Camp NaNoWriMo

Did you ever wish that NaNoWriMo was held at some time other than November, when you’re trying to get ready for the holidays?

Well, give Camp NaNoWriMo a try! There will be two sessions this year. The first one starts on April 1st and the other one starts July 1st. Not sure if I can do April, but I’m definitely thinking of July…

From their website:

What is Camp NaNoWriMo?

Based on November’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), Camp NaNoWriMo provides the online support, tracking tools, and hard deadline to help you write the rough draft of your novel in a month… other than November!

What: Writing a novel from scratch in one month’s time.

Who: You! (And about 20,000 other novelists around the world.) Let’s write some perhaps-awful, but definitely lengthy, prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster. Writing begins at 12:00 AM on April 1, and again on July 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach your word-count goal by 11:59 PM on the last day of the month. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

To join, go to campnanowrimo.org

After you sign up, post your Username so we can connect with each other as friends on the CampNaNo site. If you’ve participated in the regular NaNoWriMo, your user name is the same.

Writing Prompt: Let’s think Christmas!

Let’s do a Christmas writing prompt!

Hmmm, what should we do? Oh, I know! Write a short story that has something to do with Christmas. Any genre. Positive and family friendly. Maximum word count: 3,000.

Wait. This sounds a bit familiar.

Oh, that’s right! It’s time for the Annual LDSP Christmas Story Contest!!!

If you participate, leave a comment and let us know how it went. If you’re really brave, submit your story to our Christmas Story Contest! Deadline: November 30th! If you want, feel free to encourage your blog visitors to participate and link back here to this post.

(P.S. Yesterday was the official release date for Checkin’ It Twice, volume 2 of the best stories collected through these contests!)

Pre-NaNo Plotting Prep

I have found that I do so much better at NaNoWriMo when I have a basic idea and outline ready to go. Nothing huge or in-depth, but just a bare bones sketch of what I want to write about.

I was googling for ideas and found this great blog post about outlining. If you need some ideas, or just a kick in the pants, go take a look:

http://www.screenwritingtricks.com/2012/10/nanowrimo-prep-campbell-vogler-heros.html

P.S. NaNo starts in 12 days!

P.P.S. Are you doing NaNo this year? If so, let us know how to find you so we can all be friends.

Writing Prompt: An Online Class

Once again I steal from John Waverly (aka Ferguson)…

John found some links to a creative writing class by Brandon Sanderson! (Yes, the SAME Brandon Sanderson that won last year’s Whitney Award for Best Speculative Fiction.)

So for today’s writing prompt—and preparation for NaNo—first go to John’s site and read his post. Then follow the links to one of Brandon’s lectures.

I recommend you choose one that features skills or areas where you think you may be weak or that will help you pre-plot for NaNo.

Let us know in the comments which class you watched, which you liked best, how it helped you, etc.

Writing Prompt: Start Thinking NaNo

NaNoWriMo starts in less than 30 days. One of the keys to being successful is planning ahead.

Today’s writing prompt (which I totally stole from John Waverly and am using here without his permission or foreknowledge) has three parts.

1. Brainstorm ideas for possible novels. Make a looooong list. At least 20 to 25 ideas. Stretch a little. Include ideas in genres that you may not normally write or read.

2. From your long brainstorming list, pick three story lines that really speak to you. Find the ones with the energy behind them. If you want to be really grow as a writer, pick one of your stretch ideas.

3. Write a short paragraph about each idea—along the lines of what you might read on the back cover or inside flap of a published novel. Then let those three story lines simmer for a few days before selecting the one you’ll write during NaNo.

If you participate, leave a comment and let us know how it went. If you’re really brave, post your writing on your blog and share your link with us. Feel free to encourage your blog visitors to participate and link back here to this post.

Writing Prompt: Action

If The Hulk and The Thing got in a fight, who would win and why?

Don’t like those choices? Try Catwoman vs Wonder Woman.

Or Voldemort vs a Thrathkin S’Bae.

Or Mistress Jane vs an Evil Librarian.

Pick two relatively equal enemies and put them together in a scene. Why are they at odds? What’s at stake? Describe the blow-by-blow fight scene, complete with resolution.

If you participate, leave a comment and let us know how it went. If you’re really brave, post your writing on your blog and share your link with us. If you want, feel free to encourage your blog visitors to participate and link back here to this post.

Writing Prompt: Fan Fiction

Fan fiction is when an author writes about characters or settings from an existing work. Usually fan fiction takes the form of a short story, although some have been developed into books and movies. Creating fan fiction is a way to practice your skills as a writer without having to take the time to build an entirely new world or fully develop a character. (Just don’t try to publish it without permission from the original author/publisher.)

Consider the following ideas for stories:

What trouble could Luke Skywalker get into before the Imperial stormtroopers arrive and kill his aunt and uncle?

How did Zafrina become a vampire? And how does she feel about that?

We know about Rilla, but what about Diana Blythe, one of Anne Shirley’s twins? What was her life like? Did she find her one true love?

For today’s prompt, pick a character from an existing work and write a short scene or story about them.

Writing Prompt: Point of View

Write a short story or scene from the point of view of a kitchen appliance—microwave, blender, toaster. You choose.

Writing Prompt: Inciting Incident

You come home from a long, hard day at work and grab your mail from the box on your way into the house. You’re flipping to through the collection of ads and bills when an envelope in the middle of the stack makes you freeze.

Start from there. What is in the envelope? What happens next?

5-Minute Writing Exercise by Rebecca Talley

Stuck? Writer’s block? Unsure where to go from here on your manuscript? Why not try a writing exercise.

You’ll need:

A timer
A comfortable place to write
A notebook
A writing utensil

Ready?

You may wonder why you need to use a notebook instead of your computer. With the internet at the tip of your fingers, your computer can sometimes be a distraction to your writing because it’s so easy to get online and read email, go to Facebook, or surf the internet. For this exercise, you want to eliminate all distractions. It’s only for 5 minutes—you’ll survive 5 minutes away from the internet. Really.

Choose a pair of the following words:

1. Fire—Fish Tank
2. Hawaii—French Fries
3. Snowstorm—Black Bear
4. Bathtub—Dirty Dishes
5. Horse—Sunset
6. Camping—Lost Puppy
7. Snake—Chocolate Chip Cookies
8. Surfboard—Coconut
9. Basketball Game—Thief
10. Earthquake—Parrot

Have you chosen your words? If none of these word pairs appeals to you, choose your own pair.

Set your timer for 5 minutes.

Now, take your notebook and write, without stopping, until your timer rings. Don’t stop for any reason (unless it’s an emergency). Write whatever comes into your mind and try to connect those two words somehow.

Most importantly, do not edit. This is not the time for correct spelling or grammar. This is simply a time to write. Get it out of your head and onto the paper.

When the timer rings, you may stop. If you want to keep writing, that’s even better.

Once you’ve stopped, you can look over what you’ve written. Maybe it’s drivel or maybe there’s a nugget or two you can use.

Keep doing this exercise until you can do it for more than 5 minutes. Try 10 or 20. The important part of this exercise is to get your brain in writing gear and let your thoughts escape your mind, and your internal editor.

Try it, then leave a comment and tell us how it worked for you. If you post your exercise on your blog, leave a link to your URL.

Rebecca Talley grew up in Santa Barbara, CA. She now lives in rural CO on a small ranch with a dog, a spoiled horse, too many cats, and a herd of goats. She and her husband, Del, are the proud parents of ten multi-talented and wildly-creative children. Rebecca is the author of a children’s picture book “Grasshopper Pie” (WindRiver 2003), three novels, “Heaven Scent” (CFI 2008), “Altared Plans” (CFI 2009), and “The Upside of Down” (CFI 2011), and numerous magazine stories and articles. You can visit her blog at www.rebeccatalleywrites.blogspot.com.

Writing Prompt: Setting

This is a two-part writing exercise.

Part 1: 60 second drill

Set a timer and for 60 seconds, list everything you can think of that you could find in a school.

Part 2: Write a story or scene using every word on your list BUT don’t set it in or anywhere near a school.

If you do it, leave a comment and let us know how it went. If you’re really brave, post your writing on your blog and share your link with us. If you want, feel free to encourage your blog visitors to participate and link back here to this post.

Writing Prompt: Old Woman

We haven’t done a writing prompt here for a long time. As I’ve said before, I firmly believe that writing well is a SKILL. Yes, some people are born with more innate talent than others, but anyone who wants to learn to write well can do so.

Like any other skill, writing takes PRACTICE. In my opinion, you should be writing something every day. It doesn’t have to be a novel and it doesn’t have to be good. Just write something. Minimum 250 words. Consider it practicing your scales.

So here’s a prompt that I did with a writing group several months ago. It was really fun to read the different variations, especially from those who picked the same photo.

Let’ start with old women. I love the faces of older women. I got these off the internet. (If you ever need an interesting face, visit www.harrycutting.com. Awesome!)

PROMPT: Pick one of the faces below. This is your main character. Write a short scene with them in it. Any genre goes.

Be brave. Post your writing on your blog & include the photo that inspired it. If you want, encourage your blog visitors to participate and link back here to this post.

Here’s the super challenge: If ten of you do it and post the link to your writing in the comments so we can go read it, I’ll post mine.

Ready, set, write!