Hello, My Name Is... (NaNo Prep, Week 2)

Getting to know your characters is an essential part of writing; but also one of the hardest.

I've been working on Reincarnation for over four years. (FOUR YEARS. That's, like, high school.) Because I've been working on it for so long, I know the characters backwards, frontwards, sideways, and upside down. To use an overused analogy, I know them like the back of my hand. (Insert obligatory "Oh hey, that's new!" joke here.) I know them better than they know themselves, and working on the story always gets me excited--like I'm meeting up with an old friend.

The thing is that the only reason I know these characters so well is because I've been working on it for so long. To be honest, I thought I'd have finished this story a long time ago--but at the same time, I'm glad I didn't, because getting to know y characters this much has proven to be an incredible improvement to the story--to me, at least. 

The problem with this, though, is that now I don't know how to learn about my characters any other way. I can't spend 4+ years on every story I write--and where NaNoWriMo is concerned, I only have 30 days. So how am I supposed to get to know my characters on the same deep, personal level? 

This is the part I'm always scared about. I'm worried that my characters are inconsistent, unrealistic, or just plain boring. I'm constantly hoping that my characters will actually seem like real, relatable people. I try filling out form after form after form, filling out character biographies that ask about everything from their favourite colour to their biggest fear--even if they themselves don't know what that is. Even after all that work, though, it never quite seems to be enough.

It turns out that the best way to get to know your characters is to discover them through the story.

Whenever I start a new story, I tend to start with a vague idea of what the character's like in my head. It's more of a feeling or aura than a description--because as it turns out, I'm much better at showing, rather than telling. As I go through the story, from the first page to the last, I get to know my character a little better. And with each chapter and each rewrite, they become deeper, vibrant, and much, much more real.

NaNoWriMo is filled with such spontaneity, such on-the-fly excitement that it provides the perfect opportunity to get to know your characters in such a fashion. I mean, you'll have to rewrite it all, anyway. Let your characters change directions as many times as your plot does. That's the only way you'll find out what truly works.

Until later,

- Justyne

NaNoWriMo, GO!

NaNoWriMo starts in T-minus TWELVE HOURS, EVERYBODY! (Maybe even less, depending on when you're reading this.)

For those of you unaware (and really, there shouldn't be many of you), NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, aka the busiest month for thousands of writers around the world.

THE GOAL: To write a 50,000 word novel in November. One month. 30 days. 720 hours. 43,200 minutes....you get the idea.

THE RULES: You can't start before midnight on November 1st. Every word of your 50k must be written before midnight on December 1st. Other than that...well, anything goes.

THE REWARD: Bragging rights. (Also, a nifty winner's certificate.)


This will be my 4th year participating and, if all goes according to plan, my third year successfully completing it. That's right--last year I started a winning streak with my second NaNoWriMo success and I intend to keep that streak alive.

But the question remains: am I prepared for the NaNoWriMo adventure?

Physically? Yes. I have ALL of my November blog posts written and scheduled for uploading. I have an outline half completed (hopefully that'll get completed today), both on paper and in my mind. I have a shopping bag full of k-cups stashed away--five whole boxes, more than enough to last me through the month.

Mentally? HELL NO. I expect this month to be interesting.


For now, I will hand you off to my past, pre-NaNoWriMo, still-mentally-and-emotionally-stable self for the month. If you wish to keep up to date with my progress, my word count widget is located in the sidebar on the right hand side. You can also follow me on Twitter, or if you're participating as well, you can request to be my writing buddy over on the NaNoWriMo website.


See you all on the other side!

- Justyne

The Final Countdown (NaNo Prep, Week 4)

One week left, guys. One week left until we all lose our sanity. (Or at least I will.)

As we count down the final days until November, I shall gather up every tiny, little, sometimes not quite helpful piece of advice I have and graciously pass it on to you.

1) Caffeine is your friend, so up-size that coffee!
2) Stock up on chocolate. You'll thank yourself later. (Don't forget that Halloween candy goes on sale on November 1st!)
3) Jeans are not a necessity. Wear sweatpants or pajama pants all week, no one will care. (Except maybe your boss.)
4) Nobody really expects you to pay attention in class. Write instead!
5) Be sure to crawl out of your room every now and then to let people know that you're alive.
6) If you start posting on Facebook halfway through the month, rabid chihuahuas will sneak into your house through the pipes in your bathroom and chew off your face during the night. Maybe.
7) Your sims cannot write your novel for you. Unfortunately.
8) November is not really over until the final time zone says so. If anyone asks, on November 30th you live on the West Coast.
9) Similarly, November begins when the Australians say so. If anyone asks, you're Australian on November 1st.
10) Bathing is optional.


Blog posts will continue as usual throughout November. The quality of them, however...well, don't expect any Pulitzer Prize-worthy blog posts for the next five weeks.


Until later,

- Justyne

Cramming (NaNo Prep, Week 3)

When I say that I'm cramming, I normally mean that I've put off studying for a test too long and am cramming all of the information needed into my head in a measly 24 hours. (Which is, well, the situation for just about every single test I've ever taken ever.) This time, though, I'm talking about NaNoWriMo, during which the word has an entirely different meaning. (Okay, more like same meaning, but sliiiightly different concept.)

Your goal? 50,000 words in 30 days. Not an easy task--I only made it to about 14k my first year. (Granted, I wrote more than that the final day of my second year to win, but I digress.) I mean, your life is crammed enough as it is--school, work, chores, relationships, and that pesky thing called sleep that we apparently need--so finding time to squeeze in 50,000 words is definitely a challenge. But that's part of the fun, right?

When it comes down to it, finding enough time to write your novel isn't nearly as hard as it seems. It helps when you realize that all 50,000 words don't have to be written in one day. (Shocker, I know.) If you keep on pace throughout the month, you only have to write approximately 1,667 words a day. I know, I know, it still seems like a lot...so break it up a little more.

This is where the cramming comes in. Whenever you find yourself with free time--be it a minute, or five, or sixty--use that time to write. Before your class or shift at work starts, during breaks, on the bus, just before you go to bed, whenever. If you have enough time to browse through your news feed on Facebook, you have enough time to write. You have to cram writing wherever you can, in whatever tiny little increments of time that you have. At the time, it may not seem like you're accomplishing much--100 words here, 200 there--but trust me, they add up. By the end of the day, you could even find yourself with more words than the daily goal calls for.

If your schedule is already stretched pretty thin and you still find yourself struggling to reach the word count, try getting rid of some things. Make a list of the tiny little things you can give up for the month--Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, whatever--and try your very very hardest to stay away from them for the month. (I won't even try and fool you by saying that you'll never turn to them--procrastination runs abound during November, and odds are that you'll end up browsing through your various social media feeds at some point. But just try your best, that's all I'm asking.) If there's anything at all that you can leave until December--including recording your favourite television shows and binge watching them in celebration after you've typed your 50,000th word--leave it. It can wait. (Unless it's a bill payment, those can't wait. Please don't make those wait.)

Similarly, getting as much done as possible while it's still October is just as useful. Book any hair or dentist or doctor's appointments, catch up on your e-mails, get as much studying or homework done as you physically can before November 1st rears its ugly head. I would also suggest using the few days leading up to NaNoWriMo to sit back and relax. (Or play Sims furiously for hours, as you all know I will be doing.) Get those various books and video games and movies out of your system, so you won't be as likely to turn to them when you're suppose to be writing.

And last, but not least, remember that life happens. If, for whatever reason, you can't make your daily, or even the monthly goal, don't beat yourself up over it. If November is a busy month for you and you don't feel you have time to write a novel, alter the goal a little bit. Make it lower--or even higher, if you're an ambitious little jerk and think you can do better. The point of NaNoWriMo is to write your story, however much of it you can. Even if you only write 100 words, that's still 100 more words than you started off with.

We have two weeks left, guys. Get ready.

Until later,

- Justyne

Eenie Meenie Minie Mo (NaNoWriMo Prep, Week 1)

With the start of October comes the beginning of The Most Stressful Time of the Year.

No, not Christmas. NaNoWriMo; or National Novel Writing Month.

I'm 99% sure that I've mentioned NaNoWriMo before, but in case I haven't (or there are still people reading this who aren't familiar with it), NaNoWriMo is a giant worldwide event which challenges writers to complete a 50,000+ word novel in 30 days. It takes place every November, which is coming up fast.

Which means, it's time to start prepping our novels.

So for the next four weeks, up until November actually starts, I'll be blogging about my adventures prepping my own novel, and hopefully pass on some tips to you, as well.

The first and most important step to prepping for NaNoWriMo is to come up with the actual story. If you're like me, you have a stash of ideas that build up throughout the year, just waiting for November to come along (or for you to finish your million other projects to allow adequate time for something new). I have one story in particular that I recently came up with, and I would love to dive into it for NaNoWriMo.

Problem is, I have one other idea that I would love to work on, as well.

Last November I wrote a story entitled The Neutral for NaNoWriMo. Due to the length of the story, I had to sort of cut it off half-way through (otherwise I wouldn't have finished by the end of November 30th). Since I have yet to write the second half, I figured NaNoWriMo would be as good a time as any. And that's been my plan, basically since I finished the first half of the story last November.

But then I thought of that new idea I mentioned earlier and, well, now I'm stumped.

Sometimes it is as easy as playing a quick little game of "Eenie Meenie Minie Mo". But no matter how many times I try it, I still find myself yearning to write the other story. I've been flip flopping between the two endlessly over the past few days.

So many stories, so little time.

For now, I think I've made my decision. I think I know which story I'm going to go with.

Which one? Well, I guess you'll just have to wait and see.


Until later,

- Justyne