In honor of National Novel Writing Month, which kicks off a week from today, I'm happy to welcome special first guest blogger, Dominic Ross!   This post has some great advice for those of us (me included!) who will be participating in NaNoWritMo for the first time.  Thanks, Dominic! 

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(Originally posted on September 1, 2012, during Camp NaNoWriMo)

Yesterday, at 0500 am, 19 hours before the deadline, I passed the 50,000 mark for my Camp NaNoWriMo novel. The best bit is, I haven’t even finished!

Having taken part, I have now got the writing bug. Despite the fact I have been writing (almost) every day in August, I still want to write more. The advantage is that I don’t HAVE to if I’m feeling rough. I thought that if, like me, you are an aspiring writer, or just wanted to have a go at NaNoWriMo, here are some tips for taking part which I found useful:

1. Turn Off Spell Checker:

This may sound odd, but let me explain. I wrote mainly on the Nexus 7 tablet with a bluetooth keyboard in an app called xWriter. For some reason, it didn’t have spell checker on when writing which I found really useful. It allows you to just get the words out without worrying about the spelling and grammar. It allows you to do the hardest part of NaNoWriMo: Write.

2. Write a document per day:

Again, in xWriter, you can create a file which has different pages. I used a file for every day of writing (which happened to be every chapter too) and had a master file which had every day’s writing in one a page. I did this mainly for two reasons: 1 it meant I could keep track of each day/file’s word count and the master word count. 2, it meant that when I came to import the book into Scrivener (my editor program of choice) it would recognise them as separate files, and therefore separate identities, making it easier to move about and edit. I also named each file after the date they were written (e.g.: 3108) so that they would order properly in the app and I knew which file was written when (This would also work if used an embedded file system).

3. Just Write!:

The most crucial thing (and hardest) is to write without editing yourself. If you start going back to edit what you were writing last week, you will never finish in time. If you do suddenly think of something you want to write, make a note of it, either in the same file, at the bottom, or in another file with references back to location. Then, when you are at the editing process, you can go back to your notes and make the edit. The whole point of NaNoWriMo is to write, not edit. That is the next stage, don’t mix the two or you will find it a struggle (if not impossible) to finish in time.
Another tip I thought of which was useful is to use placeholder names. Rather than sit there thinking of the ‘Perfect’ name for your protagonist, use the name of you dad/mum/brother/loved one/goldfish. It will save time in the short run and allow you to continue writing. “But I’d have to change them all later!” You may say. If you’re using a computer to type this up, then most word processors (Word, Pages, Etc) have a ‘find and replace’ function. You ask it to replace every occurrence of ‘Bob’ to ‘Agganemnon’. This will save you a lot of time, believe.

4. Do Not Use Contractions:

You could call this a bit of a cheat, but as long as you are writing, I would see it as an acceptable cheat. Fortunatly for me, it worked with the story anyway as it is set in medieval times, when they would be less likely to use contractions such as don’t, wouldn’t, I’m etc. It does make for a bit of task at the edit, but it does boost your word count.

5. Update Your Progress Regularly:

This is a simple and easy tip, but I found it really useful. When you update your word count, it will show you the stat’s screen which shows you a bar chart and stats about how many words a day you need to finish, you average wordage, etc.

I found this graph and stats very helpful. It is a great motivator to get you going. I hatted seeing the graph plateau, which helped me to keep writing.

7. Don’t Beat Yourself Up If You Miss The Target:

Unless you stay at home all day, or have a very boring job, then writing 50,000 words in 31 days is hard! So if you enter but don’t make it to the end of the word count, don’t get down. You haven’t lost anything (remember, it’s not a competition, just a challenge). There are no medals to have at the end, or prize for the best novel or most words a day. The only prize you get is the satisfaction that you have completed one of the hardest things ever: Writing a book. Even if you started, it’s a start. You must have had an idea to start, so now you just have to continue. 

8. Take A Break:

Once you have finished (completed or not), take a break from the book. Leave it to mature for a while so that when you come back to it, you can be impartial. Writing a book is a big emotional drain (especially if it’s an intense book), so if you start on the editing straight away, you’re going to be a little burnt out (especially if it was a struggle to finish in time). Furthermore, you just finished a book in 31 days, you deserve a break man!

9. Backup, Backup, Backup!:

I cannot stress this enough. You MUST backup your manuscript/files. I had copies of my files on dozens of different devices and locations. I had copies on my Dropbox file, Nexus, Home folders and even my folder at work! I don’t know what I’d done if I had lost all my files in one sudden computer/hard-drive malfunction.
If you are writing by hand, then you can still make copies. I would suggest that you photocopy the pages. Or go really old school and write on carbon paper. Otherwise, keep your manuscript in a fireproof, waterproof, theft proof, alien-invation-proof case and hope for the best.

10. Have Fun:

This is the second most important thing to remember. Like I said, there are no medals for finishing first or writing double the word count, it’s just to write. Have fun! Don’t stress over it! Your files won’t self district at midnight on the 31st day, so you can still write on the first of the next month. I have had a great time writing this novel this August and even surprised myself where the novel took me. It had twists and turns that even I didn’t know it was going to take.

Best of luck, WriMo! 



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Dominic is 28 years old and married to his wife of 7 years with two sons, age 3 & 8. Three years ago he was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (also called Reflex Sympathetic Distrophy) but has continued to work on his local police force in England as a 999 call taker and loves writing on the side.  He also writes articles and reviews for www.pocketdroid.net.  He is currently editing his novel and planning to take part in NaNoWriMo this November!


Check out Dominic's work & blogs here:


fightingeveryday.wordpress.com

buddhatrek.wordpress.com


Show your support for Dominic and his awesome blog post or ask him questions in the comment section below!

          Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later--I think being out of town on Free Flu Shot Day at work might have sealed my fate.  That's right, folks--I'm home in bed with a nasty bug :(  I'm contagious so I can't go to work, so I completed my work for the day from home and have been trying to sleep the rest of the afternoon (and my sickness) away. Unfortunately the fever and aching right down to my teeth won't allow me to finish my afternoon recuperation nap.  So, here I am.  

          I have to admit that while my forehead is on fire and my entire body feels like death warmed over, I feel mentally rejuvenated. When I couldn't sleep any longer this afternoon, I tried watching some television, but all the How I Met Your Mother re-runs got old pretty quick (especially since I've already seen them each at least a dozen times).  Even the "Slapsgiving" episode didn't distract me from my stuffy nose this time--but you know what did?  The idea that popped into my head for the novel I'll be writing for National Novel Writing Month (https://www.nanowrimo.org)! 

          While part of me has wanted to use NaNoWriMo as the time to crank out the second book in my Amelia Grace mystery series, having already completed a chunk of it prevents me from doing so--NaNoWriMo rules state that you must start your novel from scratch and complete it (at least 50,000 words) between November 1 and 30. Since I'm happy with what I've completed on the book so far, I'm not willing to part with it just to re-write in one month.  Ame, Kat & Co. will be waiting for me after Thanksgiving :)  

          As a result, I've been a feeling a little run-down in the writing department aside from being physically sick with a bug.  If I couldn't write about Amelia and her world, I didn't know WHAT I could write about--all the other ideas that have popped into my head have been a bit lacking and have seemed to require far more development than I've had the energy to put into them.  Until today.  

          One idea I've been bouncing off the walls in my brain finally seemed to stick, and I began focusing what little energy I've had on fleshing out an outline for a horror/mystery concept that I'd now like to pursue next month.  After just an hour of working through some plot points, character developments, and a little bit of back-story, I've got a nearly complete outline that I'm extremely happy with.  Even better, after working on the outline I realized that I hadn't even noticed how much my teeth, eyes, and sinuses had hurt (and still do, now that I'm fully aware of them again) the entire time I'd been focused on writing that outline.  Focusing my attention on my story made me feel better than any chicken soup ever would (and I would know--I made homemade chicken soup for dinner last night and lunch today and it didn't make a bit of difference to how I've felt). 

          While many writers swear by outlines and many others are self-proclaimed "pantsers" (writers who skip the outlining process and prefer to fly by the seat of their pants in the plot-development), I've wavered back and forth between both categories.  I start outlines, get impatient to begin the writing process before I forget all the juicy descriptions and dialogues that are building up in my head, and my writing ends up half-pantsed (yeah, I said it.  Go ahead and get your laughing over with so I can get back to my point. I'm waiting.....okay, good).   While my current outline is by no means complete, it's off to a much better start than even my novel that is about to be published.  From the get-go I'm already more satisfied with the plot, characters, and  overall feel of the book. 

          So, I guess outlines really *are* important.  Here comes the cheesy moral of my delirious ranting:  Outlines are the chicken soup for my writing ailment, just like they're now a welcome distraction from the monster sneeze I can feel coming on...Looks like I'm going to have to go find some more tissues. 

          If you write, do you outline?  Do you feel that it's an important part of your writing process, or are you more of a pantser? 

          Love him or hate him (though I don't see how anyone could hate him!), Stephen King is one of America's most prolific horror writers, and his work is EVERYWHERE.   I was beyond excited when I stumbled upon a Stephen King movie marathon last weekend, and my boyfriend and I settled in on the couch for a night of Thinner, Cujo, Christine, and Pet Semetary.  It was gory, horrifying bliss :)

          The next morning, after waking up from a King-induced nightmare about gypsies, zombie cats, and rabid Saint Bernards, I decided to pick up one of his books from my shelf and re-read it.  While I enjoy  his full-length novels like Misery, Desperation (my favorite!), and the like, I'm a huge fan of his collections of shorter stories.  I immediately went for Skeleton Crew, a great collection of his short stories that includes "The Mist," "Here There Be Tygers," "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut," "The Jaunt," and more....and, of course, my personal favorite, "The Raft."

          I'd completely forgotten about "The Raft," since it's been years since I picked up Skeleton Crew.  When the title caught my eyes I immediately flipped to the beginning of the story.  It's about four college students who decide to celebrate the end of summer by driving out to a remote Pennsylvania lake and swimming out to an abandoned raft floating in its center.  Things quickly take a turn towards terror when a mysterious oily, black patch on the surface of the water floats closer and closer to the raft, apparently stalking the two men and two women.  The strange black blob begins to pick off its victims one by one, luring them one off of the raft with its hypnotic swirling colors and even oozing from the cracks in the boards to attack another.  Once the creature has its hold on a victim, it covers them in its black sludge, completely dissolving them as it consumes them. 

        For a short story, "The Raft" is incredibly gory, terrifying, and one of those tales that will stick with you long after you read it (trust me--I first read it nearly four years ago and could still remember the way the sludge oozed through the cracks to attack Deke, pulling him down through the boards inch by inch as it consumed him...ick!)

          After re-reading this short story, I felt a renewed sense of inspiration to finish a short of my own (which I might now develop into a full-length novel) in which a similar creature plagues the streams off the hiking trails of a small mountain town.   Thanks, Stephen King, for inspiring me to get back into that gruesome groove :)

******************************GIVEAWAY ALERT************************************
What better way to celebrate Halloween than to give away a work from the master of horror fiction himself?   Check out the giveaway below to enter for a chance to win your own brand new paperback copy of Stephen King's "Skeleton Crew"!  Once a winner has been drawn by Rafflecopter, I will notify the winner and purchase the copy and mail it to you :)  Good luck!

You're in luck today, kids--below is a small excerpt from my upcoming novel, "Murder At Castle Rock."  Please note that this comes from the rough draft (I haven't received my manuscript back from my editor yet to make revisions), however, I retain all rights to this content and it may not be duplicated without my permission.

Here's a quick description of book's premise:

As the manager and booking agent for Atlanta’s famous Castle Rock concert venue, Amelia “Ame” Grace is ready for the most exciting week of her career: she’s booked three shows and a live DVD-filming for the comeback tour of none other than the eighties Pop Rock Prince himself, Bobby Glitter! Before the rock star can take a bow on the first night, however, trouble steals the show as Castle Rock’s owner takes a deadly tumble from atop the venue’s rear tower. To make matters worse, the police suspect foul play—and all signs point to two of Castle Rock’s own employees. Ame is in a race against time to clear the names of her friends and uncover the truth before the killer decides it’s curtains for her too!

Below is an excerpt from the book itself.  Enjoy!
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          Sighing heavily, I flipped around to lean my back against the door and stared out into the open courtyard.  The vast green lawn stretched on for at least a quarter-mile and was enclosed by a grey ashlar wall that matched the structure of the castle.   The wall was lined with alternating hickory and maple trees, each spaced about twenty feet apart.   The trees were my favorite part of the courtyard, especially during the fall.  During the spring and summer, their leaves made a solid wall of vibrant green, and in the winter the brittle, bare branches jutted in every direction like protective barbs to ward off those punk neighborhood kids who might dare to climb the wall and sneak in the back door for a free concert.  It was in the fall, however, that the trees gave their most breathtaking display.  As the red maple and orange hickory leaves danced in the wind they looked like a moat of fire hovering above the castle wall.  

          Most of my co-workers took their breaks from work in Piedmont Park just a few blocks away, but not me—this courtyard was my own private park.   I often took walks along its perimeter when I needed an escape from my constantly ringing office phone.   Sometimes I’d pretend that this was my castle and courtyard, and I’d pace the length of the fence, mapping out in my mind the additions I would love to make.  Lately I had been envisioning an outdoor stage along the wall, facing inward to the lawn.  While our capacity in either High Court or the Dungeon was one thousand, we could easily fit up to two thousand or more concert-goers in this space.  This would allow us to book bigger, better acts and maybe even double our business.  I had been working up the nerve to pitch these concepts to Parker, and if all went well with Bobby Glitter Week, that success might be just the thing to butter him up before I approached him with my ideas.

          Sometime later I could feel the bass and the roar of the crowd vibrate through the door as Bobby and his band returned to the stage upstairs for their encore.  One show down, I thought, pulling a cigarette from my jacket.  Two to go.   I fished a lighter from the depths of my jean pocket, then lit my cig and took a long, slow drag.  It felt good to finally have a few moments to myself, just me and my thoughts in this dark and peaceful courtyard.  I blew a smoke ring and tilted my face upward to watch its progress as it slowly drifted higher and higher into the night sky.  Through the haze, a dark object appeared to be falling from the heavens—no, it was falling from the rear tower!   What the..

          Time screeched to a halt, and in an instant that felt like a lifetime, the shape of the dark, falling mass came into focus.  It had arms and hands with open palms and splayed fingers.  It had legs that were eerily limp even as they moved downward in a rapid free fall…and in the moonlight, I could just make out a head of thinning chestnut hair…

          Before I could react, Parker Deering’s body careened into the flat ground of the loading dock with a sickening splat, a mere fifteen feet from where I was standing. The horrible sound of bones crunching upon impact sent my lunch on a mad dash back up from my stomach.

          I doubled over and retched.

          Then I screamed.

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Stay tuned for more news about the upcoming release of "Murder At Castle Rock" by Anne Marie Stoddard!

          I've never been much of a blogger (although I definitely pumped out a good angsty Live Journal and Xanga post or two back in my early college years--but those don't exactly count, now, do they?).  They say that not only should writers write every single day--we should blog too.  But about what?  How many posts about writing advice can you read before they all start to run together like a box of melted crayons? 

          Tonight, I'd like to mix it up a little bit.  Forget the "do's" and "don'ts" of how to  get published or market the perfect novel (Don't worry--there will be *plenty* more of those posts to come, but not tonight, buddy!).  Right now, I'm in the mood to talk about what fuels my writing (be it good or bad quality content), and how I got started writing again after taking a nearly 12-year hiatus.

          When I was younger, as far back as kindergarten, all I wanted to do was become a published author.  I spent playtime in kindergarten writing two- or three-page stories about the Easter Bunny (complete with illustrations brought to you by my imagination and a 64-pack of Crayola crayons--I even busted out the fancier shades like "Cornflower," "Timberwolf," and "Purple Mountain's Majesty"  If you've never colored in your sun or stars using "Macaroni & Cheese," you haven't lived, my friend!)  After the Easter Bunny, it was crazy witch stories, then  straight-up horror stories.

          I'll never forget the first full-length story I wrote.  3rd grade, Halloween, Mrs. Oliver's class at Southside Elementary.  The story was called "The Headless Prankster," and bless ol'  Mrs. Lisa's heart--I'm pretty sure she didn't read through the story before she decided to read it out loud to the class.  I have quite a few memories of watching scary movies with my dad and brother from in between the cracks of my fingers as I covered my eyes, and I guess some of those must have rubbed off on me, because my story was remarkably vivid and dark for a nine-year-old. 

          "The Headless Prankster" was about six teenagers (three girls and three boys, of course) who were camping out in the woods when--oh no!--suddenly a storm came and washed their tents away!  On that cliche dark and stormy night those kids found a house out in the woods with one light on upstairs.  One by one they each went into the house, never to return.  When the final teen made it into the house, what did she find?  (Here comes the icky part--seriously, what business did a third grader have writing this mess?)  What else?  A room with a bed, where each of the other teen's bodies lay, and each of their heads was on a pillow.  Oh yeah, and there was also a headless monster holding a bloody scythe. I'll never forget the sound of Mrs. Oliver's voice when she read the next line to the class, the only line from my own story that has stuck with me for nineteen years:  "With of swoop of his ax, the Headless Prankster cut off her head, and it flew through the air, landing face-up on the last pillow."  That story was many things--but the one thing it most definitely was:  colorful.

          For the record, I don't need therapy.  I just had an extremely overactive imagination back then.  I went on to write a few more scary stories in sixth grade (I'll save those for another time, perhaps), but once I joined our middle school's band, my writing life was put on the shelf like an old forgotten paperback.  I stayed in band all the way through my fifth year of college, and--with the exception of the aforementioned Live Journal/Xanga posts and some incredible angsty post break-up poetry in twelfth grade, I haven't really written since until last year when I began "Murder At Castle Rock."  And you know what?  While sometimes I regret all the years I spent not writing, at the same time...I'm glad I didn't.

Now, hear me out.  I know authors say "WRITE EVERY DAY!!"  Well, NOW I am trying to do that---but those unwritten twelve years of my life? They were a gift to my present author self:  They were LIFE EXPERIENCE.  I'm not saying my life OR my writing are necessarily best-selling material, but I know for a fact that my fiction and dialogue are more interesting because of the personal experiences I draw from when I write them. 

          I'm currently writing a mystery series set in the music industry in Atlanta, Ga, and it fits for me because I actually did work in the music industry in Atlanta.  I've created a fictional world that is an altered reality to the music venues I also worked at in Athens, GA in college.  In that world I've created rock stars, venue employees, and even a radio station based on rock stars I've met, people I've worked with, and a culmination of the many radio stations I've worked for.  There is even a scene in my upcoming novel, "Murder At Castle Rock," that is very closely drawn from a real-life experience that I happened to me when (*spoiler alert!*) I nearly wrecked a radio station's cargo van while driving back from a promotional event. My stories wouldn't be nearly as colorful without those years I spent storing up the "Timberwolf" grays, "Cornflower" blues, and "Purple Mountain's Majesties" of my real life to use for later. I wouldn't have it any other way. 

          If you're new to writing, or even if you aren't and you just took a long hiatus like I did, fear not:  In all those years you weren't writing, YOU LIVED.  Now, don't just use your basic 8-pack of colors to tell a bland, unimaginative story--reach into that 64-pack of Crayolas that is your memory bank and draw from those personal experiences.  Feel free to embellish as much or as little as you like, but remember how real those times were for you, and try to capture that on paper.  I can almost guarantee you'll get a better story out of it. 

In the beginning, there was just this site, and just this blog post.  But don't worry, there will be much more soon enough.  Keep checking back for updates on the release date for "Murder At Castle Rock," as well as news about my other works in progress, contests, giveaways, and more!