall plastic flamingos sticking out of the sand. A great thing about this kind of writing prompt is that it's cool to be able to have an actual picture to connect with the story, like when you find an actor or other kind of celebrity who looks exactly like you've envisioned a character in your story. Plus, with a picture, it's easier to imagine what exactly is happening in the scene while writing it.
    Dialogue prompts. These are the prompts that are just bits of dialogue. Basically something like: "I told you we should have taken the flying horseshoes!" which tasks the writer with coming up with a situation to fit this bit of dialogue into. A lot of these prompts that can be found on the web are really funny, meant to instantly catch attention so that a person will want to invest their time and effort in making a story of it. Personally, I think it kind of seems like a lot of work, but dialogue is a fantastic way to showcase a character's personality, and this type of prompt continues to be really popular.
    Isn't it cool how there are so many ways to get inspired to write? Which kind of writing prompt is your favorite?  Can you think of a type that's not mentioned here? :)

Anne Lamott: "Until They've Done It"

 

"Very few writers really know what they are doing until they've done it."

~Anne Lamott

    This quote is funny! And also very inspirational; a good phrase to remember when one's feeling doubts about a project. And personally, I think this marvelous quote can be applied to every part of the writing process, not just one.
    During the plotting of a story, a writer thinks up the basic ideas and tries to graph it all out, either in their mind or on paper. During this period, some ideas can sound too crazy or too random to work well, and it can be difficult every now and then to finding ways to connect two events in the story together ("now how does the main character get from their epiphany to the climax scene?"). There could be a whole lot of plot holes and unknown factors in this planning stage, like what a character is actually like when they're written, and this could make the story seem skeletal. But this is okay, because the plotting stage isn't the final result, but the launching pad for the next steps, the time to go crazy with "what ifs."
    Then there's the first draft stage of writing. While writing this draft, it can seem like everything's a mess in comparison to how beautiful it was while imagining it; but fortunately this isn't a disaster because the first draft is supposed to be that way! It's the draft meant for walking the grounds of the story for the first time, getting an insider's view of who the characters actually are, what the scenery is like, and which actions work well in the story. It's the discovery draft, and discovery expeditions can come across a couple unexpected finds before reaching what they were seeking in the first place.
    After the first draft is done, the rewrites (or the editing stage) can happen. And this might be even more difficult than the first draft, because now a writer has the task of bringing change to factors in the story that need improvement without changing things that were actually done well. But throughout this whole stage of the process, the question of "Which changes are the right ones?" is always there, and very pressing because no one wants to accidentally get rid of something good. Making those decisions can seem blind sometimes (a really frightening thought), but the revision stage is more than just taking things out; it's putting more things in, making additions. It's as much as a creative process as plotting the story and writing the first draft was, and this means that new awesome things can be created in the revisions.
    So in every area of writing, this quote by Anne Lamott can be applied and used to give encouragement. Do you agree? :)

Beverly Cleary: "Write It"

 

"If you don't see the book you want on the shelf, write it."

~Beverly Cleary

    The fact that we writers can do this is so awesome; it's almost like a superpower! Knowing that one can think of a story that they'd want to read, and being able to produce it--the thought is both mind-bending and exciting, ripe with possibilities.
    Though it takes a while to produce this story (to plan, plot, research, type it all up, then re-write parts or even the whole thing, and then doing more revisions, etc.), even the long process is fun because it builds up one's knowledge of the story and characters. It helps the setting develop in one's mind, and the history of the story can kind of seem longer. Plus, investing so much time and effort into the story makes it even more precious, and that can give a writer pressed for time more determination to finish the work.
    One could imagine that some really great novels have come from moments where a writer suddenly thought, "I want to read a novel with elements of such-and-such," and decided to write that story. Because of moments like that, writers have not only produced a nice story to read themselves, but something that others can enjoy as well.
    Is the story you've written or are writing now one that you wanted to find on a bookshelf? Do you know of anyone who wrote the kind of story they couldn't find anywhere else? :)

Writing Games: Weird Words!

    Have you ever just Googled something like "weird words" to find out-of-the-ordinary terms? You know, the long, difficult-to-pronounce, whimsical-sounding words. Like jouska or pluviophile; peculiar words that are fun to use and to know about . . . the ones that are so awesome that one very much wishes they were used in modern day. These kind of terms are awesome, and it's a shame that they can't be used in writing, since nobody would understand what they meant.
    Or could they be used in writing?
    Maybe not in a novel/short story manuscript (except maybe in the historical genre, depending on the word), but I think weird words like this would make great writing prompts.
    Take pluviophile, for example. It basically means a love of rain, or a person who really likes rain. Using this word as a writing prompt, one could make it a character (a guy named Josh who loves rain), or utilize it for a setting (a region that has only one rain season, which people eagerly anticipate all year long), or it could be an action/event that makes up the situation (a person getting caught in the rain and suddenly becoming fond of the wet weather).
    Here's a short list of weird words that might make a good writing prompt. Have you ever heard of any of them? :)

-Coddiwomple     -Yonderly     -Vellichor

-Slugabed     -Gonzo     -Athazagoraphobia

-Zugzwang     -Overmorrow     -Hobbledehoy

Special Writing Times

 

Do you prefer writing during the morning . . .

    The famous authors Ray Bradbury, Toni Morrison, C.S. Lewis, Danielle Steel, and Jack London all have at least one thing in common: they have (or had) a special writing time. They make a habit of committing certain hours of the day to writing. Some of them make sure to be up and scribbling before the sky is blue, others wait until the sun is far above the horizon, and some even wait until the moon makes an appearance to start working on their stories. During this special set time, they're able to write without interruption, giving all their attention to their craft.
    It sounds so awesome! And very productive in developing both story and skill. Each kind of writing time setting has benefits for creating a good writing environment.

 

the afternoon . . .

    Morning hours are great for writing with a fresh mind, free of distracting thoughts and memories of recent actions. Writing before the sun comes up is also cool in the fact that it's a lot quieter when everyone else is sleeping or just waking up. It's almost like a little pocket of peacefulness in life, a safe couple moments to write without needing to worry about other things.

or at night-time?


    Afternoon hours are very beneficial in how the natural daylight is usually bright. Sitting in front of a window would provide enough lighting to write by without using electricity. Writing during the daytime is also great because during the day, the mind is already pretty awake and active.

    Night hours: it's dark outside at this point, so natural lighting isn't really an option. But there is an opportunity to use candle/lamp light to write by, and I've heard that some people find this kind of lighting very inspirational and even fun. Plus, when one chooses to write at night,  everything else that had to be done is out of the way, completed, and no longer requiring attention, so one can give their absolute attention to the writing.

    Do you have a special writing time? What time of the day is it at? :)

Sylvia Plath and Self Doubt



"The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt."

~Sylvia Plath

    Worst enemy. Huh; what an interesting way to think of it. When I hear "worst enemy," I think of a person bent on bettering, conquering, foiling, and basically destroying their noble opponent. I imagine a worst enemy as a person, or a force of numerous people; not a tendency that one person has.
    But it makes a lot of sense. Especially since the self-doubt a lot of us experience as writers often comes as a little voice in the mind. "Hey! You can't work on that now! You won't get an ounce of quality work done!" "Don't even think of starting a new project; you'll lose interest in it after two days." "You shouldn't even bother powering on your computer; you'll probably get sucked into the Internet anyway." All those positive comments that make a person feel so light-hearted.
    Yeah, that sounds like the voice of an opponent. So if self-doubt acts as an enemy, how do we beat it? Voices like this don't go away easily, if it's even possible to get rid of them . . .
    What do we normally do with people who act like a jerk and say rude things to us?
    Personally, I think the best thing to do in that situation is to . . . well, ignore them.
    So maybe that just might work with self-doubt too. It doesn't help to pay attention to them anyway; it only inhibits progress and makes someone feel crummy. Plus, the self-doubting thoughts often take root in fear and/or bitterness. So why believe a word of what it says?
    Ignoring the voice of self-doubt; what do you think of the idea? Is it best to avoid self-doubt altogether, or do you think there's something good that can come out of it?

Writing Out Daydreams and Sticking to It

   
    Some people have the incredible gift of always being able to write at a considerably swift pace. I am not one of them.
   However, like most people, I can daydream with the ease of snapping my fingers, and the rapidity of blinking my eyes. And since I daydream quite a bit, I try to write some of them down as stand-alone scenes or short stories.
    But it doesn't always work out very well. I've found myself abandoning the effort on more than one occasion, (sometimes just after the first few sentences) because it's become boring. I can't type as fast as I can picture something, which makes the scene go a lot slower than it did in my mind, and that gets frustrating. I end up losing interest in the whole story and just move on to something else.
    This isn't horrible, but I'd really like to be able to stick to writing goals like it, so developing an effective solution would be nice.

To me, daydreams are kind of like blurry pictures of a scene;
they're legible, but a tad blurry (like this shaky picture I took),
and writing can make it much more clear and detailed.

    Daydreams are great creative exercises, sources of great story ideas, and it's just plain fun to do. But if I only focus on daydreaming as something fun, that's probably all that will come from it: momentary entertainment. And if I've already had fun with the daydream by the time I sit down to write about it, taking the extra time and effort to recreate and translate it into words would just feel pointless. The entertainment purpose has already been fulfilled, and without another motivation, there'd be  no reason to stick to writing it down.
    So there's got to be more than one purpose in daydreams that are intended to be written; something aside from having immediate amusement. Something that'll keep a person committed, determined to finishing it on the page. Writing the story for another person to enjoy could do the trick, or wanting to write the scene because it illustrates a point/cause really well. Or writing it down so that the daydream could be preserved and re-experienced without any alterations or missing events. These motivations can make good purposes, right?
    What do you think? Do you daydream a lot? Do you try to write them down? Have you ever had trouble doing it?

Hunger

Looking at cake can suddenly whet a person's hunger for food.

    I've been thinking a bit about hunger lately. Not the hunger for food, but the kind of hunger that refers to the will.
    The hunger a person has when they really, really want to do something. It's a craving, a passion . . . though not an obsession (but maybe hunger is a little involved with that).
    It's good--it's necessary--to have a nice measure of hunger for things like wisdom, truth, and peace. And when you're a writer, it's also important to have a good amount of hunger for the act and craft of writing. Agreed?
    It contributes to the excitement of the craft, hunger. Yearning for the time and focus to just sit down, press keys, enjoy the moment, and shape words into a narrative of a whole other world full of totally different people (or animals, or creatures, or whatever beings the writer prefers to write about). It's an inspirational feeling.
    Sometimes I don't feel much of a hunger for writing though--which stinks, but I guess it's also part of being a writer. Having dry spells, lacking hunger. On some occasions, I feel like I have to wait a while before getting super excited about writing again; but other times, things that I actually do can whet my appetite again. Sometimes just writing without any particular plan in mind, listening to the inaudible voice of a character, can spark interest and excitement.
    Hunger's a pretty interesting thing to consider, I think. A writer's instinct that can be prompted (occasionally) but not controlled. What are your thoughts on the matter? :)

Pablo Picasso on Inspiration

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working."

~Pablo Picasso

    Inspiration. Wouldn't everyone like to always have it as they start writing? I would. But unfortunately, it isn't always that way. Sad are the days when one has a lot of time to write, but seemingly nothing to write about, and little desire to keep writing a passage that seems bland.
    I think writing is like running. One can start slowly or quickly, but it always takes effort to move from stillness. And if writing is like running, short passages of practice writing are like a warm up lap. Something to get the gears going and the creative juices flowing. Even if it's dry writing, it's still writing, an effort to create, the kind of work that Picasso might be referring to here.
    Does anyone regularly do some practice writing before working on a project?

Motivation

 
    Motivation. Everyone's got to have it in absolutely everything they do. Each and every person has a motivation to get out of bed in the morning--to get prepared for a long day, to go get breakfast, to make the alarm clock shut up. Both small and grand actions require motivation, a reason to do something. A purpose for the work.
    Purpose. What is our purpose? As the designed creations of a Creator? To please Him. To do what He made us for. When someone designs and builds a robot, it's expected to do as it was programmed and equipped for. So it's absolutely appropriate that our divine Creator receives the desired result from His successfully formed creations.
    The fact that serving the Lord is the right thing to do is a very good motivation indeed. But it's not our only one.
    Another factor in our motivation is that God has been so good to us, and we're grateful! He's rescued us and brought us into this fantastic relationship with Him. We've been given an ability to talk with God and to do things not only for but with Him.. These are awesome things! Gratefulness is a natural response that generates a motivation to serve.
    But that's still not all. There's at least one other point from which our motivation to serve God stems.
    Love. God loves us. And thanks to His grace, we can love Him back. Love is the strongest motivation of all, powerful enough to endure pretty much anything. Love was the Lord's motivation when He went to the cross; He saved humanity in His love, going through pain and humiliation for it. In response to this, we give love back to the Lord, give our hearts to Him, and serve with unselfish love. Love for God, and love for all people.
    Respect for God, gratitude for God, and love for God. These all combine for a sole motivation to serve and please the Lord: the Lord Himself! He is our motivation. This motivation gives us strength when we're tired, endurance when life gets difficult, and comfort when we need it most. He keeps us going when the road gets rocky.
    Motivation. Isn't it a wonderful thing?

A Few Thoughts on Self-Discipline

    Alas, good habits do not form overnight. They have to be developed, shaped into a person--which can be uncomfortable. And it takes a considerable amount of time, effort, and serious motivation.
    Personally, I've found that I need to write out some rules and have at least one consequence set up for when I fail to meet an established standard. Guidelines and a consequence: that's my method for self-discipline.
    The rules don't have to be a long list. Sometimes it's just one or two guidelines. Better to keep it simple and basic; the more regulations there are, the harder it's going to be to keep them. They should be the core necessities of the endeavor, things that will create the hoped-for result.
    Then there are the consequences (boo!) for when (not if; when) the regulations aren't fulfilled. Usually it involves taking something away, temporarily revoking access to it. It could be a fun activity (like watching a favorite TV show or listening to music) or a hobby/skill (like painting or skateboarding), or "fun food" (like chocolate or a favorite snack); something done often if not every day. Probably not something vital (like working on a fun project for school, drinking water, or going to youth group), but something that'll smart when it's taken away.
    It's also very helpful to pray about it. Being a Christian, I find strength in the Lord and believe that He can and is willing to answer prayer. It brings not only encouragement to ask Him for help in sticking to decisions, but real support and strengthening.
    Right now I'm trying to wake up early in the morning. I like to sleep in, but I also like writing and I need the quiet time of the morning to dedicate to it. So here's the plan. The guidelines are: be out of bed before seven AM. One requirement; simple to remember. The consequence for not fulfilling it is that I won't allow myself to knit for the rest of the day. Knitting is a very fun and useful hobby for me. I wouldn't want to have to wait a whole day to get back to a project (particularly a long one!) so it works as incentive for me to get up and start working.
    No question about it: it's tempting to give up, or to let the rules slide every now and then. But that would be defeating the entire purpose of self-discipline. There can be no compromise.
    As difficult to maintain as self-discipline can be, it is effective. When a good habit forms and work gets accomplished, one can see the precious results.
    Do you have other methods for self-discipline?  :)

Drawing A Cover for Your Story In Progress

    At least one of my writer friends and myself have done this before, sketching out covers for the novels we've written. My friend's end result is an impressive piece of art, and my own . . . well, they're not as impressive. But they're not too shabby either.
   And you know, I think designing a cover for a story in progress really helps the writing process. Whether you sketch with pencils, go full-out with colored pencils and pen, do some techy wonders with a computer program, or take actual pictures and add captions to them, it's useful.

This is a cover I sketched out on my computer
via Paint for a story I was writing a couple years ago.
 As you can see, I am not one of the talented people
who can use a computer to make great art!
(By the way, the reason they have no pupils is because
they're supposed to be identical and I thought trying
to make the pupils align perfectly would be impossible.
Sorry if it looks creepy!)

    For one, creativity is being put to work. Thinking about which color schemes look better and what formats are cooler tap into the right side of the brain.
    Secondly, it can help you realize what sort of image represents the tone and the gist of the story. Should the protagonist be on the cover, or their trusty tool? Should the villain be on there too? And a background shot of the story setting? Which location in the setting? What kind of image would properly invite a potential reader into the story?
    Thirdly, it can aid in visualization of your character. It lets a person see what their character descriptions actually make the character look like. Maybe so-and-so's eyes should be almond-shaped instead of bouncy ball round. Wow, her hair looks really nice long instead of short. Green would probably be a better color for his eyes. Yes! Finally got the smile on this character's face just right!  Etcetera.
    Plus, having an image of what your story could become, published with an official cover, can be really encouraging and motivating! Can you see it now? Pinned to the corkboard or whiteboard or wall, your novel's front cover with your character (or whatever the focus element is) shining in color, with the title displayed in large letters above and your own name printed in smaller lettering below. A beautiful display of the work you're working hard on. Something you're working towards. Almost like a writing target to shoot for.
    So in conclusion: designing a front cover for the story you're working on (at least in my opinion) is useful and fun.
    What do you think? Have you ever designed a cover for your story? Have you drawn it out, computerized it, taken pictures, or is it still in written form?

Ernest Hemingway: One True Sentence

 

"All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know."

~Ernest Hemingway

    This quote is both motivational and interesting. The "truest sentence" sounds like the epitome of a book's/show's theme, the truth that the story portrays.
    Such a "true sentence" that Mr. Hemingway seems to be talking about in this quote is something undeniably and importantly true. Something rooted deep in the heart. And of course, writing from the heart tends to be beautiful and powerful writing.
    And it doesn't have to be written plainly word for word. A story's theme can be expressed through actions, story, and setting. And, of course, the theme can also be spoken as a sentence--a line in dialogue or narration or as imagery in description. There are a whole bunch of interesting and artistic ways to express theme!
    What's the "truest sentence" in your story? How do you write it?

Writing Games: Holiday Songs

    Everybody likes games, right? And for writers, writing prompts are kind of like that. A creative challenge with an outline.
    Songs tell stories of their own, or deliver a message of some kind--especially holiday songs. Christmas songs in particular tend to tell stories. Lots of them are about Christ's birth, painting pictures of that wonderful and monumental night, and other songs are about different and often modern-day topics. Like "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer" (admit it, you know the lyrics by heart :)), and "All I Want For Christmas Is You."
    With those kind of songs, it could be really fun to try to think up and write a story based off of it. It's just like a game, a writing challenge!
    What kind of story would you write based off of, say, "Last Christmas" or "Jingle Bells?"

How Drawing Can Help You Write

    Last year during NaNoWriMo, as I was writing my manuscript, I sketched and even colored a number of pictures. Drawings of characters, room layouts, sketches of tools, and outfit designs.
   It really helped me visualize the story, and when I was debating on how to describe something's color, comparing colors on the drawings really helped. Not to mention that looking at a picture of the characters, seeing their faces and having a picture of them doing things, was encouraging and cool.
   Even if the art isn't exactly a masterpiece, it can help the creative juices flow. And if you don't like drawing but have a friend who does, giving them a description and asking them to draw the character is really awesome!
    Does anyone else out there draw pictures of their characters or scenes from their stories? Would anyone want to design the book cover of their story?

NaNoWriMo Begins!

    Two days ago, National Novel Writing Month officially began.
    NaNoWriMo. A month where the eager, determined writer writes like crazy to complete their first draft. Some writers spend long hours of their day writing for this--especially when they have Thanksgiving Break. Others just do a little bit every day and accumulate their word count goal gradually. But the goal for everyone remains the same: to finish that first draft by the end of the month.
    It's a considerably short deadline. Finishing a manuscript in a month is no easy feat! Writing challenges like this can be really difficult, but they're also fun, and they help people grow as writers.
    Deadlines tend to give extra incentive to finish the first draft. Whether it be a personal goal or something assigned by a publisher, typically a writer has strong determination to not miss that deadline. There's more on the line with a race against time. More reason to work harder.
    Is anyone out there doing NaNoWriMo this year? Does anyone have other personally set deadlines for their writing?

Why Do You Write?

    In school, as I was walking down a hallway, I saw a poster of sorts put up. On it, there were a number of index cards with writing on it.
    Each card had a sentence on it, someone's reason to write. There was a plethora of statements: To show the world my thoughts. To express my soul. To go into another world. Because I'll fail English class if I don't.
    Every writer has reasons for writing. For one, we just love to! Writing is fun! And we like the characters we write, enjoy going into a world we imagined, adore creating something as intricate and awesome as a story . . .
    When the well of inspiration has run dry, remembering your reason to write can really give you encouragement to keep writing.
    Why do you write?

Voices Of Doubt

    On at least one occasion, I've abandoned stories I was writing because of a thought. A couple words in my mind that convinced me to give up on something I was once really, really excited about; on a project that could have had major potential.
    The thought that caused me to quit?  These words: this just isn't working out.
    Those words, that whisper of doubt led to other thoughts. That the story was cliché, that the plot was dry, that the characters were boring, and that the story was unfixable. Those little thoughts that nagged at me, making the project seem more and more useless, quenching my desire to write the story until I gave up on it completely.
    The voices of doubt. Every writer hears them, right? Every writer has gone through something like this in the process of writing--including professional writers who, once they ignored the doubts and kept writing, eventually produced masterpieces that readers adore.
    Don't listen to the voices of doubt! Nothing you write will be useless. Even if you never get that particular story published, you can still have improved writing skills through the process of completing it.
    Keep on writing! Don't give up! :D