Why Anyone (and Everyone) Should Do NaNoWriMo

                NaNoWriMo is incredibly hard. You have to juggle work (or school), chores, familial obligations, particularly involving holidays focused on eating pies and roasted birds, and managing your time well enough to spend however long it takes you to write something each day. Additionally, the weather’s not very good, and who loves watching the latest season of Doctor Who? Okay, I’ve never seen it, but that’s not the point. Anyway, however hard it may be, it’s totally worth it.

                Reasons why you should do NaNoWriMo:

1.       It’s a great way to be creative after a long day. Sure, most of what you write isn’t great, but that’s not the point. Anything great you write in November is just a bonus.

2.       You’ll be joining thousands of people who are trying to write in this month.

3.       You can meet lots of new people online, and in real life, which can make you seem less loner-like, if you currently seem like a loner

4.       It’s a fun way to try something new without actually being athletic.

5.       The phrase “I’m writing a novel” will instantly make all of your friends feel like you’re either crazy or insanely impressive; either works, by the way.

6.       You have a way to skip parties you don’t care about and hours of your family talking to you too loudly all at once, by giving them . . . the perfect excuse.

7.       If you win, you get to brag about it for the rest of the year.

8.       People are really nice, and they understand like nobody else how hard it is to cram 10,000 words on the last day, and someone will cheer for you whether or not you win, I hope

9.       Because I will be involved. Also, the idea is really challenging, but it’s about adapting, and making do with imperfection, and having fun. I guarantee that, at least, even if you don’t finish.

10.   Authority has promised free shrimp dinners; what’s not to love? If you are allergic to seafood, then sorry. Never mind.

 

Right now I’m overcome with the awesomeness of NaNo. If you do choose to participate, which you can at any time, make sure you stock up on chocolate. Here’s to a month of writing dangerously!

 

My First Writing Conference

My writing conference on Thursday at the Loft Literary Center was awesome.  It was just so cool for me to meet other writers and talk with them, and to get advice from authors in person. Plus, the building is so cool. All of the walls are exposed brick, the floors are hardwood, there are lots of comfortable chairs, and there’s a lot of writing and reading-related things around the area? What could be better? Anyway, I’ll now stop digressing. You’ve listened to my ramblings long enough.

     I got there very early, so for about an hour I sat in a nearby coffee-shop and typed away, feeling very much like a stereotypical writer. So be it. I checked in once it was time, met some new writer friends, and kept writing. Next, everyone went to a Keynote by John Corey Whaley. He was very funny and inspiring. Some of his main points were about finding ways to love writing struggles and making mistakes, to become obsessed with your stories, and tips about finishing stories differently if you’re stuck.

                Next, I went to a lecture on points of view. I saw one of my friends from school there, and so that was fun. The presenter was very interesting as well. We learned about many different parts of points of view, who narrates it, its pros and cons, and when you use it, generally. For example, I learned that second person is the narration form “you,” and it isn’t generally used for stories or novels overall, as readers become disengaged by it, and find it patronizing or irritating. That session was good overall.

                After that we had lunch. The lunch itself was fine, and I enjoyed getting to talk to my (relatively new) friend. What I found funny was that when I looked around the auditorium where everyone was eating, almost everyone was reading. It was awesome, but rather weird. It was cool to be with many other teens who share the same obsession, I just wasn’t used to it. I come from a school where nobody reads for fun, or if they read, they don’t read as much or with the same passion as I do; in my school, I know of exactly one other person in my class so far who likes writing, the girl who I got to know better at the conference.

                Third, I went to a presentation on structuring novels. It wasn’t so much about structuring novels as it was tips about writing, but I still enjoyed it. Some of the points made involved always needing characters to want something, and not using adverbs. Also, he said that obstacles are necessary for writing fiction, and that the climax needs to be inevitable.

                Afterwards, I went to a talk on flashbacks. We talked about how something always needs to trigger the memory, and then we wrote our own. Mine was all right, but some of the other teens’ were really good; as the author said, some of us should be teaching the class instead. I learned about when to use flashbacks (as little as possible) and to keep it as seamless as possible. Finally, we went to a quick presentation on steps after the writing conference.

                Overall, the conference was awesome. It was my first time actually meeting other writers at length and going to writing classes as a group. By the end of the day, I’d made some new friends who understood my obsession, and learned a lot about writing as well. What I really loved is that they all “got” where I was coming from. I heard many, “In my last novel . . . ,“ or “In the novel I’m writing . . . ,“ and it was fantastic to be part of a community who all wrote and loved it so much- as much as I did. I loved the experience, and would highly recommend it. Oh, did I mention they had food?

              Also: I got published in this month’s edition of TeenInk! It’s only for a letter to the editor, which is quite possibly the lamest thing you could get published for, but it’s a start.

This month is October. As you all know, a very special event is coming in just twelve days, and no, it’s not Halloween. That event is NaNoWriMo, and it is going to be awesome. Therefore, I encourage anyone and everyone to do it. I will be writing about NaNoWriMo on my blog, my experience, and my progress as a whole in November. Look forward to a month of writing dangerously!

Writer Identity

                For many people, it’s hard to talk about their (G-rated!) passions; as you may have guessed, I fall into this category. Who would’ve thought? When something is so much a part of you, when you think about it before you fall asleep at night, when you look forward to doing something at the end of your day, it can be hard to share with others. It can be very hard.

For example, right now I’m taking an art class. Some of my classmates have this amazing talent and draw for fun, everyone is happy for them or secretly jealous, etc. See, everyone is very nice and all of that, but I don’t feel like I can bring up my hobbies, let alone my passion. Why? Perhaps I have a great fear of being judged. Also, I’m not sure if people would actually care (which in high school seems highly plausible). But you know what? From now on, I have temporarily supposedly stopped caring less about my insecurities. Just as some of my friends may surf or be cheerleaders and are proud of it, I can be proud of my hobby too. There’s something great about being a writer, and it’s okay for me to love writing. I am a writer, darn-it-all! I just—might not tell any close acquaintances of mine for the time being. Okay, so maybe this concept needs some work. I’m such a hypocrite. Oh well, I’m a writer hypocrite anyway. (See? I’m stepping into my identity!)

The Art of First Lines

                “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” That is a famous line from one of Dicken’s works, A Tale of Two Cities. It’s a beautiful sentence, one that makes you think and wonder. That’s a good thing, by the way. Some other great first lines are, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife,” (from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice) and “Call me Ishmael,” (Herman Melville, Moby Dick). I only pulled from the classics because I need to get to bed soon, but there are many great first lines out there. They don’t solely exist in the Victorian Age, either. A great first line is inventive and unusual, but most of all intriguing, making you wish that you would continue reading.

                Here are some first lines that I’ve used in my stories.

·         “I sharpened my pencil and prepared for death once again.” It has a slightly ominous feel, and seemed rather interesting when I got the idea. Preparing for death once is rather ordinary (after all, everyone goes through it) but more than once seems unusual. Either he’s a really great sword-fighter, his name is Clark Kent and he’s sharpening a pencil for some reason, or he is the subject of a story I’m currently working on. (Hint: it’s the third option.)

·         “Today will be the first day that I will speak in twenty-six years.” This is an introductory sentence given from the perspective of a hermit who is going back into civilization, even though she doesn’t want to. I heard her voice one day while I was munching on a hamburger, and had to write her story down. The hamburger was unrelated, unless of course it sparked the hermit idea, in which case I’m at a total loss.

·         “I came into this world with thunder, and when I left, the world seemed to be the same.” This has a very clear voice, at least to me, and it presents an interesting idea. How much does the world really change? Sometimes it changes a lot, and for this girl, it seemed the same. She has led a somewhat interesting life, but she finds it dreary. She also doesn’t really notice the world around her.

 

First lines clearly tell who your character is, and what your story is about. A Tale of Two Cities is about change and perspective. Pride and Prejudice is about a romance, and Moby Dick is about a guy named Ishmael who has a very definite idea of who he is. They set the background for the story, and often tell who your character is. This works for nonfiction as well. For example, in one of my nonfiction articles, I wrote, “I woke up knowing this was going to be the hardest day of my life.” This showed that I was going to undergo something that was challenging, but that I was committed to finishing, and this shows some of who I am as a person. First lines are a great –and fun- way to introduce the tone, setting, characters, and readers to your novel!

Tips For Not Giving Up On Writing

                You open up a Word document and start typing madly, your thoughts taken over with a new idea, your head swimming with characters’ voices and personalities. After your short burst of energy, you stop, and reread. You ask yourself why you had written that and realized that you turned the wonderful idea bad, unintentionally. Basically, you completely hate it. You sigh and wish you didn’t feel driven to write, and think about giving up on writing (in addition to making whoever’s around you listen to your rants as you eat too much chocolate).

                Nobody wants to write badly, but often, they do. Everyone who writes a lot has bad days, even published authors. I’ve had many myself, or moments when I realize that what I wrote was completely below my expectations. I’ve thought frequently about giving up on one of my favorite hobbies, and what I consider my passion. I’ve given up for a while, but eventually something always makes me come back to it.

                No matter how deep you’re entrenched in your current state of irritation at your writing, you can always revise it.  Also, mulling over it for a while usually helps me if I’m not quite satisfied with a scene, and them I come up with details or a point of view that makes it better. Additionally, I sometimes choose to leave it alone for a week or so and then come back to it, when I usually have better insight. I try to look at it objectively, like I was reading someone else’s work, and then edit it from there. If all else fails, I’d save it and start a new idea that you like. You can always go back.

I promise continuing’s worth it.

Why Every Character Needs Setbacks

                No matter how brilliant and great your characters are, if they don’t have a setback, they aren’t real. Sure, your main character might be able to ride horseback and be dashing and have a wonderful secret skill, and all of that is wonderful. We want to see that your characters have skills, just like your readers do. However, if nothing is keeping him from being the best handsome horseback rider who can juggle flaming knives and save fetching damsels in distress, people aren’t going to care about reading. It needs to be relevant, and realistic. Real life has problems, and everybody has a setback of some sort. Maybe he limps, and so it was hard for him to learn to ride. Maybe he’s afraid of leaving the castle. Maybe he’s always been afraid of battle since his father died in a village accident. Hearing that characters have problems makes us want to keep reading, to hear about how the horseback rider learns to overcome his fear of leaving/odd gait/fear of battle. Having difficulties makes the victories far more interesting, as well as vastly improved.

                Here are some examples from children’s and young-adult books:

-In Esperanza Rising, Esperanza has her father die, and so she has to rise past that and learn to live without the wealth and luxury she had previously been afforded.

-In Anne of Green Gables, Anne is an orphan, and she has a fear of not being wanted and loved. However, she overcomes that once she meets Marilla and Matthew.

-In Harry Potter, he is an orphan who’s living with his relatives who aren’t exactly fond of him, and he’s not from as worldly of a wizarding background, as some of his peers are.

-In The Island of the Blue Dolphins, Karana is stranded on their island after everyone in the village leaves, and she struggles to survive.

-In The Call of the Wild, Buck has to change his ways to fit into the pack, as he is sold to a sled team in the Klondike.

                Basically, our characters have to struggle. They’re interesting that way. Everyone has friends who seem to be good at everything, which is annoying and unrealistic. They may be good friends, but everybody has struggles. If there is no conflict, then there is no reason why we should keep reading; it soon becomes boring. Also, sidekicks, villains, and others alike all need to struggle, no exceptions. To have the most realistic and likeable characters, give them struggles, so that the path to victory is even greater.

I really meant to post this yesterday. Really. Writing every day is hard, but it has made me remember and rekindle my passion again.

On that note, happy Tuesday!

Making Time to Read and Write

                When you’re a young writer, everyone tells you to do two things: write a lot, and read a lot; however, that isn’t exactly measurable or very specific. For example, reading a lot for one might be considered barely reading at all, and the same is true for writing as well. Also, when you’re busy and maintaining a tight schedule, leisure things are some of the first to get cut, which often means that you don’t write much nine months of the year. That can be changed, though. Here are some easy tips to get started again.

1.       Read different genres

-There are so many different types of writing out there: magazines, nonfiction, self-help, short stories, drama, and more. I tend to lean towards young adult books, but I also read the newspaper daily and have read several historical fictions and biographies, both of which are unusual for me. There are so many great books in so many different categories, and it may help you figure out what you really love to write if you’re unsure.

                2. Step outside of your comfort zone

- Reading different types of books helped me understand how to write nonfiction and historical writing, and how that differs from contemporary young-adult, what I usually write. I also enjoyed the deviance from my usual writing and as a result, have written more in these areas. Additionally, you could try writing from a different perspective or narrative. Recently, I’ve tried third-person instead of my usual first-person. I didn’t like it, but I learned from it, and so it made my writing and understanding of the craft better.

3. Write every day

-Obviously, everyone has busy schedules. I understand that better than ever, as I am juggling the demands of homework, sports, high school, and just regular chores. At the end of the day, you just want to collapse and not pound out a new story. However, if you write every day, you will improve much more than if you just write a few times a week. Also, if you set a pattern, it will be easier to stick to it. You don’t have to write much, either. You could just write a few hundred words a day.

Currently, I’m participating in Go Teen Writers’ 100 For 100 contest, where you write 100 words every day, for 100 days on a single work, getting at least 10,000 words written by the end of the contest. That started Monday, but you could still write unofficially with the rest of the group. It’s not limited to teens, either. Of course, there’s also the event you’ve been hearing about for months, at least from me: NaNoWriMo. It starts in a month and a half, and I’m already planning my novel. On Halloween, I have a plan: I will stay home, do my homework, and become feverishly excited while the rest of my family is (rationally) confused.

Happy writing,

Katia