I SURVIVED NANO

Hey guys!!

I am living proof that NaNo doesn't kill everybody. I survived, AND I FINISHED MY NOVEL. So that's nice.

Since my novel is based off of reality, I didn't hit the 50k mark because I could only extend my plot so much. But that's okay. I still feel like I won because I finished it.

Currently, I am in the midst of plotting and writing a new WIP, which is going swimmingly.

Congrats to ALL NaNo participants, whether you 'won' or not! Personally, I think the situation is a win-win even if you don't hit your mark. Because A) it gets you motivated to actually START writing, and B) You got some writing done. Even if it was only 50 words, you still added progress to what you already had.

Talk to you soon!

<3

Patricia

Some Tips for Surviving NaNoWriMo 2015

Hey peoples,

Well what did I tell ya? I should be a prophet. Yes, we have been inactive for a few weeks. Sorry bout that. Anywhozies, I'm here to try and help you survive NaNoWriMo.

For those of you who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, you can either click on the link, or listen to my 5 second explanation. In other words, click on the link.

NaNoWriMo is an acronym that stands for National Novel Writing Month. And the name is kind of self-explanatory. You basically kill yourself writing a novel in one month. That's right. 29 days. 50,000+ words. It's a fun form of torture.

Here are some tips in surviving this thing:

• Budget your time. - Figure out when you can write each day, and then do it.
• Take showers/brush your teeth/sleep regularly. - Seriously, personal hygiene is VITAL. If you feel gross or really tired, take a shower. It will clear your mind and clean your body. Two birds with one stone.
• Have bribery items handy (i.e. ice cream, gold fish, carrots, or whatever your favorite snack is). - Make smaller goals within your daily routine. When you succeed, give yourself a treat.  
• Don't Procrastinate. - If you waste all of your time browsing through facebook and pinterest, chances are, you're not going to get all of your writing done. And the last week of NaNo will be dreadful for you.
• Exercise. - I am so serious when I say this. Writing is hard. It's hard on your brain. Your body may have all the energy in the world, but if your mind is shot... Well, you're in for some bad experiences. Go for a run. Even if it's just for 10 minutes, it will help. I promise. Yoga, brisk walking, and strength training also work nicely.

Hope this helps you! Enjoy NaNo!

-Patricia

The Art of Character Crafting - Post #6: "Creating a Convincing 'Mood'"

Disclosure: Today's post will be super short; due to the amount of homework and classes that I have going today.

Sometimes, I just have that one character. You know... He/she causes me pain whilst writing, because I cannot for the life of me create a mood for them. It's quite frustrating.

First of all, every character has a mood. I'm not talking about emotional moods... I'm talking about the character traits that everyone identifies them with.

Examples:

Katniss Everdeen - Mysterious, survival-orientated, lost. Think about it. When you first read The Hunger Games, what did you think of its' main character? Definitely mysterious. Definitely survival-orientated. Definitely lost.

Ronald Weasley - Funny and often oblivious.

Samwise Gamgee - Extremely loyal.

Sometimes, these moods come easy to craft with the character you are creating. Other times, it's difficult.

'This dude is SUPPOSED to be dark and scary and mean but he's just sarcastic and creepy.'

I've pondered different techniques of this difficult task, but only one has ever worked for me. Go back and look at your sentences. Check your wording. If there's any place where you can change your wording, do it. If need be, go to your thesaurus. Look up synonyms of the word that you are going to change.

This post is veeerrryyyy short... But hey, why would I give you tips that I don't use? *cough*

Keep writing & happy homework (for those of you who are in my boat)!

<3

Patricia Rane