Coming Up For A Peek

Hello to all you NaNo warriors! Just popping out of my cave to see how everyone is doing on their writing adventure. 

I, for one, am woefully behind on my word count.  I know, I know...its still only halfway through.  I can do it....  At least I will try my darndest.

For those of you floundering, tiring, or just plain overwhelmed here is a really cool link to tons of Pinterest stuff on NaNoWriMo.  Everything from writing tips to inspirational quotes can be found there.  Its a great stress reliever too!

Meanwhile I am trying to push forward through my "architect" style of total planning to just get the chapters out.

Its sort of challenging though because I am constantly wanting to go back and edit...which is my usual way of doing things.  I write a chapter, go back and edit it, plan the next one... all very deliberate.

Writing for NaNoWrimo is almost a visceral journey where you follow your gut and overlook things that bug you to move onward.

Argh! Darn my perfectionistic tendencies! 0_0

Anyway...I found this really great infographic on writer's block that was super helpful.

I hope you guys find it as inspiring as I did. I also find that watching movie trailers is extremely focussing for me. Something about the brevity and concise nature of presenting a story idea that really helps me to regain my footing.

Here's to two more weeks of writing like a crazy person!

By +Raquel Byrnes 

Back to Playing

I get to play again!

Its been months of editing and re-editing, proposal and query shaping, and all around UN-FUN writing chores. But now with The Tremblers safely in my agent's hands and NaNo just around the corner, I am Happy Dancing and Celebrating as I start a new book.

I enjoy the planning, the research, and the anticipation of diving back into the sheer fun and fulfillment of just writing.

Photo by p049979

There's a special kind of homecoming when you begin a second or third book in a series. Your struggle and stretching to world-build pays off and you can just grow your universe as the story dictates. I really love that!

This is also the time where I begin to paw through the piles of papers on my desk for my Style Sheet. Because as much as I love the Trembler-verse and all the inhabitants of The Peaceful Union...I sometimes forget name spellings and dates.

I also peruse my PINTEREST page for inspiration and to revisit old designs, locale pics, and character stand-ins.

What do you do to get back into your book universe?

By +Raquel Byrnes 

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Pinterest as Book Research?

I am a huge lover of Pinterest as a tool for writers. I have boards for different books, research ideas, even pictures for inspiration.  Because each photo ideally launches you to a website or blog, there is a wealth of information to be had beyond your idle clicking.

Currently I am working on a steampunk novel, so I was happy to find a huge amount of not only pictures of costumes and weapons, but all manner of images and concept art to help me spark my own ideas of what my developing world might look like.

It doesn't matter what you need to research either. Whether its muscle cars, architecture, amazing locations, and even cuisine. You can find it easily.

Pinterest connects you to photobucket, flickr, Etsy, anything and everything and you don't have to bother with individual website search engines. You don't have to wade through waves of misses before you find what you're looking for.

Photo by Kim Jew

I needed to wrap my mind around a calculating engine, a chemistry set up from the Victorian era, and the internal hatches of a cutter ship.  Guess what?  Pinterest.

Apparently there are even coast guard cutter cookie cutters, if you're interested.

Not to mention the connection to others with similar interests whose boards you can follow. I happened upon so me great forums. The members were very gracious and happy to answer questions...okay, argue about the answer to my question, but still. I learned a lot.


All this to ignore the accusation of Pinterest being a huge time-suck. Pretty much anything can be distracting if you let it. The trick is to use it as a tool and then get to writing!

What sort of online resources do you use to help you with research that falls outside the traditional angle? I'd love to know.