WIPjoy Wrap Up - What I Learned

Day 15: Genre of Art That Best Describes Your WIP

As you all know, I took part in #WIPjoy this month. It is a Twitter event that celebrates your Work In Progress and helps authors to connect and encourage one another.

Aside from the social aspect, the part of the fun of the event is that I find most helpful is that it forces me to look at my story from angles I wouldn't necessarily see otherwise.  The amazing Bethany Jennings @simmeringmind  and S.D. Grimm at

@SDGrimmAuthor 

did a flat out awesome job at coming up with the daily prompts.

Some of my favorite ones included other types of art that best describes your story. So for Veridian's main character, tech hunter, Elara Savoya, I used the future noir graphic arts.

Day 29: Fall, food, festivities, and family.

We were also asked to share our writing playlist which was a lot of fun. If you'd like to check it out, its on Spotify here: Veridian Playlist

But it was the more personal questions that really served to help me solidify my main character in my head. 

There was  a question about what my main character's loved about fall.

Or what childhood dreams she had that will never come true...that was a really hard one!

It made me think about her outside of the story...outside of the high stakes drama. What was she like at home?

Day 23: Elara dreamt of the stars.

She loves her family. They drive each other crazy because they work together in the tech recovery game.

I realized they may fight a lot...but they fight best together.

Graphics and playlists aside, I feel like I learned a lot more about my characters and story through this event. 

Overall I feel pretty excited to head into next month's craziness of NaNoWriMo. 

If you are taking part in the race to 50K add me as a buddy. I'm under Raquel Byrnes on the site.

As a reader, do you like to see more than the books? Do songs, art, and other fun stuff get you excited for the story? 

I'm off to plot for #NaNoWriMo. Wish me luck and see you soon!

IWSG, You Can Do the Thing!

Welcome to another installment of the Insecure Writer's Support Group conceived by illustrious Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh! Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG. 

The co-hosts for November are:

Tyrean Martinson  http://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/

Karen Walker  http://karenfollowingthewhispers.blogspot.com/

Denise Covey  http://dencovey.blogspot.com/  

Stephen Tremp   http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/

So this month I am all about encouraging my fellow authors. Whether you're taking part in this year's NaNoWriMo challenge or facing a personal writing struggle, I want you to know that its okay to stumble. 

Its okay to feel overwhelmed or lost in your story. Its fine if you don't have the end worked out. Not too big of a deal if life throws you a curve ball and you don't meet your writing goal...

DON'T GIVE UP.

I've met goals and jumped for joy...and failed to even come close and dove into some comfort food. Just sayin' it happens to all of us.

So I'm here to be a cheerleader, an "I believe in you-er," and overall good vibe sender.

I am going to be doing NaNoWriMo again this year so if you need a writing buddy, just look me up by name.  

Otherwise, my best wishes and warmest virtual hugs are coming your way...YOU CAN DO THE THING!

+Raquel Byrnes 

Guess NaNo's Theme...

This morning I woke up to a guessing game. What is NaNoWriMo's theme this year?  From the looks of it...some sort of fairy tale or perhaps, as one commenter put forth, grandmothers and their wallpaper?  What about you?

Are you participating this year in the challenge?

NaNoWriMo Theme

Heinous, But Worth It

In writing, there is no 'TRY' as the great Master Yoda is so fond of saying. You either 'DO' or 'DO NOT' write a book. Simple and true.

I have gone to many a conference and met people who where 'thinking' of writing a book. They chatted with me happily over lunch and even went on to 'pitch meetings' with agents and editors. Some of their ideas were downright awesome and yet a small percentage of those stories ever get written.

That is why although NaNoWriMo is going to produce some heinously cobbled together, practically stream-of-consciousness, monstrosities...it is totally worth it to participate.

Let me be clear. Getting something down on paper, however disastrous, is ALWAYS going to be better than never writing at all.

I once received some great advice from a writing mentor. He said that the first draft is supposed to be crappy. Its supposed to have flaws and plot holes and repeated words. Why? Because it is a 1st Draft. Just get the story out.

Embellish the setting later. Nit-pic the dialogue after. Weave in some more mystery or romance or zombies...whatever. But write the dang thing first. Finish.

There will be 2nd and 3rd drafts. Polished manuscripts you send out to Beta readers and to contest and agents.

The hardest thing to do is to put your behind in the chair every night and type until you hit your goal. And you have to have a writing goal for each day. Be it word count, page count, or chapters, you don't get up until you reach your goal. Period.

Author Yoda

Anyhoo...I hope you consider participating in NaNo. Its amazingly helpful as a motivation tool. You can join local chapters, plot your progress on their site. Heck, they even sell t-shirts for that solidarity feeling.

But if you are serious about becoming a published author there is only one way to do that. Write.

I hope to see you on the NaNo site! My handle is Rbyrnz. And may the words be with you.