5 Tips for Getting Back to Writing

We've officially come to the end of those golden days of summer and the kids are getting back into school.  Now is a good time to get back into our writing habit as well.  But where to start?  And how? Summer may be a fun time for vacation and just hanging out, but it's time to start thinking of a new project or working on one.  So how can you get back in the mood or better yet, how can you get started?


1. Try a research trip.   This might seem like a good way to delay getting started on actually writing, but it can also energize you. Fall is a wonderful time to explore those places that were crazy busy during the summer.  If you're thinking about writing a new historical fiction book, this would be a great time to visit a local history museum.  One of my plans for the coming winter is to finish my romantic suspense set in the southern Colorado plains. It can be a hot road trip in the summer time, but it's a pleasant drive in the fall. Another favorite research spot is the Denver Art Museum, for a visit to their Native American exhibits.

2. Plot a new book. Just last week someone mentioned they are starting to get ready for NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month in November and that means a new project. We were urged to start thinking about what book we're going to write so to me that means I should now get started on plotting or planning my characters for that book.


3. Work on edits for an old project.  Whenever I need something to get me back into writing, I always turn to an old project that needs help. This is a good short cut to getting the creative juices flowing again. Edit something that you have left undone. This can not only help you get re-motivated, but it can get some of those older projects finished.


4. Find a new character. I am always watching for ways to create new characters or working on a character sketch.  Look for someone new to write about. I am teaching a character class this month and working on that with students is helping me to keep my own characters growing.


5. Take a writing class or attend a workshop. This coming weekend is Colorado Gold, a wonderful conference put on by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. I haven't gone in a couple of years, but it is always a great way to end the summer, get caught up with everyone on their writing projects and find new ideas.


Next week I'll report back on five things I learned at the Conference.

5 Reasons to Try NaNoWriMo

Normally we give tips on writing, but this week I am going to change things up a little.  Last week I provided tips for writing if you participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  Since then I've had a number of people ask me why I take part every year and why it might be helpful for them to try NaNoWriMo. More than one person has indicated an interest, but the thought of writing 50,000 words in four weeks can be a little daunting. But don't despair. It can be done and you might find yourself enjoying it.

I know why I do it. I find that it helps me get a story written and November is a great month to do it. With the cold weather setting in so that I have to spend more time at home and because writing a novel now is a great way to wrap up the year and give me a sense of accomplishment, I really have grown to like the premise of writing a novel in November. So what are some of the benefits you might see if you take part in NaNoWriMo?

1.  Getting something written before the end of the year. As I noted that is a big reason I like to do it. After spending months promising to get some writing done, having a month when writing is my total focus really sharpens the writing edge for the next few months and gets me through the winter.

2. The long hours can help sharpen discipline.  The idea of having to write nearly two thousand words a day means you have to set aside some hours to work. Having to write that much for 30 days can make writing a thousand words a day seem a lot easier. That means setting a schedule and setting aside certain hours to write. All those words won't get written if you think you're going to write only a few minutes a day. Setting a schedule can help later when you think you don't have the time. Go back to the November schedule for a few days, or a full week later and before long you'll find yourself with a normal writing schedule.

3. Write that story you've been planning but haven't been able to start. Sometimes getting a story started is as simple as deciding to sit down and get going. By saying you're taking part in NaNoWriMo you can focus on starting on November 1 and just get going. That date provides a finite starting point and the idea of finishing by the end of the month gives you a definite date for finishing.

4. It can free you from your inner editor. Sometimes we get too focused on whether the words we're writing are good enough or all the mechanics of the writing process. Doing NaNoWriMo where the word count is all important can free you from going back and laboring over one sentence. Write it and move on. You don't have time to agonize.

5.  Finally, there is the final (even if it needs work) product. At the end of the month you will have a novel written. It may not be your best work. It will undoubtedly need editing, but it will definitely be enough to work on to get the novel in shape to be published.

For the next month I will be focusing on other NaNo ideas.  If you have something you'd like to share with me about your NaNo adventures, please email me at BeckyGMartinez@gmail.com .  
And if you'd like to sign up to try it, here's the link -- www.nanowrimo.org

5 Tips for NaNoWriMo

November has become a major writing month for me, courtesy of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org) It's an endeavor I have often taken part in and one I have already signed up for this year. What NaNoWriMo stands for is writing a 50,000 word novel during the month of November.  Some people love the idea and some people have tried it and decided it is not for them.  I used NaNoWriMo to get a good handle on my newest published book, Blues at 11, and I am currently editing another book (Dead Man's Treasure)  I did as part of writing challenge another year.

Why do I like NaNoWriMo?  For me, it's a good way to make myself focus on just one project for an entire month.  I've been known to jump around a lot in my writing, but this one-month long challenge keeps me focused.  As someone who loves to set goals and then work toward them, I like knowing that I can see my progress every day, and that the progress will be a direct result of the work I put into my writing.  It's great for someone who enjoys challenges too. I want to make certain that I can do it. Getting those 50,000 words written in 30 days makes me feel like a winner.

This month I've had people in several of my writing groups say they'd like to try but they don't quite know how to get ready for NaNoWriMo.  The challenge of sitting down and writing 50,000 words seems overwhelming. It doesn't have to be.  Here are some pointers for you if you want to participate in NaNoWriMo:

1. Set up a writing schedule.  Winning at NaNoWriMo means being disciplined and getting the writing done.  If you have certain hours set aside for it, that is the most effective. When I was working regularly, I used to write first thing in the morning -- from 6 until 7am.  I know I am much more able to get things done that early in the day, so I plan on writing first thing in the morning. After retiring I also found that from 3 to 5 in the afternoon was a good period of time for my creative juices so I generally set aside those hours for my writing.  Winning at this requires around 1500 to 2000 words a day, but it can be done.  Some days I might find myself writing well belong those 3 hours I was setting aside.

2. Have at least a  brief idea of the book you want to write--maybe the beginning and ending.  You might also want to do a regular plot outline.  I don't usually write with an outline so if you don't have one, I say don't worry.  Let your characters and their circumstances take you where you want to go. I've had books and characters all outlined and ready and then discovered once I started writing, that wasn't at all what I wanted to do. I changed things as I went along.

3. Know your characters.  This can be critical. Like the outline they can be changed or developed as you are writing, but you don't want to start the first day without even an idea of the characters. You'll spend all day thinking about it. Have a few details of your characters and who they are before you start.

Okay, we're halfway through the ideas here and are you worried about getting stuck?  Let's finish with some thoughts on what to do if we get stuck.

4.  Re-read your earlier pages.  See what scenes you might want to include as a result of what you've already written.  Spending a couple of hours the previous night or before you start writing again seeing what you have can get you back into the mood to get going again.

5.  Write scenes you want to write or know are necessary for the book. Yes, I know this totally destroys things for those who need to write the story straight through from beginning to end, but sometimes it can help to jump ahead or go back and write a necessary scene.  What you don't want to do is to get stuck rewriting the same scene.  You can fix it later, but don't let fear of just one scene stop you from moving on. Keep plugging away.

Finally, banish that editor to the closet for the month. Don't worry about fixing everything now. You can always fix a manuscript later, but you can't edit what you haven't written. 

Have fun, let your creative juices flow and for one month, just WRITE!

Good luck. 

KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR GOALS

by Becky Martinez

As we begin the new year we often think about goals and what we want to accomplish this year. I echo Sue Viders’ thoughts on setting goals and writing them down. When they are written down, they become much more real to us. We can see what we are striving for and we can go back later and see what we have accomplished.

Checking back later is also important. A goal that gets written down and never re-visited is as useful as a goal you carry in the back of your head. It is kind of there but not really. If you have written down your goals and posted them where you can see them everyday you will be much more likely to have them in mind as you work and you can readily see what you are accomplishing.

The idea of having a deadline for goals also can work to make certain you accomplish them. For 30 years I worked with daily deadlines. In a TV newsroom, if you don’t make your time slot your work probably won’t get on the air. There was no option to fail. You got it done on time or else. In my case as a producer, I had no choice. My show was going on the air with or without me so I better have it ready to go at 5pm or 11pm. Come 6pm or 11:35, the day and opportunity were over.

Those daily goals worked wonderful for me as a great procrastinator. As a news person I knew that 95 percent of my goals had to be done by the end of the day. Come 6pm, if I hadn’t accomplished everything it was done for the day. It made me work much faster and keep a good daily schedule.

Now as a writer I have much longer range goals, but I still find that if I don’t set some sort of daily deadline for myself I am not nearly as successful. I like the idea of having at least 500 or 1000 words as a daily goal. It means I will get something accomplished. If I know if I set a monthly goal, I’ll find myself busy on the 29^th or 30^th frantically trying to write 30000 words.

My point is to set a goal that works for you and then add one more thing.

Keep track of your work. It’s one thing to go back and check it off, but I have come up with a chart to keep track daily of how many words I write so that at the end of the month I can check back to see how successful I was.

The idea was a result of NaNoWriMo. I always enjoy that November writing month because it spurs me on to write every single day and to post my numbers on a daily basis so I can see the total accumulate. See, there’s that daily deadline coming back to haunt me. Several years ago I decided I was going to keep a daily total for myself once the month was over.

I made up my own spreadsheet and began keeping track. What I discovered as surprising. When I knew I was going to write down a number I made sure I reached my goal. I hated writing down fewer words than the previous day. Of course some days I couldn’t hit my goal, but that only made me try harder the next day.

By the end of the month I was pretty much on target. Imagine my shock and the months piled up and the totals kept accumulating. I was getting some writing done for a change.  When I finished the book I found myself with some time to regroup, but then I started also keeping track of how many pages I edited. Yes, that spreadsheet grew, but by the end of the year I was amazed at how much I accomplished.

I did the same thing the next year. This is the fourth year I will be keeping my chart, but that brings me to something else.

Celebrate those accomplishments. Don’t just keep the goals but give yourself a special reward when you meet them.

At the beginning of the year I not only write down my goals for the year I also write down what I accomplished in the last year. It always amazes me how much I did accomplish every year. It also provides new drive to try to be better next year.

When I feel like I’m not getting anything done I’ll go back and look at the goals I’ve set and whether or not I’m getting them done, but I also look at what I DID accomplish and that makes me feel a whole lot better and ready to push forward.

So, write down those goals, but don’t forget them, and always remember to celebrate those accomplishments!