Tuesday, November 1, 2016

#IWSG What is Your Favorite Aspect of Being a Writer?

 
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

November 2 Question: What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?

Alex J. Cavanaugh's awesome co-hosts for the November 2 posting of the IWSG will be Joylene Nowell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaard, Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and Christine Rains!

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If you've ever participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) you know the importance of setting goals. With NaNoWriMo, the objective is to write 50,000 in 30 days. Basic math suggests that writing 1,666 words per day will get you smoothly to that goal. Simple, right?

The title of my previous post suggests there is: No Wrong - Just Write-Write-Write!
 
Each year that I've participated in the November event I've learned a bit more about how to become a 'Winner' (completing the goal of writing 50k words.) This year, I made an outline of the basic story, decided on the general progression of the plotline, and laid out the order of scenes. This doesn't mean I confined myself to a narrow framework or a boring ritual, though.
 
On day one, my characters surprised and fascinated me. After layering my basic knowledge of a topic with imagination, I created scenes that never existed until I started typing. Kinda gives new meaning to "let your fingers do the walking." In this case, it's letting them do the "talking."
 
Where else can you be so totally in control of your work? Let your imagination run wild, create extreme characters, build psychedelic scenes or develop an outrageous plotline.
 
This is my favorite aspect of being a writer!

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Applying this freedom to another area of my life, I've decided to change my menu to non-cooked meals, at least during NaNoWriMo. Here is a picture of what lunch consists of for the next 30 days:
 
 



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Are you participating in NaNoWriMo 2016?
    


19 comments:

  1. Being a writer is awesome, isn't it? Good luck with the rest of NaNo!

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  2. Good luck with NaNo! I love doing it too, but my mom is coming to visit for a week next week. So I'm cheering on everyone who is participating this year. You can do it! :)

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Christine. I sometimes wonder if I will develop withdrawal symptoms if I stop participating!

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  3. I haven't participated in NaNo for a while. But the times that I did I managed to crank out the novels.

    Have fun writing and enjoy those non-cooked meals!

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    1. Thanks, Bish. For Kick-Off, it was Shrimp Angel Hair at Old Spaghetti Factory; and Frozen Hot Chocolate at Pa'ina Café for the first Write-In. Not sure if it's the food or writing that I like more during November!

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  4. Actually, your lunch is looking pretty good! Room for guests?

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    1. Always room for one more, Joylene! Bleu Cheese or French dressing?

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  5. That looks like a yummy, super-healthy lunch!
    Best wishes with NaNo! I'm doing it, but forgot to mention that in my post today.

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    1. Best of Success to you during NaNo, Tyrean. It is always a challenge.

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  6. Love your approach, Gail - and lunch looks pretty exciting too. Have a lot of fun and let us know how it goes. All the best.

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    1. Appreciate your encouragement, Nicola. I'll post my results in December!

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  7. Some days will have a different flow than others and that's all right. Good luck with NaNo. At least you're planning healthy meals.

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  8. I wish I could participate in NaNo, but I'm a snail writer, and my life right doesn't give me time to write that much per day. But, I wish you much luck!!!

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    1. Much appreciation for your wish of luck, Cathrina. Starting out is always strong, but the words come slower as the days wear on. Not everyone writes 50K words, but everyone who participates writes more words in November than they would have it they didn't.

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  9. Curious: why non-cooked meals? That just seems like a strange choice and I'm curious as I'm sure there's some logic behind it that I'm simply not seeing.

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  10. Non-cooked meals sounds like a good idea. You could also use a Crock-Pot. Throw a bunch of ingredients in in the morning and by 5pm or 6pm, you have a yummy meal!

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