As October comes to an end I am pulling my hair out and stressing? Why?
Nano!
For non-writers, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, every year writers (like myself) close themselves away and try to write 1,667 words a day for 30 days to end up with a novel of 50,000 words. If you have writer friends, you understand why we don't talk about Thanksgiving or care about social events in November. It's because we are faced down in our laptops creating a novel from scratch.
October is supposed to be a month of planning for some and here it is the end of October and I still have no idea of what I am writing. So here is my thought process.
Go People Watching.
People Watching
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I go to popular areas like a mall, coffee shop or grocery store with a notebook. People who look interesting or completely boring, I create a backstory for them. I sometimes go a little overboard, so just know if you have ever seen me in person I have probably created a different life for you. My favorite people are those who dress eccentric but are aged. Or someone who is not afraid to wear what he or she likes no matter if they match or make sense.
Check your friends Social Media Posts or videos.
Phone
Photo by Rami Al-zayat on Unsplash
I know most people feel like social media is a distraction, but I don't. People tell things about their lives on there, so I love to take those posts and create a story. I mean me being a friend comes with a warning - YOU JUST MIGHT END UP IN A BOOK! Just make sure you don't use your friend's name or exactly what they're going through, and you should be fine.
Watch TV, especially the news.
TV
Photo by Jens Kreuter on Unsplash
Watching the news, tv shows or movies can give me ideas. Perhaps something doesn't make sense to me, I can create a story from it. Or I watch something with an unclear or unfinished ending and I create something different.
Childhood Memories Are Always a Go To.
Childhood
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As a child I experienced a lot, some were good, some bad and some just interesting. My brother, mom and I can tell stories about our lives and people are thoroughly entertained. So taking a small part of my life and building more around it, always wins in my book.
Read, read, read!
Read
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A good writer always comes from a good book. A scene or a sentence can inspire an idea for you. I like to go outside the box and read books I wouldn't normally read so that I can think outside the box and hopefully come up with something different.
Family Functions Equal Drama.
Family
Photo by Ashwini Chaudhary on Unsplash
There is nothing more filled with drama than a family function. A good family reunion or BBQ always have an overwhelming amount of family secrets and gossip. Take a notebook and take notes, because if your family is like mine you may have your next few books planned out or a good trilogy.
A mood-board.
Mood
Photo by Charles Deluvio 🇵🇭🇨🇦 on Unsplash
Many people use Pinterest to create mood boards. Me I like an old school way. To do an old-school mood board or inspirational board, I sit with tons of magazines I no longer use or want. I cut out pictures, words anything that can be part of my WIP. It's a little time consuming but later you will have it to come back to if you forget what your characters need or want.
A good ole fashioned Word Dump.
Word Dump
Photo by Lauren Peng on Unsplash
When I feel like I am stuck and have nothing to write, I do a word dump. This is where I just write down a whole bunch of words - a grocery list, people I need to contact - whatever is on my mind until a story starts to develop. Or until something starts to make sense. Sometimes it's all gibberish for a while, but eventually, it starts to make sense.
