NaNoWriMo: Ready? Set. Go! 
For the third year in a row, I'm taking the challenge. National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo, starts November 1, and I'm prepping for my 2020 project, a women's fiction set on Lake Erie (because that's my jam) with plenty of family drama (write what you know?) and quirky characters (careful, or you'll end up in my novel).

The goal? To write 50,000 words—essentially a short novel—in a month, something I managed in both 2018 and 2019. NaNoWriMo was a game-changer for me. I ultimately cleaned up my messy, ugly first draft of "Sutton's Choice" (2018). The final product—many drafts later and now 80,000 words—is in the query trenches, and my 2019 project is in the editing phase.

I'm stoked. On Nov. 1, I'll start something quite new. And how about you? Want to join me?

Why is it worth the time? 

1. To get the story down. In 2018 and 2019, I did not have time to second-guess every word. To meet the goal, I had to quickly lay the roots of the story and worry about the nuances later. This stopped my natural tendency to overanalyze my grammar and ideas, and it allowed me to write more freely/naturally.

2. To have a goal with concrete deadlines. I love a challenge, and NaNoWriMo is definitely that. I work best when I have a deadline. Since I take due dates seriously, not following through would have been a fail for me.

3. To create accountability. "Announcing" on my website and on Facebook that I was participating in NaNoWriMo nudged me to follow through. By going public in 2018 and 2019, and keeping my readers apprised of my word count progress, I was compelled to prove (to myself and everyone) that I could finish. I'm hoping to prove the same in 2020!

4. To feel a part of something. Writing can be a lonely sport. NaNoWriMo is like a month-long writing workshop at which you can ask anyone anything, at anytime, via the Internet and Facebook NaNoWriMo groups, and get multiple answers to your questions PLUS amazing peer encouragement. NaNoWriMo is a wonderful support system.

5. To provide a rhythm to writing. NaNoWriMo made me a more efficient writer. Knowing I had only 30 days, I wrote daily (regardless of how difficult the subject matter or how easily I could have invented excuses to delay a tricky chapter if I "wasn't feeling it"). I allowed myself to back up and edit just 1-2 pages each day, so I'd get my editing fix in without taking hours away from my writing time. This also allowed me to quickly regain the rhythm of the story and plow full steam ahead with something new each day. 

6. To finish. Messy or not, complete or not, I managed a "first draft" (twice). Though NaNoWriMo 2018 and 2019 produced rough, rough, rough first drafts, the results were still something of which I am very proud. Only with a finished first draft could I reasonably begin edits on a publishable final draft. 

NaNoWriMo is not for everyone, but for those who can look past the messy first draft, and see the nugget of gold beneath, the process is totally worth the time and effort.

Ready? Set. Go! Good luck and happy writing, my NaNoWriMo friends.

#WritingCommunity ​#NaNoNites #AmPrepping #Writer #NaNoNoWriMo2020 #WIP #MotivationMonday #MondayMotivations #WednesdayWisdom #WritingTip #WriteTip #SCBWI #fiction #amquerying #NaNoWriMo

On November 1, the brave of heart pour forth all the lovely characters, settings, fantastical creatures, possibly post-apocalyptic plots ('cause, well, reasons), and/or personal doubts and writerly insecurities stored up for months.

Our NaNoWriMo goal? 50,000 words and a complete novel draft in the month of November.
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Sounds crazy, yes, but it CAN be done. I've successfully managed it two years in a row with my women's fiction projects, "Sutton's Choice," 2018, and "Sutton's Second Chance," 2019. I've just recently pushed "Sutton's Choice," fully edited and now complete at 80,000 words, out of the nest and into the query trenches. I've never felt more productive than in the past two Novembers. The NaNoWriMo process has, definitely, upped my writing game. I LOVE the deadline and structure of preparing for this process.

Here are a few tips for getting started. 

The very basic basics of preparing for NaNoWriMo 2020:

1. Create an account. Without a NaNoWriMo account, you won't really feel bound to pursue your goal. It takes only a few minutes to sign up, and it's free. Even if you choose not to follow through, the website is brimming with writing tips. 

2. Set it up. Where do you want this to take place? Time of year? Whether it's a little town you've been to many times before or someplace completely fictional, write down the basics of your setting. City? Region? State? Planet? If it helps, sketch a map of the surroundings. If the setting is real, create a folder on your laptop to stash helpful links to pull facts from later, as you need them. An easy resource is the area's Visitors Bureau website, which may provide historical information and photographs.

3. Get to know your characters. Listen to the voices in your head. Create mini character profiles. Give each character his or her own page in your notebook and add potential names, appearance, age, occupation, any connection you'd like them to have to other characters, interesting mannerisms, speech patterns, how they dress, etc. This is tons of fun and can be added to before, during, and after NaNoWriMo. Through character profiles you can also get potential ideas for conflict, if you don't already have a plot in mind.

4. Create a SHORT plot synopsis. Once you've got some interesting characters to play with and a place to let them play, jot down potential "What if?" scenarios that allow your characters to interact. Which scenario interests you most? Which would be easiest to write without a lot of research (Writing within one's knowledge base may help reduce stress). Which plot idea creates the most conflict? Once you hone in on a potential plot, attempt to write a short 1-2 paragraph synopsis. Like the back cover of your favorite book, it should not be too long but with enough details to draw in a reader. 

5. Glimpse the beginning, middle, and end. Whether a planner-type who takes all of October to fully prep for the big event—spread sheets, blocked off calendar, play list, 30-page synopsis, and a brand new coffee mug—or a "pantser" flying by the seat of one's drawers, try to have a general idea of how you want your story to begin, what specific actions/plot points might happen midway through the story, and some sense of what happens to end the story. In other words, what is point A and point B and what possible pitfalls will your characters see/experience when traveling down that path? 

That's it, really. With the above steps, you've got a base. I can guarantee, those characters are likely to take a few wild turns, and they might even send you down a completely unexpected rabbit hole, but at least you'll have some sense of where you'd like to go. That's all you need to participate in NaNoWriMo 2020.

Frankly, it's all I had last year and the year before, so just do it. Let the creativity flow!

For more tips, check out my other NaNoWriMo posts in October/November 2018 & 2019. 

Good luck and write on, NaNoWriMo folks!

#amwriting #NaNoWriMo #NaNoWriMo2020 #writingtips 

Usually, my posts are geared toward improving the craft of writing, catching grammar mistakes, overcoming writing procrastination (something I've battled this past month), etc.

Today? Today, I go back to basics — ABCs and 123s.

What came first? I'd like to say ABCs. Without basic literacy—the ability to read or write—it would be nearly impossible for a child to understand a math problem. Without basic literacy, children would struggle with every other subject in elementary school. As an adult, he or she may not be able to order food from a menu, get a driver's license, be eligible for college, sign a check, know how much a shirt costs at Target ... or even know if their own child is dyslexic.

Certainly, they would not be able to read a great American classic. And that's a shame.

When I lived in the Pittsburgh area for over 20 years, I spent a good bit of my time advocating for early childhood literacy. I ran a couple of district-wide fundraisers to bring thousands of dollars worth of books into Penn-Trafford School District's five elementary schools and served as library aide for one elementary library for about five years, prior to becoming a news reporter for a community paper. I ran the library, autonomously, four days a week, every week, for kiddos in Kindergarten through fifth grade. We rhymed with Dr. Seuss, climbed a magic treehouse, got tangled up in Charlotte's web, and even hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express. 

It was, decidedly, one of the most rewarding times of my life.

I am most proud of my past efforts to get non-readers interested in reading. Library mascot Buddy the Bookworm and I challenged the students to read 4,000 books, as a school, in my first year in the library. By the time I "retired," those students were reading more than 10,000 titles annually, schoolwide. I spent an entire day on the roof of the library, bundled up with umbrella in hand, as classes stood in the bus loop, between raindrops, to hear me recite "The Cat in the Hat" as my "punishment" for all that reading.

The memory brings tears to my eyes. 

Those kids taught me what hard work means, and, hopefully, I taught them the value of a good book.

That lesson must be taught as young as a parent can possibly teach it—from birth, if at all possible. That is why I am very excited to support the statewide Ohio Governor's Imagination Library (OGIL), in coordination with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which can be found worldwide. 

As a Port Clinton Rotarian, I recently served in a publicity capacity on the Ottawa County, OH, Imagination Library steering committee, helping to bring United Way's OGIL program to area children. I highly encourage anyone with a child—birth to age five—to register to receive FREE monthly books, because early literacy is the key to later success.

Start your child's reading journey!
A passion project of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine, OGIL provides children from birth up to age five, regardless of family income, with a new book each month at NO COST to the parent or provider. Studies have shown that improving early literacy leads to better education and training, improved employment outcomes, less poverty, and reduced crime. The books, which are mailed directly to each child, are selected by a panel of early childhood literacy experts.

To enroll a child in Ohio Governor's Imagination Library in Ottawa County, OH, visit https://www.unitedwaytoledo.org/take-action/united-way-in-ottawa-county/ and click on the “Register Now” tab.

Anyone interested in supporting this cause may contact United Way in Ottawa County, 419-734-6654, [email protected]. OGIL matches all community funds raised, dollar for dollar. Every $1.05 donated provides one new book for a child.

READ early and read often!

#ImaginationLibrary #AmReading #BooksForKids #DollyParton #UnitedWay