Writer's Inspiration for NaNoWriMo

Face it: Writing a 50,000 words within a month isn't easy. There might come a time when you've hit a writer's block, or times when you just feel drained. As if it takes every bit of effort just to open that Microsoft Word document.

But sometimes, all we need is a little dose of inspiration to stir our passion and get us back to typing again. And what better way to do that than to remember all the reasons why we love to write?

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"The beautiful part of writing
 is that you don’t have to get it right the first time,
unlike, say, a brain surgeon." 

~Robert Cormier

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"If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories,
novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music,
you automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful.
I have never had a dry spell in my life,
mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting.
I wake early and hear my morning voices
leaping around in my head like jumping beans.
I get out of bed quickly,
to trap them before they escape."

~Ray Bradbury

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"Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile
initially scared me to death."

~Betty Bender

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“Don't worry about what you're writing
or whether it's good
or even whether it makes sense.” 

~Lauren Oliver

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"Writing is a form of therapy;
sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint
can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear
which is inherent in a human situation." 

~Graham Greene

nic519 via photopin cc

"And by the way,
everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it,
and the imagination to improvise.
The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." 

~Sylvia Plath

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"The trick to writer's block is to sack up and write through it, you see." 

~Jeph Jacques

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"All worthy work is open to interpretations
the author did not intend.
Art isn't your pet--it's your kid.
It grows up and talks back to you." 

~Joss Whedon

visualpani via photopin cc

"Writing is a job, a talent,
but it's also the place to go in your head.
It is the imaginary friend you drink your tea with in the afternoon." 

~Ann Patchet

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"Every first draft is perfect,
because all a first draft has to do is exist." 

~Jane Smiley

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Which of the above quotes is your favorite? Do you have certain writing quotes that you keep on hand during NaNoWriMo?

Giveaways:

• Enter to win an Amazon gift card, plus a free copy of Purple Moon! Ends 11/8
• Enter to win an Ellie Sweet ebook of your choice by Stephanie Morrill! Ends 11/11
• Enter to win an autographed copy of Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury! Ends 11/11

Guest Post + Giveaway: How to Be a Real Teen Writer by Author Stephanie Morrill

I am thrilled to have the wonderful YA author and teen writer expert, Stephanie Morrill, on my blog today to discuss how to be a real teen writer. Stay tuned to find out how you can win a digital copy of her latest release, The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet!

Stephanie Morrill lives in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and two kids. Her only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee, so career options were somewhat limited. Fortunately she discovered a passion for young adult novels and has been writing them ever since. Stephanie is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series, The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet, and the award-winning Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft into a Published Book. She enjoys encouraging and teaching teen writers on her blog, www.GoTeenWriters.com. You can also find her online at www.StephanieMorrill.com

Social media links:

Twitter: @StephMorrill https://twitter.com/stephmorrill

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Morrill/96655061611

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/stephaniewrites/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2769171.Stephanie_Morrill

Blog: www.GoTeenWriters.com

How to Be a Real Teen Writer by Stephanie Morrill

I have had some readers who, after reading The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet, which is about a teen writer pursuing publication, send me emails saying, "I want to do what Ellie does. I want to be a real writer!"

I totally get that. I wanted that too! It was very hard for me as a teenager to admit to myself that I wasn't ready to be published. Not only were my stories far from ready, but I didn't yet have the strength to deal with heavy criticism, the pressure of deadlines, or the time commitment of being a modern day author.

But I also don't believe my teenage writer years were a waste. Rather, I think it's because I devoted so much time in middle and high school to writing that I had success in my twenties. Here are seven things I did as a teen writer that paid off:

• I wrote and wrote and wrote. And wrote. And wrote some more. I always had a story going. None of them are any good, but I learned from them all.
• I took whatever English classes I could at school - AP English, Shakespeare, Lit into Film, and Creative Writing.
• I talked about being a writer. My friends and teachers and youth coaches and basically anyone who would listen to me talk about it knew that I wanted to write. I think that caused me to put some pressure on myself to not give up.
• I read a lot of classics and saw a lot of Shakespeare plays. Mostly out of requirement, but they serve me well now!
• I read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It was part of our AP English class, and it totally shaped me as a writer.
• I watched Gilmore Girls. Okay, that's kind of a joke...but Rory Gilmore was a really inspiring character to me. That's what gave me the idea to start keeping a book in my purse at all times.
• I went to a writers conference in high school. My parents are the ones who found it, and they pulled me out of school for the day. My dad went with me, and neither of us had a clue about what we were doing, but I absorbed a lot that day.

And here are three things I wish I had done:

• Read for pleasure more often. My school was pretty rigorous, especially my English class, so I know that's part of it. I also think I just didn't know how to choose books for myself. My senior year of high school, I started wandering around Barnes and Noble and buying random books. I "discovered" Jodi Picoult and Alice Hoffman that way, and I still love their books.
• Paid better attention to grammar lessons. Why did I not think it would be important for me? It's fortunate for me that I became critique partners/best friends with a grammar genius, and that I know how to use my Chicago Manual of Style. Otherwise...
• Taken the time to learn story structure. I didn't because I was of the mindset that stories were something you felt. That it was all about gut and instinct. And it certainly is, to a point. But, man, I could have saved myself so much time if I'd bothered to learn the basic three act structure!

I hope these lists are helpful to you and that you can learn from my mistakes!

And now for the giveaway!

Back-Cover-Blurb:

For once, Ellie Sweet has it all together. Her hair now curls instead of fuzzes, she’s tamed the former bad-boy, Chase Cervantes (she has, right?), and her debut novel will hit shelves in less than a year. Even her ex-friends are leaving her alone. Well, except for Palmer Davis, but it can’t be helped that he works at her grandmother’s nursing home. Life should feel perfect. And yet, it’s not that easy. Ellie’s editor loves her, but the rest of the publishing biz? Not so much. And they’re not shy about sharing their distrust over Ellie’s unlikely debut. Ellie has always been able to escape reality in the pages of her novel, but with the stress of major edits and rocky relationships, her words dry up. In fiction, everything always comes together, but in real life, it seems to Ellie that hard work isn’t always enough, the people you love can’t always be trusted…and the dream-come-true of publishing her book could be the biggest mistake she’s made yet. 

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10 Ways to Defeat Writer's Block During NaNoWriMo

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It's November. You're sitting in your favorite writing chair with a hot cup of coffee next to you and you open your laptop, preparing to meet your daily word count for NaNoWriMo. However, there's just one problem: when you place your hands on the keyboard, nothing happens. You've hit a road writer's block. Realizing that this has happened, you get up from your laptop and decide to take a day off, hoping that the block will be gone by tomorrow.

If you've ever experienced writer's block, you might be guilty of allowing it to hold you back. I know I am. However, it is time that we stop letting writer's block keep us from meeting our daily word count, especially when we're on a deadline or participating in NaNoWriMo. So what are some ways to defeat this writer's block rather than letting it defeat us?

1. Remind yourself that your first draft does not have to be perfect. Perfectionism is one of the most common forms of writer’s block, and it is also the most threatening. When I begin to write, I always think about a lump of clay. It has to go through a molding and shaping process before it can be turned into a beautiful piece of pottery. The first draft is your molding and shaping process. It is during the edits and rewrites when you can begin to turn your lumps of clay into something beautiful—however, if you don’t have anything to mold, then you won’t have anything to work with. How are you supposed to clean if you haven't even created a mess to clean?
2. Don’t have the intention to make your story a best-seller. Instead, pray that you will be lead by the Spirit to create the story that He has placed on your heart. Ask God to lead you throughout the process of writing your first draft, and try to brainstorm ways in which your story will minister to others.
3. Create a private (or public) board on Pinterest. I’ve done this with every book I've written, and I have found it extremely helpful. Not only is it nice to have a collection of pictures so you can visualize the story as you write, but it is also a great cure for writer's block. I've even had new sub-plots, characters, and even setting ideas spark just because of one simple picture.
4. Create a playlist of songs that can relate to your story. I have found many songs that seem to be written just for my stories. When you come across these songs, write them down. Listen to them when you feel stuck, or turn on the playlist as you write. I personally like to create a new station on my Pandora app for every book that I write. For example, when I wrote my second book, I created a country music station on Pandora. And every time I had an urge to listen to country music, I wouldn't allow myself to listen to it until I was writing.
5. Stay inspired and passionate about your story. Stay inspired by reading writing quotes, blog posts that push you to keep writing, and books on the writing craft. Stay passionate about your story by asking yourself why you wrote it, what you hope your readers will take away, how you can relate to your protagonist, your favorite elements of the story, etc. I like to write down the answers to those questions, just in case I ever stumble upon a writing block and need a few doses of inspiration/passion. I have collected a other ways you can stay inspired and passionate, which you can find here. 
6. Have the ending of your story in mind, even if you’re panster. How do you want the reader to feel when they close your book? I’ve found that having the ending of my story in mind takes off a lot of pressure when I begin to write. Writer's block is often caused when you just have no idea what to write next. However, you can prevent this by having the ending in mind, as well as having at least a "vague outline" of what is going to happen in your story.
7. Take necessary breaks, set realistic daily goals, and reward yourself when they are met. One cause of writer's block is simply exhaustion. It’s okay to take a short break every once and a while. In fact, it’s healthy for your writing. Walk around the neighborhood, work out, eat chocolate (contradictory, I know), watch television, etc. I’ve found that rewarding myself helps as well. For example, I tell myself that I can read a chapter in the book I'm reading once I have written a certain amount of words. Doing this simply motivates me to continue writing.
8. Write at a specific time every day. Maybe you’re someone who writes best in the mornings, or maybe you’re less distracted at night, when everyone else has gone to bed. Whatever the case, I have found that setting certain hours for myself every day and treating my writing as a job forces me to keep writing, even if I do come across a writer’s block.
9. Make your NaNoWriMo-ing fun (yes, that is a word). You can do this by finding a comfortable/inspiring place to write at—such as a comfortable leather chair, your dining room table that overlooks a pond outside, or maybe even at a coffee shop. If you like to listen to music as you write, turn on your writing playlist. Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea. Burn candles. Anything that will cause you to look forward to this time every day rather than being tempted to procrastinate. I wrote a post a few years ago on how to create a space specifically for your writing.
10. And finally, don’t stop, even if you come across a writer’s block. When this happens, refuse to give into the temptation to quit. Instead, find a way to tear the block down. Once you continue writing, you will find that the block you had been fretting about so much had somehow disappeared! They are never truly as big as we think they are. So keep writing, because your creative juices will flow more freely the faster that you write. 

Since writers tend to create the writer's block themselves, defeating it ultimately begins in the head. Continue stirring your passion for writing so you will not have a reason to allow a writer's block to keep you from writing. Passion for our stories should always create a motivation to tell it. Remember that the quicker you write, the quicker someone will have the opportunity to read your amazing work of art. So write, and refuse to let the scary, intimidating writing block monsters scare you away. Remember: The monsters are only in your head. You have more power over them than you think.

~ ~ ~

How do you defeat the writing block monster? Have you tried any of the ways that I mentioned? If so, which one helped the most?

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