HAPPY 2015!

It's been a while since my last post, and those of you who pushed through NaNoWriMo probably understand why. November was NaNoWriMo, and after that, just about any kind of writing is too much for to handle in our sensitive states. Especially when it comes to the horrors we'd forced ourselves to finish during November. Novels that we hope never to see again. But I've come to an amazing realization!

You see, December for WriMo's is almost...cursed. You start the month off on a tired 'high', feeling proud that you've managed a novel, but exhausted from the constant pushing. But now you know you can write! That is, until you go back to read a little bit of what you've written.

There is no faster way to put a damper on the aforementioned high than trying to read your NaNo Novel. It's horrible. No matter how you look at it or squint at the pages, every single page, paragraph and sentence is an atrocity! A damnation! A blight on novels everywhere! Not one thing is salvageable. And in that moment you want nothing more than to press the delete button and never look at it again. If you managed to resist that first impulse, you probably shoved that first draft so far into the storage of your computer drive that it would take an expert hacker years to get to it.

And so, for the rest of the month, you don't write. We don't even think about writing. Heck, you even hide the book on your nightstand in the back of the drawer. The written word becomes your greatest enemy, and you can't help but wonder why you decided to write in the first place. You're obviously no good at it.

Slowly December goes by. You start to feel a bit better. Finally you can pick up that book you were reading again. You don't shudder when you look at the keyboard any more. And finally, the nightmares start to fade. Christmas comes and goes, and finally, the new year arrives. And with it comes the realization that it's time to go dig out that horrible first draft. No matter how quickly you've recovered from the 'Post NaNo December Blues', you're still going to feel that chill down your back as you go dig it up.

Your heart beats faster as you open up the document, and after a few seconds the first page comes into view. And finally, after weeks of cold sweats, chills and despair, you stare at the pages of the very document that haunted your dreams. You start to read... and suddenly you realize that it's not quite as bad as it was before. Sure, it still needs a LOT of work. But there are salvageable parts. Paragraphs - whole pages even!

And slowly we start to fall back in love with the story that we spent four weeks writing. We start to remember how much we cared for it, how much effort, time, blood, sweat and tears went into it, and you start to see the beauty in it again.

The point here is that nothing is ever as bad as it seems at first, especially not when it comes to writing. We are our own worst critics, and the worst time for us to look at our novels is just after we've finished them. But looking at them with fresh new eyes, you can quickly start finding the beautiful bits again, all those little treasures amongst the dung.

It's time, my friends. Dig up those NaNo novels and start reworking them. Face your fears, take a leap of faith - you'll be the better for it! And who knows, you might just find the diamond hiding in the rough of your first draft!

It's Week 3!

If you're anything like me, this generally is the point where we start panicking, where doubt falls on your shoulders like a laser guided missile and you begin to wonder "Why am I doing this?". I'm not going to tell you why you should be writing - that's up to you - but here are a few tips as we enter the next milestone in this WONDERFUL ADVENTURE!

1. Just Write!
I know, it sounds much easier than it is. You feel like banging your head against the typewriter or keyboard every time you sit down, and nothing seems to inspire you to write. But sometimes it isn't so much about the muse and the inspiration - it's about remembering that you committed to doing this (for yourself!) and that you have everything you need to complete your story. To quote Stephen King - "The Magic is in you."

And if you still have your doubts, then think about it this way - just write one word at a time.

2. Don't Plan Too Much
It's an easy trap to fall into. Every time you hit a wall you think "Back to the drawing board, I need more planning!" Or worse, you do a ton of research and try to work all of it into your story. This is a weakness of mine - I LOVE doing research. And once I have pages and pages of juicy facts that have sweet-bugger-all to do with my story, I keep trying to find ways to work them in. The fact is that too much planning can keep you stuck in front of the drawing board and away from writing, and too much research can boost your word count but slow your story down so much that you get bored writing it.

Keep it simple!

3. Eliminate Distraction

“There should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall... You could do worse than strip your television's electric plug-wire, wrap a spike around it, and then stick it back into the wall. See what blows, and how far. Just an idea.” - Stephen King

Yes, yes, I know I quote him a lot, but can you truly think of a better way to say 'Avoid distraction' than 'Blow Up Your TV'? I didn't think so. I know it's tempting to watch your favourite series, or play your favourite game. So make it a bit easier - take the distraction out of the equation completely. For a gamer like myself, being on the computer typing is temptation enough. I'm only lucky I don't have a television to blow!

4. Accept Bad Writing
You are writing a novel in 30 days - Give yourself permission to write badly! I've reminded you before (and I'll do it every time I post until NaNoWriMo is over) that the point of this madness is to get your first draft on paper. It's not easy, hell, sometimes it's downright painful! Especially when you take a minute or two to quickly read what you've written. Some of us can even feel our eyeballs bleed as we read the horror that our story has become!

But that's not the point.

Dig, dig, and for heaven's sake, BURY that inner editor so far down that you have to go Editor Hunting (a close relative of Muse Hunting) once your story is done. Right now, just enjoy the flow of words as you get them down, and reward yourself for that step.

Allow yourself to write badly!

5. Sometimes You Need a Break
It's true. It sounds horrible, especially here in Week 3, but if you keep pushing yourself to the limits, you might find yourself starting to hate what you love. That's normal, of course, and bound to happen at some point. And there are times when you need to push through and past it. But there are also times when you need to settle down with a hot cup of coffee, some good music and a great book.

Reading is actually a great way to take a break - ask any published author, and they will tell you that they read quite a bit themselves. It's not only a good way to relax, but also a way to get inspired and learn a few tricks from an author you admire for free!

6. Most important - "Write For Yourself, Write To Be Happy."
Write because you LOVE it. Write because it's the first thing you think of when you wake up, and you can't imagine yourself doing anything but write for the rest of your life. Don't write to be famous, don't do it for money or recognition and fame. Maybe that will come, maybe it won't. But every time you sit down to write, feel the bubbles of joy (or love-hate, whichever) inside you as you imagine the world your about to create.

If you do that, then nothing can stop you!




What are you going to do to get yourself through this week? Are there any things you like to do, things that inspire you? How do you feel when you write?

Let me know!

Time Flies! 

The first week of NaNoWriMo is almost over, and this is usually the point where things should be easier. After all, starting is the hardest part! But when you're writing during NaNo, the trials seem to be never-ending - the whole point of a challenge that encourages you to write a book in just one month! This are looking especially difficult as you now start preparing for week two of this craziness.

Here are some of the most common walls that are suddenly flying towards you at break-neck NaNoWriMo speed - and how you could deal with them.



1. MUSE ON HOLIDAY
This is probably the most common problem. The one moment your muse can't shut up, and the next you can't find her anywhere. It's enough to drive anyone batty, and once you have to start sitting down and forcing yourself to write, things just don't feel that much 'fun' anymore. The thing to remember, though, is that if you decided to join in NaNoWriMo just for fun, then do something that inspires you to write. Join in a few word sprints - there are several channels on Twitter that run them. One of the most popular (and best in my opinion, what do you think?) is @NaNoWordSprints.

But if you're not doing it for fun, but actually doing it to help drive you to complete your novel - then screw the muse! She'll come back when she realizes you're ignoring her. Just keep on writing! It sounds simple, but I know it's not that easy. So, pick a time every day and set it aside for writing. Don't use it for anything else. As Stephen King says (I warned you that I'd be quoting him a lot!):

“Don't wait for the muse. As I've said, he's a hardheaded guy who's not susceptible to a lot of creative fluttering. This isn't the Ouija board or the spirit-world we're talking about here, but just another job like laying pipe or driving long-haul trucks. Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you're going to be every day from nine 'til noon. or seven 'til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he'll start showing up.”

2. TOO MUCH MUSE
Yes, this can be a problem - those of you who have experienced this knows what I'm talking about. It's when your muse is active and talking and just won't shut up - about everything other than your novel. She keeps inspiring your poems, your short stories and even when you receive a prompt perfect for your novel... she still tells you about this wonderful flash fiction you just have to write.

Unfortunately, too much muse can get you thinking, leading to...


3.  I-NEED-TO-START-OVER-SYNDROME
With your muse suddenly incapable of even looking in the direction of your novel, you start to assume that your story idea is horrible, and the best thing you can do - despite the fact that your 11 000 words in - is to start over. Maybe you just need an exciting, much more creative plot to write about, and everything will be fine!

But it won't be. You'll give in this time and start your new story. Next week you'll probably be in the same boat, and again the week after. Before you know it, the month is over and you have 3 stories at 10K each. Stay focused, and later you'll find the diamond in the dung.


4. EDIT MODE
Also known as 'OMG-This-is-such-a-great-idea-but-my-writing-smells-like-something-that-died-in-a-sewer!'. Remember me mentioning the Diamond in the Dung hidden in your story? This is what happens if you decide to go looking for it before your story is even done. You just can't help yourself and you start editing. It probably starts small. Maybe just a paragraph.

Then a page.
Then you need to go back to the beginning to make sure everything looks as beautiful as this page.

Next thing you know your NaNoWriMo has gone out the window, and you've started NaNoEdMo - and when you're done with that you'll realize that NaNo is almost over, your story is half complete and your motivation has gone the way of the dodo.

You need to do something very difficult - take your inner editor and LOCK HIM UP. Picture a large empty safe with 10 inch door and a lock that even a super computer can't hack. The safe is buried far underground, in a shelter of some kind with nice big Star Wars^TM worthy doors. and there is no exit - it's all underneath a mountain that needs the hand of it's creator - you - to open it.

And you won't. You will be writing. Right now. Go!

Finally, all of this leads to the WORST ONE OF ALL:


6. PROCRASTINATION

The curse of everyone who has something to do, the bane of a writer's existence. It's the unholy offspring of 'Ooh, that looks like fun' and 'Meh, later'. It creeps up on you, then makes you believe it's the best thing in the world. It snuggles up to you, and the next thing you know, the vampiric bastard/bitch has its teeth in your neck and is sucking the life and creativity out of you.

But if you catch him quickly, recovery is possible!


The cure for almost all of the above is to just keep writing. It can be a thousand words or it can be a hundred words. It also helps to talk with others you know who are doing NaNo as well - bounce ideas around, and take a few notes of ideas that pop up in the conversation.

Nanowrimo is a challenge, we all knew that - but isn't that why we signed up?


What do you think? Are there any other challenges you think should be included? Let me know in the comments below!

So You Want To Build A Strong Social Presence?

With the power of social media today, it's no surprise that so many people from all walks of life have started to build their online presence and creating their personal brands. If you've decided that this is something you want to try, then there are a few things you need to know:

1. Commit
The first thing you need to know is that this isn't going to be easy, and definitely not a decision to make lightly. You also need to understand that it's not going to happen overnight. So, when you decide that you want to market yourself online through personal branding, then commit to it - and understand what you're committing to. It often means choosing to write a blog post, creating a video, etc, over doing another activity.

There are no half measures here - especially not in the beginning.


2. Know Why
If you are going to make this long term commitment, you need to know why. Are you doing this just to get your name out there, or are you marketing something specific? For example, I decided to build my online presence to practice my writing, and to start building a fanbase for my writing. I also decided that I wanted to inspire new writers, and collaborate with existing ones.

What about you?

Maybe you have a great idea for a Youtube channel series or show, or you have a fantastic book full of family recipes that you want to share. Or maybe you have a talent or skill, and you want to share it with the world, and show them how they can develop it as well.

Once you've decided why you want to build your social base, and about which topic, stick to it! General blogs can work it some cases, but it's very important in the beginning to decided on who your target market will be, and work on drawing them in.


3. Choose your platforms
Which social media platform do you want to use? There are many available today, and I would recommend a combination of several - but, again, this is up to you. Personally I prefer a combination of Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Blogger, and DeviantArt. This doesn't mean they'll work for you. You might prefer to swop out a written blog for Youtube, and decide that Pinterist is more your thing. I can't honestly say that one platform is better than another - I can only say that they all have their own unique features. Pick those that you feel comfortable working with, and can easily tailor your content to.


4. Prepare
Someone once told me that planning is 90% of the work. If you do that properly, the rest will fall into place much easier. Plan your blog posts or videos, schedule your tweets and Facebook posts, and prepare a list of topics you can talk or write about. When it comes to scheduling posts, I love using Hootsuite, but it's not the only social media management tool out there.

Once you have a list of topics, and you know where you're going...


5. Write!
Or Record, whatever the case may be. Start putting your content, your art or your videos out there. Get your content together, try to be as unique as possible, and when things get tough - keep going! This is where you can get creative, and draw people into your world.


6. Be Active & Reciprocate
This is a very important element. It's very easy to skip tweeting for a day or two, to not have something to post, or not putting up new content. While it won't have such a major effect later on, in the beginning it's vital to be as active as possible. You need to be in front of people all the time! When they're browsing for new content around your chosen topic, make sure there's something fresh for them to find.

But this isn't a one way street! Go out and find others that know about your field, or are interested in it. Give advice, connect and initiate conversations. And if someone takes the time to read or look at your work, reciprocate! If you don't engage with your audience now, you might not have an audience to engage with later.


In short, deciding to create a social presence is not a decision to make lightly, and it requires dedication, time and creativity. Are you willing to invest yourself?

I would love to hear your opinions and stories! Or, if you feel like I missed something, please comment below and let me know!

As Always,