Tag: Nanowrimo

I Got Nothin’

On By John d'AndrioleIn Humor, Writer's Advice, Writing

Writer’s Advice: Er… Um… No, I Am Not Stalling For Time, If THAT’S What You Think…

You wake up, you plop yourself down in front of the keyboard, the desk with your notebook, or a fresh clay tablet and a writing stylus, and…

Nothing. Big blank. Beyond nothing. You’ve discovered an idea singularity, where the smallest notion (once if falls past the event horizon) is irretrievably gone. You can’t even get close to the idea because the singularity is small… perhaps only a little over three solar masses. The tidal forces and radiation would rip you to shreds and fry you. Great news if you’re General Tso’s Chicken*, but not if you are a writer.

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TMI Party Time!

On By John d'AndrioleIn Humor, Writer's Advice, Writing

Word Count

It’s become a bad habit now. I’ve marked up the first 1/4th of the novel but there is SO much left to do. However, I don’t want to make a big to-do out of it. Yes, I meant to do that.

Writer’s Advice: Details! Details! Details!

A few beginner sci-fi writers I’ve met are all about the “world building.”

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Oh, Improptu You!

On By John d'AndrioleIn Humor, Writer's Advice, Writing

Word Count

Seriously, why is that really a thing anymore?

Writing Advice: Bullsh*tting!

NanoWriMo is over, daily word counts are done, a wild stab at writing something long has been stabbed, the horses have all flown, the gerunds have done whatever they do, the last rabid dog has been shot, and Atticus has finally shown Scout that he has the capacity for violence.

Now what?

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You’re Not Original, Except For When You Are TOTES Original!

On By John d'AndrioleIn Uncategorized, Writer's Advice, Writing

Word Count

Needless? Maybe. I’ve started the second draft. In this case, it begins with a chapter-by-chapter critique. I need direction before I start the Bloatening™.

Writer’s Advice: Copy-Catting!

At one writer’s workshop, a published author (whose name is lost to time) told me that there are no original stories anymore. In fact, (he insisted) original stories are impossible. So many books have been published over the last hundreds of years that everything has been pretty much covered.

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Juggling Chainsaws!

On By John d'AndrioleIn Writer's Advice, Writing

Word Count

FIRST DRAFT DONE! It clocked in at a measly 56,491 words. That would make for a thin novel and I want my money’s worth out of this. So the second draft will be all about BLOAT!

And to all the people who said I couldn’t do it, I say: where were you? No one said I couldn’t do it at all.

Writing Advice: Monogamy? Feh!

Two things I want to address: being behind on your word count, and getting another idea during the writing process.

And the answer to both is YES!

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