My Self-Publishing Journey
Join me as I navigate the world of self-publishing from beginning to end, idea to published work.
Month one of writing is almost over! How are you feeling? Did you hit your word count goal for this month? Are you falling behind even as you sit here reading this post? If you need more encouragement, join our growing community of writers on Facebook.
If the first, Yay! Go you! Keep up the momentum and don't let life get in the way. Get ahead and create a buffer. It the second, fear not. This blog post will not be a waste of your time as long as you get writing as soon as it ends instead of jumping to another post or facebook or some other distraction. When did you get stuck? Was it during the second-week slump? What was your average word count per day? Maybe you need to lower your goal so that it's more manageable. This may sound counter-intuitive but if you hit your goal you'll feel good about writing and want to continue. If you got stuck on plot maybe try a writing prompt or simply write through it. May I suggest Write or Die for solo writing or myWriteClub's word sprint feature? Feel free to look me up on myWriteClub. Just search for KAJairl under the Add a Friend tab, right above where it lists your goals. These tools work well for my writer's block. If you want a writing prompt, here's a few that should work for most genres: 1. Have a coin toss be very important. 2. Have a rumor divide your main character from their allies. 3. A character develops a fear of the protagonist because of their addiction. They are afraid of being caught. Of course, there's always the classic, kill a character to see how the others react. You can bring them back to life if you find you still need them. If you need someone to bounce ideas off, I'd love to help. Leave me a comment below or shoot me an email at [email protected]. I love talking stories with other writers! And keep working on those masterpieces in progress. I can't wait to read them!
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Most writers know whether they are a plotter who outlines their stories or a pantster (pantser?) who writes "by the seat of their pants" with no plan whatsoever.
But what if you fit into both categories? I always write my first draft like a pantster, following the characters around helter skelter and on tangents. Then when it is time to edit or rewrite I outline the story based on the scenes that are important to the core. That first draft helps me to know what the story is about though it might take me a while to get there. I have recently started a Facebook writing community for fans of the blog. Click on the link or search "Masterpieces in Progress" on Facebook and request to join. I will be using Facebook to connect more one on one with other writers and you can too. There will also be content posted to Facebook that will not be posted anywhere else. I plan on hosting live write-ins, similar to the ones done by NaNoWriMo, using the Facebook live feature. I'll also be posting content about writing conferences I attend such as Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE).
So if you want a cozy place to connect with other writers who are struggling with the same things you are, or if you just want a place to share your triumphs, head on over and check out the Facebook group. I hope to see you all there, working on your own Masterpiece in Progress. Thanks, K. A. Jairl Do you have a routine to your day? Where does writing fit into that? Is there a ritual you do to get you into the writing mindset? I try to stick to a routine but just when I think I've got one that works my little one decides to change his nap schedule or not take one at all.
My prime writing time is the middle of the night around one. I'm a night owl at heart. But since our society is not a nocturnal one I have to get up early most mornings and the ones I don't my little one usually wakes me up. Now that we've been writing for about a week you may start to feel what in the NaNoWriMo world is known as the two-week slump. Week one you're flying high and your story has no boundaries every path is open to discovery. Then week two you have established certain promise to the reader that you have to keep. It's not as much fun to write but it's necessary to push through.
My favorite way to get past writer's block or the two-week slump is to write, write, write. It's really the only way I know. Eventually, you'll have a breakthrough and it'll feel like surfing. You fight the waves waiting for the perfect one and then it comes rushing at you and soon you're riding high and the adrenaline is pumping in your ears. When I hit the two-week slump during NaNoWriMo I usually head to Twitter to join in a word sprint or twenty with @NaNoWordSprints. But during the rest of the year when they aren't doing word sprints continually I used to turn to Write or Die. If you haven't tried it out before I suggest you do. It is a great way to pump out words. You set your goal number of words and the time you want to write (i.e. 500 words in 10 minutes) and then up pops a blank screen with a text box. You must write continuously for those ten minutes or the site will start to turn red and blare annoying horns at you until you start writing again. This tool was very addicting when I first started out. |
K. A. JairlMy name is Kim and I'm glad you stopped by. This is where I post my triumphs and my downfalls as I fight the good fight of being a writer mom everyday. Archives
March 2019
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