1_million_words | Entries tagged with challenge: nano!

agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: You did it! You survived NaNoWriMo! Did you make your count, declare yourself a winner, and collect your goodies from NaNoWriMo.org? Did you have your celebratory drink, dessert or chocolate bar?
Even if you didn’t hit 50k, if you got any words on the page at all, be it 10, 100, or 1000…you succeeded!
So celebrate and take a deep breath and relax…
Because the holidays are right around the corner!

Prompt: That’s a wrap (something in your MC’s life comes to an end)

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: What if I write 50,000 words, but I still haven’t reached the end of the story by Nov. 30?
You’ve still technically won! The original point of NaNoWriMo is to get you a complete first draft of a novel by Nov. 30. It will make Dec. 1 that much more satisfying. However, if the story still isn’t done by Nov. 30, just keep going at the same pace until it is finished. You don’t want to lose momentum before the story is done being told!

Prompt: There's long-lost pirate treasure buried somewhere in your hometown. What happens when someone discovers an ancient map with clues as to where it's hidden?

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Don't judge your first draft. Whether it's written in a month or longer, it doesn't matter. 50,000 words isn't a full fledged novel in general, so regardless of what gets written, you'll need to finish the story and edit after November anyway.

Prompt: Incorporate the closest object on your right into your next sentence

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: If stuck, try a change of scenery. Take a notebook outside, to a park, a coffee shop, a mall or the beach or anywhere that might offer inspiration and a different way to look at things. If you typically write on paper, try writing at the keyboard and vice versa. Write at the kitchen table instead of your desk. Anything that offers a shift in perspective.

Prompt: Your main character is on a first date that actually seems to be going pretty well! But then their date says something that changes their life forever.

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Take a break. If you've banked some words, take advantage of that and take a day off. It'll be okay.

Prompt: “I didn’t expect to see you here…”

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Get pep talks and feedback from other writers…and offer it in return. Sometimes connecting with other writers in a similar pickle (and when haven't we all been in the same ruts and quandaries at some point?) is an effective way of getting back to the words.

Prompt: In a stunning turn of events, the citizens of Florida have elected an actual, literal bird to Congress in the midterm elections. How did this happen, and how does it play out

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Write any way” and I think that’s a key part of writing – sometimes the words will flow easily and other times each single syllable will be a struggle to get out, but whether it’s one word or a thousand it all counts. Whatever kind of day I’ve had I try to let that go and focus on my book universe, and write any way, anyway – and I always feel better for it. Also write for yourself no-one else. that’s enough. You don’t have to scry over hooks and trends and chase the “zeitgeist” just write what you need to, because you need to – that’ll help whatever you’re working on to stay true to your vision.”

Prompt: Psych 101. Put your main character on the therapist’s couch. What’s bugging him? What deep-seated issue hasn’t he dealt with? What does he talk about with his counselor that he’d never reveal to another character? What would happen if another character discovered this deep, dark secret? Write a scene about that very discovery. Does your character try to deny it? Freak out? Break down in tears? Shrug it off? Kill or blackmail the person who made the discovery so no one else finds out? Are the other characters supportive, afraid, judgmental? Who leaves, and who sticks around?

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: There will be times you’ll want to quit during November. This is okay. Everyone who wins NaNoWriMo wanted to quit at some point in November. Stick it out. See it through

Prompt: A car appeared on the horizon

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Ask for help with things you usually do. For me, it's the household stuff, cooking dinners and laundry, things I like to stay on top of to make life easier in general. Those things tend to slide in November, and I care less when my family knows it's going to happen, and they're willing to help.

Prompt: Write from the perspective of a character who has your dream job. What is their life like?

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asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com

Happy Monday! If you’re here in the US, this is Thanksgiving week and I hope that you all have something to be thankful for this year. November and December are tough months for me, but I have so much more positive in my life than negative and ya gotta hold onto that, right?

Reminders:

1. Flash Challenge! Your flash challenge prompt is: strength. Give me 100 words or a graphic and I’ll reward you with my undying love and admiration.

2. Last week’s challenges:
Word of the day
Weekend Challenge
Thursday Tropes
A to Z
Numbers
Torrid Tuesdays
Really Random

3. Big Buddy is at 73%. How are you doing? I’m not even close, but that’s okay, too. I’ll get there eventually. The signup post for November is here. Feel free to join in anytime.

asphaltcowgrrl – 10,950

agdhani – 36,500

cmk418 – 36,500

skargasm – 7,300

blackrose_17 – 36,500

flipflop_diva – 18,250

apachefirecat – 10,950

simplyn2deep - 730

4. The Daily Count challenge is going strong. Check the current post here to see when you’re up next. (ETA: as I’m typing this post, it’s lunchtime PST on Nov 21^st, so there isn’t a new post for the count yet. Just FYI, I’m not losing it. Well, not any more than usual anyway.)

5. The long challenge For November is Nano! Check the tag here as agdhani has been posting some great info and prompts the last two weeks.

What do you have planned for this week? Let us know what you’ve got on your plate so we can cheer you on. If you’d doing Nano this year, let us know how that’s coming along as well. Let’s have a great week everyone!

agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Spend a little time reading. All of the creative outpouring needs a little refill now and then, so read. Watch a movie. Watch an episode or two of your favorite show...or try something new in the the style of your WIP...you may find new ideas popping into your head.

Prompt: The lights flickered.

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Listen to an author’s podcast for a change of pace and a different outlook. There are a host of them to be found on YouTube and elsewhere, and you may find just the topic/pep talk you're looking for...and discover a new author in the process.

Prompt: Your main character thought they were signing up for a magic camp where they would be learning tricks and illusions. But instead they find that this camp teaches real magic. What happens next?

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: You may think that there are countless reasons NOT to do NaNoWriMo (or to give up); you don't have time, work is too busy, you've never written anything before, you don't know what to write about, you don't think you can do it, you have too many other commitments.
But if you want to do it, and I think if you've got this far down the list, there's a very good chance that you do, then there really is no excuse to not do it. You should do it for yourself. You deserve to do something like this for yourself that is going to challenge you, possibly bring you joy, and explore your creativity. You don't need much equipment - just paper and a pen and time. And in most cases, you can make time. There is always a little flexibility if you're willing to give up a few other things for a month. One thing I realised during my first NaNo was that you have to sacrifice to make "winning" easier and this was an important life lesson and has definitely helped me learn better ways to prioritise in other areas of my life.

Prompt: Your character breaks an important promise

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Try not to think about what you’ve already written. Let the ideas and words flow unhindered by not worrying about the previous chapter or paragraph. Focus on using your daily time wisely and get the words on the page before worrying about the cleanliness of your manuscript.

Prompt: A secret is about to be revealed

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Don’t let guilt and shame get in your way. Guilt is one of the easiest ways to lose steam. Even if you’re behind, don’t let yourself believe you have already failed. Try to stay confident. You can always pull back ahead…and any words you’ve written by the end of the month are more than you started with!

Prompt: Dream on. What did your character dream about last night? Was it related to her predicament? Was it a ho-hum realistic dream, or a shadowy Jungian hellscape loaded with symbolism (or giant cheese monsters)? Is she a lucid dreamer? If she doesn’t remember her dreams, what about her daydreams or fantasies? Where does her mind wander when she’s drifting off?

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Limit the distractions. If you find that staying off of social media or general web browsing or even your favorite podcast, youtube streamer or show is cutting into your writing time, there are programs available that will make such distractions inaccessible for the specified duration you set aside for writing. Or try writing by hand in a notebook so that those pesky internet distractions are not able to poke their head into your creative time.

Prompt: One morning, your MC wakes up to find a tiger in her house. What happens next?

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haldoor.livejournal.com

( You're about to view content that the poster has marked as potentially inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: When you’re stuck, do something active. Take a walk. Do yoga. Anything that will give you a break from your computer screen. It will help you relax and get the thoughts in your head flowing.

Prompt: Finally, after years and years of hard work, your main character is finally going to get to achieve their dream of going to space. But they almost don't want to go when they find out who is going to be in the spaceship with them

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: find new ways to inspire yourself. Create mood boards for your book. Grab pictures of actors or models that fit your characters. Add pictures of scenes, houses, towns, objects or places of interest. Find art that matches the mood of your story and makes you feel the way you want your characters, and readers, to feel.
If browsing pintrest is too much of a distraction for you, find pictures to print and make a bulletin board to hang over your desk or writing space…or make them into your computer’s desktop screen to provide constant motivation.
But remember, don't let these distractions get in the way of WORDS!

Prompt: Your character wakes up thinking “Oh no, what have I done…”

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agdhani.livejournal.com

Advice: Don’t ditch quality so you can hit 50,000 words. While this may seem to contradict the ‘turn off your inner editor rule’, there is logic to it. The ultimate goal is quantity but you shouldn’t be careless with your writing. You can’t say your manuscript is a story when it is actually a disjointed stream-of consciousness mental regurgitation. The process, the discipline, and connecting with your ability to converse in prose is just as important as the number.

Prompt: Suddenly an important newsflash came on the television screen

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1-Million-Words

Entries tagged with challenge: nano!

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 46/Day 30...You Did It!!!

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 45/Day 29

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 44/Day 28

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 43/Day 27...Our Last Weekend!

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 42/Day 26

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 41/Day 25

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 40/Day 24

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 39/Day 23...Down the Home Stretch

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 38/Day 22

Thankful for Monday? Nah.

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 37/Day 21

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 36/Day 20

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 35/Day 19

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 34/Day 18

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 33/Day 17

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 32/Day 16

Monday on an actual Monday!

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 31/Day 15...Halfway There!

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 30/Day 14

NaNoWriMo 2021! Day 29/Day 13

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