For the Love of Books Podcast

How to survive NaNoWriMo 50k word challenge ending up with a rough draft of a novel

That is the million-dollar question that today's panelists authors Jean Davis, Vera West, and Emma Palova will attempt to answer. There is not a one size fits all guideline to win the 50,000-word challenge coming up in November.

At times, the challenge reminds me of final exams in college, when you had to pull it all together in one month, and in four different subjects. As authors, we each have a different approach to getting it done. I like to have some kind of pillars to rely on kind of like a suspended bridge, not necessarily a full-blown outline, but rather a synopsis as Davis suggested.

Davis has been participating in NaNo for 17 years, which has increased her productivity immensely. Out of that, she won 15 times. West enters every year but does not always win. So far, she has won once.

"For me, any progress is better than none," she said.

True, if you enter and get 10,000 words written, that's 10,000 words more than you had before entering.

These experienced NaNoWriMos offered invaluable tips in the special episode: Have two projects in the works in case you get stuck on one, and work hard in the honeymoon phase at the beginning before exhaustion settles in.

Don't go back to fix anything, keep moving forward even if you don't like the way the story is evolving; you might not like it two hours later either.

"There are two ways to go about it," Davis said. "First you can outline that you have to write 1,667 words a day, secondly you can just work on something like I do."

Whichever way you pick, just stick to your commitment.

Find out what to do when you do get stuck. And we all do, indeed.

Sponsored by Doc Chavent and The Lowell Ledger

 

Author Kate Meyer publishes ”The Red Couch” an adult coming of age novel

Kate J. Meyer is an author, speaker, therapist, and minister living in West Michigan with her husband and two chocolate labs.
She self-published her first novel in July 2021. The Red Couch, available on Amazon, is an adult coming of age novel about a woman named Toni, whose life is nothing like she imagined it would be; in fact, it is a mess! When Toni returns to Lake Harbor, WI to bury her grandmother, she does so intending to leave again asap. So when she is challenged to stay for a mysterious project, she's reluctant. Is a shoebox of old letters worth the risk of staying? Here's to hoping!
Kate participated in her first NaNoWriMo in 2020 and can now announce that that book is under contract to be published with Lake Drive Books! Keep up to date with the launch date and other information by subscribing at www.katejmeyer.com.
Kate also hosts the weekly series 'Mental Health Mondays with Kate' videos are available via her blog on her website and on social media.

”Mystekos Fall” portrays the ideal of balance in fantasy and real worlds

In her Mystekos season series, author Amy Klco takes on the big theme of creating a balance between fantasy and real worlds.

In the second book, "Mystekos Fall" of the Lake of Two Worlds series- Emily returns to Camp Tender-Heart- and to Mystekos-only to find new trouble waiting for her.

All four books are a product of Klco's participation in the National Novel Writing Month, even though the first book took 12 years to write, while the second book took only the month of November.

You can win the four-book Mystekos series by emailing Amy at enchantmentpress@gmail.com

 

 

Power your NaNo 2021 authors offer tips to win the 50k word challenge

With the National Novel Writing Month better known as NaNoWriMo just around the corner,  NaNo authors Jean Davis, Sara Shanning, and Kristine Brickey share their insights from their experiences in conquering the word marathon.

According to all the panel participants whether you hit a writers' block, crossroads in the plot, or the midway slump, you just keep on rolling.

"Just keep on writing," Davis said.

 

Author Brenda Hasse pens ”A Victim of Desperation” as a National Novel Writing Month book

Author Brenda Hasse has participated in the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November multiple times. Her most recent NaNo book is "A Victim of Desperation" based on a true story about human trafficking.

Her most recent book, romantic suspense, is "A Cursed Witch" with a setting in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1828 when body snatchers stole dead bodies from "kirkyards" and sold them to the local medical college for 8 to 10 British pounds.

Listen in for a chance to win a free signed book of your choice.