National Novel Writing Month is almost upon us!
Yes, it's a whole October away but preparation for such an endeavor starts now. Will you be participating? This will be my first year to join nearly 700,000 writers who participated last year.
I'm so excited!
I've been planning everything I'll need. It's good to start early, right? Right?
Other than my laptop/notebook and pen and imagination, I think I'll need the following:
Write-A-Thon by Rochelle Melander
Shut up and Write! by Judy Bridges
Coffee (caffeinated, of course)
Poems and quotes that spark the imagination (mostly on my Pinterest boards which you can find here or here.)
M&Ms and NERDS
My neato-guido NaNoWriMo tumbler you can find here.
My awesome support group of writer friends
Can you think of anything else I'll need? Let me know in the comments!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Summer!!!!
Hello!!
Summer is upon us and our stories are waiting. So whip out a pen and paper or laptop and get busy! Here are a few story starters to help you begin. I'll be posting more later so stay tuned!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Summer is upon us and our stories are waiting. So whip out a pen and paper or laptop and get busy! Here are a few story starters to help you begin. I'll be posting more later so stay tuned!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Friday, May 2, 2014
Criticism
Criticism: 1. the expression of disapproval of something or someone based on perceived faults or mistakes
2. the analysis and judgment of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work
I LOVE The Fault in Our Stars, a beautiful novel by John Green. Apparently, not everyone agrees with my opinion because I saw their feelings about the book on Amazon.com reviews. It made me think about criticism for authors from readers, not just from editors or professional critics. It hurts to be criticized, especially when the critic doesn't really know what they're talking about and is just plain mean. So how does an author not get discouraged when people are slamming their novel? After all, giving up cannot be an acceptable solution.
I believe there are simple ways to stay positive when your work is criticized. See below.
1. Check your work. The person who reviewed your novel might have a point. If your work has already been published, make sure you don't make the same mistake again. If you can't find the problem they mentioned, ignore the review. Sometimes people have problems with the theme of a book - something you shouldn't change.
2. Avoid outlets for criticism. Okay, your work has been published and you're doing well. You go onto a website that lists your book and you see a "Reviews" section. DON'T CLICK ON IT. Sure, you might want to just check out the five-star reviews but that isn't healthy either. Don't get discouraged when people tear you down and don't get a big head when people build you up.
3. Keep positive. Not everyone is going to love your writing. Get used to it. Move on. You write to release your soul, not make it rich. So what if it isn't a New York Times bestseller? Try again. And again and again, if necessary.
Writing is meant to be fun - don't let critics tear you down!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
2. the analysis and judgment of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work
I LOVE The Fault in Our Stars, a beautiful novel by John Green. Apparently, not everyone agrees with my opinion because I saw their feelings about the book on Amazon.com reviews. It made me think about criticism for authors from readers, not just from editors or professional critics. It hurts to be criticized, especially when the critic doesn't really know what they're talking about and is just plain mean. So how does an author not get discouraged when people are slamming their novel? After all, giving up cannot be an acceptable solution.
I believe there are simple ways to stay positive when your work is criticized. See below.
1. Check your work. The person who reviewed your novel might have a point. If your work has already been published, make sure you don't make the same mistake again. If you can't find the problem they mentioned, ignore the review. Sometimes people have problems with the theme of a book - something you shouldn't change.
2. Avoid outlets for criticism. Okay, your work has been published and you're doing well. You go onto a website that lists your book and you see a "Reviews" section. DON'T CLICK ON IT. Sure, you might want to just check out the five-star reviews but that isn't healthy either. Don't get discouraged when people tear you down and don't get a big head when people build you up.
3. Keep positive. Not everyone is going to love your writing. Get used to it. Move on. You write to release your soul, not make it rich. So what if it isn't a New York Times bestseller? Try again. And again and again, if necessary.
Writing is meant to be fun - don't let critics tear you down!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Monday, April 28, 2014
Horror story prompts
I don't particularly like writing horror stories, but I might just have to try the genre so I can use these!! Check it out!
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Empathy
What makes you cry?
I can give you a list of things that bring tears to my eyes: certain books (Fearless, The Fault in Our Stars), seeing people being kind without getting anything in return, people who are impoverished but still give to others, and being able to serve others. Maybe for you it's seeing hurting animals or hungry babies. Perhaps it's when your boyfriend cheats on you or you feel like a failure at school. Whatever it is, you can channel that into your writing.
It's the same for joy and anger and despair. People can relate to each other a lot more easily than they think. If you pour your struggles and victories into your work, the audience will feel the truth behind your words. We've all experienced something similar.
I believe empathy is the most important thing in writing. If readers don't empathize, they won't care. If they don't care, they won't read. It doesn't matter how awesome or heroic the characters are - if the readers don't empathize, they won't read your books.
On a similar note, something I have to remind myself of constantly is reader targeting. Many of my friends and family are interested in reading my work and I want all of them to enjoy it. Is it impossible for a wide audience to be touched by just one person's story? Of course not. But it is ambitious to expect your work to touch and affect everyone in the same way. I want boys and girls, teens and adults, to enjoy my writing alike and that just isn't always possible.
Does that make sense? I'll try to say it a little more succinctly:
If I focus on making a specific character easy for everyone to relate to, no one will relate to them.
Not everyone is the same. Focus on making your character human and don't worry about everyone drawing something from your story. Not everyone will. But I can guarantee you this: the people who need to be touched by your story, will be.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
I can give you a list of things that bring tears to my eyes: certain books (Fearless, The Fault in Our Stars), seeing people being kind without getting anything in return, people who are impoverished but still give to others, and being able to serve others. Maybe for you it's seeing hurting animals or hungry babies. Perhaps it's when your boyfriend cheats on you or you feel like a failure at school. Whatever it is, you can channel that into your writing.
It's the same for joy and anger and despair. People can relate to each other a lot more easily than they think. If you pour your struggles and victories into your work, the audience will feel the truth behind your words. We've all experienced something similar.
I believe empathy is the most important thing in writing. If readers don't empathize, they won't care. If they don't care, they won't read. It doesn't matter how awesome or heroic the characters are - if the readers don't empathize, they won't read your books.
On a similar note, something I have to remind myself of constantly is reader targeting. Many of my friends and family are interested in reading my work and I want all of them to enjoy it. Is it impossible for a wide audience to be touched by just one person's story? Of course not. But it is ambitious to expect your work to touch and affect everyone in the same way. I want boys and girls, teens and adults, to enjoy my writing alike and that just isn't always possible.
Does that make sense? I'll try to say it a little more succinctly:
If I focus on making a specific character easy for everyone to relate to, no one will relate to them.
Not everyone is the same. Focus on making your character human and don't worry about everyone drawing something from your story. Not everyone will. But I can guarantee you this: the people who need to be touched by your story, will be.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Writing prompt!!!!
I have been neither reading nor writing anything of interest to all you wonderful people so I shall fill in with a few awesome writing prompts. :)
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Let it go
I am constantly learning to write. Not how to write, just to write. I am discovered something very important about myself:
I go mad if I don't write.
It's true.
I start getting agitated. I blame it on all the characters and stories building up inside of me, demanding release. Don't they deserve freedom? Shouldn't I be the liberator?
If you are a writer, you know and understand the struggle you face if you keep the story locked inside. Let it out. Let it go.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
I go mad if I don't write.
It's true.
I start getting agitated. I blame it on all the characters and stories building up inside of me, demanding release. Don't they deserve freedom? Shouldn't I be the liberator?
If you are a writer, you know and understand the struggle you face if you keep the story locked inside. Let it out. Let it go.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Thursday, February 20, 2014
A little writing prompt
I'm so sorry I don't have a longer post but I thought you might enjoy this writing prompt I found on Pinterest:
Of course, with the mention of Pinterest, there is the obligatory plug for my own writing board: Be awesome! Be a book nut! which you can find here.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Of course, with the mention of Pinterest, there is the obligatory plug for my own writing board: Be awesome! Be a book nut! which you can find here.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Writing is only half the fun
We've all heard it before:
The more you read, the better writer you become.
Or something like that.
But does this apply to anything? Can we read Berenstain Bears everyday and still become better authors? That may seem like a silly example but the point is that we only become better writers if we read good literature. This does not limit our reading lists to classics such as Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. It certainly doesn't mean pouring over The Scarlet Letter and War and Peace. However, if we are to expand our writing horizons, we must be unafraid to sail the waters of literature. We cannot read Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson a million times and grow any more adept with the pen. Classics do provide us with the mental stretching we need and modern works give us the break between stretches. I love a good romance novel or fanfiction as much as the next girl, I've just realized it isn't expanding my view and abilities as a writer.
I've recently tackled A Wrinkle in Time, a well-known classic that isn't all that hard to read. Little Women and The Wind in the Willows are both examples of good literature that is simple in structure and topic.
Explore the library. Expand your reading. Enjoy the hard work of other authors.
Then apply it to your own work.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
The more you read, the better writer you become.
Or something like that.
But does this apply to anything? Can we read Berenstain Bears everyday and still become better authors? That may seem like a silly example but the point is that we only become better writers if we read good literature. This does not limit our reading lists to classics such as Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. It certainly doesn't mean pouring over The Scarlet Letter and War and Peace. However, if we are to expand our writing horizons, we must be unafraid to sail the waters of literature. We cannot read Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson a million times and grow any more adept with the pen. Classics do provide us with the mental stretching we need and modern works give us the break between stretches. I love a good romance novel or fanfiction as much as the next girl, I've just realized it isn't expanding my view and abilities as a writer.
I've recently tackled A Wrinkle in Time, a well-known classic that isn't all that hard to read. Little Women and The Wind in the Willows are both examples of good literature that is simple in structure and topic.
Explore the library. Expand your reading. Enjoy the hard work of other authors.
Then apply it to your own work.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Thursday, January 2, 2014
What I've learned about writing
All my knowledge about writing (and I will admit that is very limited) can be accumulated into four words:
Write from the heart
All the perfect grammar, impeccable spelling, plot devices, and character traits add up to nothing if it isn't genuine. If all you're doing is making up stories, forget it. It must be real.
I realized this while writing from the perspective of a young man. Being a young woman several significant years younger than this character, I realized I could never make him realistic. I have no brothers, several older cousins I'm not that close to, and no close guy friends to glean information from. This being so, I have had to step back and think about things I do know about. Girls, sisters, parents, horses, writing (duh), optometry, shooting, hiking. These are things I know about. An eighteen year old guy isn't going to be believable, but a fifteen year old girl with three sisters? Sign me up! I have first hand experience and I'm not afraid to use it!
So be real.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
Write from the heart
All the perfect grammar, impeccable spelling, plot devices, and character traits add up to nothing if it isn't genuine. If all you're doing is making up stories, forget it. It must be real.
I realized this while writing from the perspective of a young man. Being a young woman several significant years younger than this character, I realized I could never make him realistic. I have no brothers, several older cousins I'm not that close to, and no close guy friends to glean information from. This being so, I have had to step back and think about things I do know about. Girls, sisters, parents, horses, writing (duh), optometry, shooting, hiking. These are things I know about. An eighteen year old guy isn't going to be believable, but a fifteen year old girl with three sisters? Sign me up! I have first hand experience and I'm not afraid to use it!
So be real.
May your pens stay sharp!
*Evyn
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