I Got Published as a Guest Blogger!

I submitted a review for a cookbook to the Clandestine Cake Club about a month ago and they accepted it and PAID ME!  My first paid article... how exciting!  

I cannot post it here but you can head over to their blog and have a read... leave comments... enjoy their website and the many other lovely posts they share.  

It is such a great blog!  I am thrilled and honored to be a very tiny part of what they share with the public.  They also have two cookbooks and you can find more from  them on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

Cookbooks Lynn Hill has published...

on Amazon... not an affiliate link

also on Amazon... not an affiliate link

The NaNoWriMo Wrap...

Weeks one and two I moved through my days pretty well 

and had hope of staying on track 

and then week 3... 

and Thanksgiving 

and traveling to see my parents 

and my daughter 

and not wanting to have my head buried in my 

computer while I spent time with them...

Yeah, all that happened.

I ended up with almost 28,000 words when it was all said and done.

I did a ton of research on the history for my timeline.

I developed some characters.

I wrote some tragedy and joy.

I did some virtual write-ins on YouTube at the NaNoWriMo channel.

I read about the writing process... a lot!

I am developing goals for more writing in 2017.

I am toying with the idea of taking a real live creative writing class.

I will do this again next year.  

I knew by about Saturday/Sunday this past weekend that I was just done for right now.  

I have a super full plate this week and just knew it was not conducive to big chunks of writing time.  So, I put away the big file on my computer with all the writing and research and will use it all at some point if for no other reason than to give me a place to restart and a list of characters to develop more deeply.  

Well, that is it... I did not "win" but I grew as a person and a writer and that really was the point for me this time around.  Time to regroup and make a plan for December.  

The adventures are not over... there is much more to do.

Onward and upward my friends!

NaNoWriMo Lessons from Week 2

Week two nearly KILLED me!  LOL

I lost my focus for four whole days and wrote NOTHING!

I, honestly, had a great reason for not writing, I promise.  I was canning all things pear for the entire week between keeping up with the house, kids and work.  There is a canning post coming, btw.

They were not kidding on the NaNo site that week two is hard.  There was one point where I thought, "What would happen if I did not continue?"  That thought did not last long.  I love my characters so I kept going.  I am going to try and get ahead during week three so that my travel plans and family time don't have to be spent in the bedroom writing while everyone else is having food and fun.  I want to take some time for some photographing of all the family that will be together and the lovely fall surroundings so getting ahead is to my benefit for sure.

I decided that some motivation was in order so I took some time to do a little research and reading on the four uninspired days and got my groove back by Saturday afternoon.

Here is what I did that helped me if you need some ideas.

1.  I loaded a Pandora channel for music of the 1930s.  This is the time period I am writing about and the music feeds my soul so I thought I would give it a try and now I write listening to it for most of the time I write.  Gershwin inspires greatly!  LOL

2.  I added an East Texas history app to my phone for quick research.  It is a quick reference app sponsored and maintained by Sam Houston State University and I LOVE IT!  Click on the button to have a look...

3.  I started a Pinterest board for all things 1930's from clothing and food to historical information about the region I am writing about.  I just scroll through and read from the resources when I am feeling the need for a brain boost to keep going.

4.  I picked up a cookbook on food served in the boarding houses of the area during that time period and one on food, in general, during the Great Depression.

Food typically served in the boarding houses and hotels of the area where I am writing about.

Clara shares her Depression Cooking here in this book and online on YouTube.com.

I also pulled out some old "Church Cookbooks" which have many recipes that have been passed down from church dinners over the decades.  There is also a plethora of videos on cooking in different eras on youtube.com if you just search for them.

Food inspires me, too!

5.  I am continuing to read in the No Plot? No Problem! book and I am attending some of the online writing sessions on the Nano channel on YouTube.com (link below)

I finished up yesterday with 16,458 words written and as soon as this is posted I am taking some time this morning to plug away a bit more at it between laundry and cleaning chores.  There is coffee in my cup and my brain is working.... yes, even on a Monday morning.  So, I continue with a little Ragtime and Big Band music playing in the background.

Hope this inspires you NaNoWriMo writers out there, too.

What do you do to inspire you to write?

How do you warm up for a writing session?

Are any of you reading any writing books right now?  Please share!

Some others sharing their journey....

BoHoBerry

Kristin Martin

Rachael Stephen 

a little sweary but good tips

The NaNoWriMo Channel

Lessons from Week 1 of NaNoWriMo 2016

This might be my best effort for writing, outside of journal writing and blogging, that I have ever made.  Granted, I have not tried to write fiction very often.... maybe three times now?  I have already come across some things that I would do differently if I could go back to October and start again. Here are my current observations...

1.  I would make an outline of my book idea ahead of time - There are two categories of writers in this venture according to the NaNoWriMo website.  There are the planners.  Planners are those who plan out their outlines and characters and do the research ahead of time.  The second kind are called Pantsters.  Pansters are those who start this process with no planning and fly by the seat of their pants for the entire 50,000 words.  There are combinations of the two that are referred to as Plantsters.  They combine both methods with a little planning and a little pantsing to get it done.  I have discovered that I am not a pantster and I need a plan.  Next year I will take October to prepare much better than this year.

2.  I would make a chart for characters - I loved a video I just watched about developing a character notebook and I find myself having to backtrack and make some details about characters that I am coming up with.  Without the character sketch I am finding myself struggling to develop scenarios and responses of my characters because I have not thought through how they would respond.  I need to start a notebook and start developing characters.  I know many writers do this and their stories flow from the characters they have built in their research.  I am starting that notebook now and will keep it ongoing.  When I need characters I will already "know" them to some degree and be able to write more effectively as I tell their stories.

3.  I would have read No Plot? No Problem! in October instead of November - I am enjoying the book very much and reading it slowly as I work through my writing but I wish I had known so much of this before I started.  Next year, since I am reading it now, I should have a better handle on the great information in this book.  I still won't be pantsing it, though.  LOL

4.  I would read other books on writing fiction before starting this process - The more I write the more I realize how little I know about doing this.  I know a good story when I READ it but have no earthly idea how to WRITE one.  I need better skills and knowledge to make this a real success.

5.  I would read FAR more fiction than I have to this point in my life - I have been so into non-fiction for so long I tend to write like that.  I am making a goal for 2017 to read FAR more fiction and historical fiction specifically.  I am a firm believer in reading good fiction to write good fiction.  I think it is super important to read a lot from the genre you want to write in.  I plan to make this new habit a priority.

6.  I would take a creative writing class - This one is HUGE for me.  I have already looked into some continuing education class schedules for the coming year.  I am researching some online writing courses that are legit.  There will be a six week course or two for me in this subject.  I don't believe you HAVE to take creative writing to be a creative writer but my personality is one that needs a class to give me some ground rules to keep me in line.  The ISTJ is not necessarily the best storyteller.... or are they?  I know I like lots of details and research and I love finding little tidbits that are exciting and cool to share.  I think the ISTJ, and me in particular, would be rather good at writing historical fiction.  The only problem is the lack of creative artistic feel to my writing but I don't think that is an impossible obstacle.  I think with a little push in the creative writing realm I could soar at that.  I may never be an award winning writer but I can, at the very least, improve my skills and as an ISTJ that is very appealing.

7.  If you write historical fiction there is A TON of research that should be done BEFORE you start writing.  I am writing an historical fiction work and the more I write the more I have to stop and read things about what I am writing.  I know I could keep going and make it up and correct the inaccuracies later but I stop.... and I read.... and I research... and get drawn into the history... and forget to write.  LOL  I would read ahead if I had it to do over again and for next year I will think through what I want to do and start reading from that time period several months in advance.  I am learning that it takes WAY more than a month to truly write a novel but the daily writing is the best practice I could imagine so I will keep going.

Are you writing a novel this month?

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo before?

Have you learned anything through this process?

Feel free to share your observations in the comments below or link me to a post you have written on your own writing adventures!

Changing Directions for November.....

I am jumping in with an attempt at writing for 30 days.  The goal is 50,000 words toward writing a novel.  I don't know how coherent it will be but I am going to be writing every day for the month at this point.  I am reading No Plot, No Problem right now by Chris Baty.  He is the founder of NaNoWriMo... which stands for National Novel Writing Month... which is officially November.  

I will continue to post here but not daily at this point.  Please feel free to go back and check out my October posts and, if you would, take the little survey from Day 31 for me to give me an idea of what you would like to see more here.   I will be updating the landing page very soon.... it is bedtime right now so my brain needs a break.  LOL

Stay tuned for some book reviews, writing chatter, more recipes and holiday food fun and I will be updating for Advent again this year.  Thanks for stopping by!  Come again soon!!!