One Last Petal

Good morning all! NaNoWriMo started on Tuesday and I've been doing pretty well so far. I wrote double my word count goal on the first day to get myself a running start, as it were, and I've managed to make word goal everyday so far. And I'm rather impressed with the way I've worked in some Firefly references, and I even have a character named "Simon". That being said, I'm not really feeling the story. It almost seems like there's a discontent to my writing at the moment. Maybe it's just because I haven't written in so long and once I get going, it will settle into a better rhythm. Things just seem choppy and unnatural at the moment. However, I won't let it discourage me. After all, this is merely a rough draft to get the story down and we can work on more poetical writing in the revision months.  Here's a short excerpt from what I've written so far: What happened next about the little transport ship is probably best left to ...

Let's talk about scheduling. I know, I know, it sounds terrifying. But remember that massive goal of 50,000 words you set yourself? You're going to need help. If you don't have a job or school, then awesome, maybe you will have time to sit and write all day, but a lot of us don't. And are you being efficient, sitting there all day? How much time are you wasting on social media and "research"? Let's face it - having a schedule is going to help. Trust me. Set yourself a specific time to do nothing but write. No chores, no phone calls, no Facebook, no research. Just write. Every time you think of something else that needs doing, make a note of it and do those after. Make lovely big notes to yourself in your writing about things you want to edit or research later. But keep writing. Your time is precious, make it count. Why? Because we all know how easy it is to put things off. "Oh, I just need to do one more load of laundry before I write." ...

I picked up this book on novel writing by Walter Mosley the other day at the library. I was looking for another one, (which I didn't find, sadly), when this one stood out. It's small, but the affirmative wording of the title drew me to pick it up (Clever, Mr. Mosley, clever). I read it in just a couple of hours this morning, the blizzard outside giving me a great excuse to curl up with hot chocolate and a book. It's not full of profound wisdom nor overly burdened with examples or "must do's", which I found made it all the more enjoyable. The straight-forward wording is something that I relate to, and the example that were given were clearly laid out. It's not a workbook or a reference guide, just a simple presentation of the basics of novel writing, along with a forthright assumption that you will now go write your novel. A few things that I hope to take with me from reading it: 1. Write every day. Mosley suggests a minimum of one and half hours a day....