LIEBSTER NOMINATION!

Thank you Hoda for the Liebster nomination. Your blog is full of inspiration and amazing advice. I definitely recommend following her blog!!

The 11 questions from the nomination are:

1. If you were stranded on an island, what three books would you want to have with you?: The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
2. What’s your favourite food?: Popcorn
3. You can have dinner with one person – dead or alive – who would you choose?: This is a hard one. Honestly, President Barack Obama. I have so much respect for him. He held his head high when so many tried to tear him down. I would love to have a beer with him and to talk to him.
4. What’s your favourite travel destination and why?:  I love Table Rock Lake in Kimberling City, Missouri. It is a relaxing place that is far enough away from my home to be a get away but close enough for it to be a weekend trip. Table Rock Lake is a calm lake that is clean and family friendly. 
5. If you could be best friends with any fictional character, who would it be?: Minerva McGonagall 
6. Sweet or sour?: Sour
7. Plotter or pantser?: Plotter with a hint of pantser.
8. Give a tip for anyone struggling with writer’s block: Listen to music while taking a walk (make sure to take something to write down any ideas that come to you during the walk.)
9. Give a tip for anyone thinking about starting a blog: Just do it. I promise it will be worth it. 
10. What’s the best book you read in 2017?: The Black Witch by Laurie Forest
11. What book are you most looking forward to reading in 2017?: One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Now I’m going to pay it forward by nominating other bloggers for the Liebster Award.

Liebster Award Rules and Nominees:
Rule 1: Thank the person who nominated you for the award.
Rule 2: Answer the 11 questions the person asked you.
Rule 3: Nominate 5-11 people (comment on their blog to let them know)
Rule 4: Ask the people you have nominated 11 questions.

Below are my nominees and my questions.

1. https://lyndseyhallblog.wordpress.com 
2. http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/blog
3. https://carolienacabada.com/blog/
4. http://mcfrye.com
5. http://www.thedabbler.ca

Questions:

1. What is your favorite word and why?
2. Where is your favorite place to read/write?
3. If your blog had a playlist what song would it have to include?
4. What is the next book you plan on buying?
5. What is your favorite quote?
6. If you could hang out with one author (dead or alive) who would it be?
7. What inspired you to start writing?
8. What would you choose for your last meal?
9. If one author could critique and comment your writing, who would it be?
10. What do you most admire about yourself?
11. Where can your readers find you on social media?

The Importance of Word Choice

Have you every read a short story or a book that felt off? The story itself was good but something just didn’t feel right. There is a good chance that it was poor word choice that was throwing you off.

The way I see it, one of the most important things a writer can focus on is word choice. Especially when it comes to dialog. Dialog can make or break a story. As a writer I need to know when to have a character say “hello” versus having a character say “hey.” I need to know the connotation behind words, particularly if I am writing a period piece or a story taking place in a certain country (if the story takes place in the US but a character had just moved there from London, it would be a smart choice to have the character use British slang versus having them use American slang.) 

Along with good word choice, I find that my favorite writers aren’t afraid to use “colorful” language. They use cuss words and content appropriate slang. It’s kind of sad that I feel the need to mention this, but Americans are extremely weird when it comes to language. The word “fuck” will have some of them up in arms and they will act like you’re obscene idiot for using the word, but they have no problem watching something extremely violent as long the language isn’t too filthy (PG-13 movies.) 

Why is using colorful language important to me? Because it makes your characters easier to relate to. Think about Fifty Shades of Grey, it’s hard for to me to take it seriously because of the language that the characters use, whether in dialog or their head. The main protagonist is 22 and calls her vagina “my sex.” She says “holy crap” and “double crap” way more than most adult women do. The only Latino in the books says “dios mios” almost every time he appears. (Basically, you should read Fifty Shades of Grey as “what not to do” example.) It’s all good to have a character who has a tagline, but to have them repeat the same words over and over feels cheap and lazy.

So, when you’re writing your next story or editing your current story, please look at your choice of words. Did you make sure the language made sense? Did you make productive choices? If a sentence doesn’t sound right, try changing a word or two and see if that helps.

I hope this helps you in your writing. Please let me know if you have any word choice tips or advice!

Next week’s blog will discuss getting a job that allows you to use your degree. I would like to give a shout out to my great friend, Lori, for the idea!

50,000 Words and Counting...

I am going to preface this post by saying that these tips are strictly for NaNoWriMo. Why? Because these tips don't lead to amazing writing, or at least they normally don't. These tips are literally just advice on how to boost your word count and if used, they should be edited out of your novel later. 

50,000 words is a lot to write in 30 days and fluffing up you novel with unnecessary words isn't cheating when it comes to National Novel Writing month. I would only use these tips if you are a little shy of your goal and not throughout the whole process. (Remember, this draft is going to be super rough and you can always edit once November is over.)

Tip 1: Do not use contractions. Won't becomes will not, shouldn't becomes should not, and we'll becomes we will. This is guaranteed to add to your word count.

Tip 2: Use chapter titles (this is one that works even after NaNoWriMo is over because you may grow to like them.) Using chapter titles can add quite a bit to your word count.

Tip 3: Add a dream or flashback (this is also one you might end up keeping during the editing process.) Dreams and flashbacks can add a lot of words and also add a lot to your story.

Tip 4: Become a maximalist! Describe everything down to its last detail. Think Johnathan Franzen. 

Tip 5: Use wordy phrases instead of the shorter alternative. 

• The reason why is that instead of because.
• He is a man who instead of he. 
• A great number of times instead of often.
• At some future date instead of later.
• Despite the fact that instead of although. 
• At the end of the line instead of last.

Tip 6: This one isn't about adding random words or scenes to your novel, this tip can help you throughout the whole writing process. Keep a small notebook with you everywhere you go. You never know when an idea will strike and having something to write it down in will help you immensely. You will not only remember your idea, but it will help add to your word count in the long run.

I hope these tips help you on your NaNoWriMo journey. Tomorrow's post will be a surprise. Have a great day!

Beautiful Words

These beautiful words should be used more often...

Petrichor - the smell of earth after the rain

Opulent - lush, elegant

Ineffable - unutterable, inexpressible

Conflate - to blend together

Effervescence - bubbles in water

Ephemeral - lasting for a short time

Sonorous - an imposingly deep and full sound

Logophile - a person who loves words

Aquiver - trembling

Supine - lying face upward

Finifugal - hating endings

Oblivion - the state of being unaware of what is happening around you

Lacuna - a blank space, a missing part

Catharsis - the purging or release of emotional tensions

Writing Prompts

Sometimes all you need is a little inspiration. These are writing prompts I have collected over the years from classes and friends. Most of the time the prompts are a couple sentences that help to get the creative vibes flowing your way. Some are just suggestions on how to start your story or an idea for a story. I hope these help!

1. A walk through the woods helps me relax and release some tension, the fact that I am dragging a body behind me should be irrelevant.

2. Write a story that starts with a word you pick out of the dictionary at random.

3. His/Her voice brings back memories of dark rooms and broken bones.

4. They sent me because I do not exist.

5. Write about a world where you can purchase bottled emotions.

6. When I said, "Whatever helps you sleep at night... I didn't mean this!"

7. At birth, everyone has the date they will die tattooed on their arms. You were supposed to die yesterday...

8. Write a scene that happens immediately after a tragedy, but never mention the tragedy.

9. I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on glass. I got up and looked out my window, there was no one outside. I heard the knocking again and turned around slowly. The knocking was coming from inside my mirror.

10. In all the time I have lived alone in this house, I swear I have closed more doors than I have opened.

11. "Hey, there is a picture of you sleeping on your phone," he said, handing me my phone. I looked at the picture, my heart dropping into my stomach. "I live alone," I whispered.

12. Write a story that takes place in 60 minutes.

13. This was the night I finally understood why people fear silence.

14. Thirty years ago, you convinced a killer not to murder you because you would "change the world". Now the killer has come back to check your progress.

15. They had been recruited when they were young and desperate.

16. Everyone is forced to wear a warning label, what does your label say?

17. Write an overly descriptive piece about your current surrounding.

18. Sooner or later, everyone leaves.

19. Listen to a song and write a short story about it.

20. "The stars are that way captain," he said, pointing at the empty sky.

I hope these help to give you all some inspiration and get your creative juices flowing!

In my next post I will have some pretty awesome visual prompts!

How to Write a "Novel" in 30 Days

How to Write a "Novel" in 30 Days

Why "novel"? A novel is typically more than 50,000 words. Also, even when November is over, there is a good chance you will continue to finish your writing after the 30 days are up. Use the 30 days to get a start on your novel.

1. WRITE! To be a writer one must write. With NaNoWriMo you have to write everyday to reach your goal. Write, write, write. Write until your finger bleed and your head bursts! Just fucking write!

2. During the event, DO NOT EDIT! This is the one time when run on sentences, misspelled words, and forgot punctuation is accepted. 

3. Some say December is for editing, I say hold of until January. Sometimes, in order to better edit yourself, you need to take so time away from your story. I mean, you did just spend 30 straight days with it.

4. DO NOT send your draft to an agent immediately. Agents and editors tend to hate NaNoWriMo because they receive so many half-assed novels in the months following. Please, edit your piece thoroughly, look over it ten million times, and only send it in when you are ready to fight for it.

5. Break the rules. NaNoWriMo's website has a list of rules. Its supposed to be fiction and nothing you have worked on before. I say do what you want. If you want to write ten short stories, do it. If you have been working on the story already, finish it. As with every rule of writing, break them all!!

6. November sucks. It is only 30 days and it begins the winter holidays. It is the hardest month in which to get shit done. But, if you can survive it, writing may just be what you were meant to do.

7. If you do reach your goal, please celebrate loudly and happily! Just remember, you will still have work to do and that it isn't really over until you finish that novel.

8. If you don't reach your goal, please celebrate loudly and happily. Why? Because you wrote something. You don't have to stop just because November is over. You didn't 50,000 words, so what? November is a hard month. You did something amazing.

9. Discipline. You have to want it. You have to need it. You have to sit your ass down and write every fucking day. Even if it's just a sentence, do it. Again, write, write, write!

I hope these tips help a little. There will be more, I promise. 

My next post will showcase some authors who participated it NaNoWriMo and published their novel!

Awesome Yet Sadly Underused Words

Here is a list of words that need to be incorporated more into daily life and literature!

Bibulous: excessively fond of alcohol
Cantankerous: cranky
Concupiscence: horniness
Desuetude: A state of obsolescence
Disingenuous: insincere
Festoon: To adorn or decorate
Fulsome:Insincere to the point of being grating
Futz: to fool around
Gallivant: to roam joyfully
Lubricious: Arousing sexual desire
Maladroit: Tactless or clumsy
Malfeasance: Wrongdoing
Mercurial: Fickle or erratic (unless we're talking 50 Shades of Grey, then it is overused.)
Numinous: Awe-inspiring
Panoply: An impressive array
Quash: To suppress
Skulduggery: Underhanded behavior
Susurrus: A whisper or murmur
Vituperative: Bitter or abrasive

Now, go futz with these words and gallivant with them!!

The Rules of Writing

According to Kurt Vonnegut

1. Use the time of a stranger in such a way the he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it’s only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal the character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open the window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what’s going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
9. Find a subject you care about and which in your heart you feel others should care about.
10. Do not ramble.
11. Keep it simple. Simplicity of language is not only reputable, but perhaps is even sacred.
12. Have guts to cut. Your rule might be this: If a sentence, not matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out.
13. Sound like yourself. The writing style which is most natural to you is bound to echo the speech you heard when you were a child.
14. Say what you mean. You should avoid Picasso-style or jazz-style writing, if you have something worth saying and wish to be understood.
15. Pity the readers. Our stylistic options as writers are neither numerous or glamorous, since our readers are bound to be such imperfect artists.
16. You choose. The most meaning aspect of our styles, which is what we choose to write about, is utterly unlimited.

Location, Location, Location

When is comes to picking a location I suggest going with what you know or inventing a whole new place all together. If you're simply faking it, your reader will know. I personally love setting my stories in Kansas City, Missouri and the cities/towns within it's metropolitan. It's my hometown and I love it. I still end up making up somethings, like street names, apartment complexes (both names and where they are located in the city), but typically I keep it real.

I like writing what I know. I love mentioning the Royals, Gates BBQ, The Plaza, Crowne Center, Hallmark, my fave radio station (96.5 the Buzz), and local beautiful parks (English Landing Park, Case Park, White Alloe Creek, Line Creek Park and Trail).  I seriously love my town and everything that makes it unique.

I do, however, invent places sometimes. I have never been to New Zealand but if I have a character who happens to be from there, I research the area 100% but make up the name of a small town and sprinkle it with bits of my research to give it an authentic sound. I also make sure the name I make up isn't too similar to a real place.

The problem with writing about somewhere you have never been is that if you make glaring mistakes, your readers will notice and it will take them out of your story.

There is a TV show on ABCFamily called "Switched at Birth", it takes place in the Kansas City area, mostly in Mission Hills, KS. On the show there is a place called East Riverside and it's the dangerous part of town. In the real world there is no East Riverside, just Riverside and its not at all dangerous. This is why when you make up a name, you shouldn't pick one that is actually in the area. Honestly, I can't watch the show. Whenever they mention the horrible "East Riverside" I can't help but roll my eyes.

So, with location, it's best to write what you know. That doesn't mean you shouldn't write about London or Budapest, but make sure you do thorough research. Or book a flight and get good hands on research, I mean, why not? A story may just be hidden inside of you that won't come out until you visit it's birth place...

I have more to say on location and setting, but I will save that for another post and another day.

Unfinished Business

John Steinbeck, author of Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and The Winter of Discontent, said to, "Abandon the notion that you ever going to finish." I agree.

They say there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you. I say the greater agony is finally telling that story but you can't finish it. This is different from writer's block. It's not that you can't write, it's that you can't write that particular story. 

I have dealt with this before, in fact, I am still dealing with it. What did I do? 

I saved it to a flash drive and then deleted it and anything related to it from computer. I am a firm believer that sometimes you need to get away from a piece work that you can't work on. Only pause, only push it away, do NOT give up on it. If a story has been with you for a long time, it needs to be shared and it deserves to be heard. There is nothing wrong with taking break, but giving up should never be an option.

During the break work on other stories. Don't quit writing. While working on other pieces, your unfinished story might come back to life. Always have a notebook around to write down those ideas so you don't lose them. 

So, if you come across this predicament, put your story on the back burner. Each story already comes with a beginning, middle, and ending, it's up to you to fill it out, but let the story guide you. Pause when needed and write with reckless abandon when it wants you to.

It's All In Your Head (Literally)

Writer’s block come in many shapes and forms. Sometimes your brain is as empty as that blank screen in front of you. Other times you have a million ideas and no idea how to develop them. Its when you have the perfect outline but one little part has you stuck or you are stuck in the middle of your story and you have no clue where to take it. Writer’s block can come from boredom of your characters, you don’t hate them, you don’t like them, you just want them to go away and never come back. The worst is when your brain gets stuck on how much you think everyone is going to think your story sucks. 

First off, tell your brain to shut the fuck up! Your story does not suck. Get that out of your mind and remember why you are writing. You love your idea and want to see it come to light. That is all that matters, not what some imaginary people think.

Anyway, here are some things I do to help kill my writer’s block:

1. Exercise. It boosts creativity like no other. It might sound kind of weird but no matter what exercise I am doing ideas just seem to flow the whole time. Also, studies show, that even just walking improves both convergent and divergent thinking, the two types associated with enhanced creativity.  
2. Be productive. If the words aren’t coming, clean your bathroom, do the dishes, fold the laundry. 
3. Step away from your computer, your notebook, your story. Sometimes you just need a break. Grab a coffee, watch some TV, and go back to it later.
4. Step away from the computer once more and reach for a notebook. The computer can be distracting. With Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and just the internet in general, it’s too easy to slack off on your writing and allow for the writer’s block to grow. Physically writing out your thoughts fully engages you in your writing.
5. Music. Music. Music. I write everything with a soundtrack. I write essays, research papers, stories, reports, you name, I write it with its own set of tunes. Music gets my creative juices flowing. 
6. Get on Pinterest. People are constantly posting writing prompts. They are pretty awesome. Writing about something that wasn’t your original idea could help bring your story to life. Or, even better, it might turn into your story.
7. Ask other people. I did. I was stuck with my latest blog post and I asked my Facebook friends. Ask your friends, ask people on social media, ask your mom or dad or sister or brother or significant other. Ask a kid, my kiddo gives me some funny ideas. 
8. Change your scenery. If you always write in your kitchen, move to your bedroom. Leave your laptop at home, grab a notebook, and go to a park. 
9. In the same step as changing your scenery, while you’re out there, people watch. Go all Harriet the Spy, and create stories for the people around you. Take their actions and interpret them for your story. Create a world for these people.
10. Stop waiting for perfection. Margaret Atwood said, “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
11. For me, the most effective help for my writer’s block is to pick up a good book and read. Sometimes all you need to do is lose yourself in someone else’s story. It will inspire you.

I really hope these work for you! Good luck on any and all of your writing endeavors. 

Nothing Hurt and Everything Was Beautiful

I am sadly suffering from a bout of writer's block. So, today I have picked some of my favorite quotes from some of my favorite books... I hope they inspire you.

“We accept the love we think we deserve.” 

― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen.” 

—John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent

“Always learn poems by heart. They have to become the marrow in your bones. Like fluoride in the water, they'll make your soul impervious to the world's soft decay.” 

—Janet Fitch, White Oleander

“Sometimes you just have to try, even if you know it won’t work.” 

—Junot Diaz, Drown

“When we die, we will turn into songs, and we will hear each other and remember each other.” 

—Rob Sheffield, Love is a Mixtape

“We turn skeletons into goddesses and look to them as if they might teach us how not to need.” 

—Marya Hornbacher, Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia

“The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.” 

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” 

—J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” 

—Dr. Seuss

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” 

—Robert Frost

“What a slut time is. She screws everybody.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.” 

― Chuck Palahniuk, Diary

“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.” 

― Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.” 

― Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.” 

― George Orwell, 1984

“I've always been partial to the image of liquor as lubrication, a layer of protection from all the sharp thoughts in your head.” 

― Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects

“The truly frightening flaw in humanity is our capacity for cruelty - we all have it.” 

― Gillian Flynn, Dark Places

“Be careful what you wish for. There's always a catch.” 

― Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls

My next posts will deal with said writer's block and what to do with a story that is going nowhere. Thank you!

What's In A Name?

I am a weird little collector of names. The moment I hear one I like I scribble it down in my journal. I think the names of characters are one of the most important elements of any good story.

While I am sure that there are moments in which you can pull any old name out of the hat and it will work, but normally you have to put some more consideration into naming your characters. Here are my tips:

1. Write down, email yourself, text yourself any and all names that you love. I would hate to miss a great name.

2. Watch the initials. Do all of your character's names start with "B" or "N"? If so, maybe you should switch it up a bit.

3. Check on name origins. If you are writing a story about the Irish Mafia but you give all of your characters German first names and Italian last names, you're going to take the reader out of the story.

4. You should also check out name meanings. Sometimes its a good way to subtly say something about the character. Also, instead of naming your character Hunter, you choose Chase because that means hunter. Or instead being in your face by naming a pretty girl Bonita, name her Alannah, which means beautiful.

5. Think about your novels time period and try to keep the name in the same tone. If you are writing a piece about the 18th century you wouldn't want to give your characters modern names (unless it was a fantasy novel, then that may work).

6. Try not to use names that are too long.  Or at least shorten them to nicknames. Typing out names that contain every letter of the alphabet is not only labor intensive to you, but distracting to the reader.

7. Avoid names that sound all the same. Do you have a Dan, Ann, Fran, Stan, and Jan in your story? Maybe you should replace them with their full versions. Daniel, Ann, Francis, Stanley, and Janette don't rhyme and are less likely to annoy the reader of time.

8. If you love a name, fuck the haters. I love my name and I swear, I will have a Vanessa in all of my stories, even if the Vanessa is just a background character! 

Write Drunk, Edit Sober

While people tend to misattribute this quote to Ernest Hemingway (myself included) it is one of the few rules of writing that I follow. Now, I do NOT write while I’m actually drunk. I couldn’t type or use a pencil properly while drunk, let alone have a solid enough idea to write about. I do, however, write like I’m drunk. When you’re drunk you tend to become uninhibited. That lack of walls and barriers has always helped me to write (and so does a glass of wine or two).

The other rule I live and will die by is keeping a notebook with me at all times. I never know when a great idea will pop into my head. I write the most random of things in it. I write down names I like, places, phrases, quotes, my feelings. I write down words that have an interesting sounds, song lyrics, plot ideas, I basically write down everything so I don’t forget anything.

A lot of people tend to follow Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules for Good Writing. Those rules are: 

1. Never open a book with weather.

2. Avoid prologues.

3. Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.

4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said”…he admonished gravely.

5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or        three per 100,000 words of prose. 

6. Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."

7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.

8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.

9. Don't go into great detail describing places and things.

10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

All of these rules work best when they are broken, though number three is something I believe in (I wholeheartedly blame Fifty Shades of Gray for this, but that is for another post, another day). So, write what you like and how you like. The point of creativity, to me, is to see just how far you can bend the rules before you dismantle them, and they should be dismantled!

Putting Pen to Paper

The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.  

― Stephen King

Writing is scary, I cannot deny that. I don't think any writer can. Putting a pen to paper is no easy task. What if what you write is stupid? What if no one likes it? What if its not perfect? 

Well, I can tell you with confidence that it won't be stupid, someone will like it, and perfect is boring. The world needs your words, your thoughts, and your novel. 

I'm hoping that with this blog I can inspire more writing and more reading. I want to share my love of the written word with the world. I firmly believe that words can change everything. They can make you smile or cry. They can take you on incredible journeys or emotional roller coasters. They can do serious damage or the most powerful of healing.  What you have to say matters. Your words matter. You matter.

I hope you come back and read my thoughts on writing. I hope I inspire you. I hope you write.