NaNoWriMo Resources

Check out these links:

(When I have the time, I will put the original links here. For now, I just wanted to make sure you had these resources.)

https://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=my#search/nanowrimo/2

https://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=my#search/nanowrimo/3 (look at past blog post of this blog. Excellent resource!***)

https://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=my#search/nanowrimo/4 (look at past blog post of this blog. Excellent resource!***)

https://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=my#search/nanowrimo/8 (interesting resource/photo/example in here)

https://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=my#search/nanowrimo/10

Stacy Duplease
Inspirational Historical Romance Author
A timeless kind of love... 

NaNoWriMo Countdown: Where is Stacy Duplease's novel and where can I track her progress?

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month of November) starts in 6 days!

This is where you can find my NaNoWriMo novel and the progress of "The Jamestown Passage":

http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/hisfiction/novels/jamestown-passage

Stacy Duplease
Inspirational Historical Romance Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Where to find my upcoming books

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: WWWWW, an H, and a WI Questions (NaNoWriMo Hints and Novel Writing Hints)

Journaling Chronicle: Weekend journaling

My blog: Where to find my upcoming books

WWWWW, an H, and a WI Questions (NaNoWriMo Hints and Novel Writing Hints)

Whether you have your book planned or not, it is good to ask questions about your novel. Ask who, what, where, when, why, how and what-if questions about everything you can think of and write them down on the page. I actually recommend doing this weekly so you can see how your book is coming, where it went, and where it is headed.

Some questions might appear to be the same. But, answer them again anyway, even if it is the same answer. It can stir something up in you and give you another idea or cement the one you already have.

Here are some sample questions:

~ Who is in the novel?

~ What is the novel about?

~ What is the theme of the novel?

~ What is the conflict in the novel?

~ What is the motivation of the hero?

~ What happened?

~ What do you smell in the novel? See? Taste? Feel/touch? Hear? 

~ Where does the novel take place? 

~ When does the novel take place?

~ Why is this story being told (novel being written)?

~ Why is there conflict in the novel?

~ Why does the hero do what they do?

~ Why did the novel start the way it did?

~ Why did the novel end the way it did? 

~ Why did it happen? 

~ How did the story happen?

~ How are the characters growing in the novel?

~ How did the novel begin?

~ How did the novel end? 

~ What-if something different happened in the story?

~ What-if there was more to this story?

~ What-if there was less to this story?

~ What if the story started in another scene?

~ What-if the story ended in a different way? 

~ Write any more questions you can think of here. (I recommend cutting and pasting these questions into a new document and then add some of your own.)

Those are very basic questions. But, here is a more in-depth twist. Ask each of those questions about:

~ Each of the three acts of your book

~ Each chapter

~ Each scene

~ The hero/heroine

~ Each character 

~ Each page

~ Each paragraph

Stacy Duplease
Inspirational Historical Romance Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Where to find my upcoming books

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: NaNoWriMo: How can it be only 7 days away?

Journaling Chronicle: Weekend journaling

My blog: Where to find my upcoming books

NaNoWriMo: How can it be only 7 days away?

NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, begins on Tuesday, 01 November 2011. That's seven days from today, as you well know.

I cannot believe it is coming up so quickly. I do not know about you. 

That means I have 44,100 words to write of my, "A Complicated Christmas" novel between now and then. This makes me want to chew on my nails--and I never do any such thing. There are too many germs there (and I am hardly a germ a-phobe) and it is bad for one's teeth.

I will keep you updated about my progress at my historical fiction blog listed below. It's the top link. 

Now, I am nervous about NaNo. How about you? 

I love the challenge, though! 

Stacy Duplease
Inspirational Historical Romance Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Where to find my upcoming books

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: The Countdown, NaNoWriMo, and Writing Resources for NaNoWriMo

Journaling Chronicle: Weekend journaling

My blog: Where to find my upcoming books

NaNoWriMo Writers: A Writing Resource: A Publishing Opportunity with Smashwords: A MUST READ

I will write a great deal more about this tomorrow...

Do you want to publish your NaNoWriMo book as you go--and after you are finished writing it? Check out the link below for Smashwords.

Check this out: http://www.smashwords.com/about/nanowrimo

Yes. You can self-publish and then submit your book to publishers and have it published later under a publisher. 

This is recommended to self-publish, so you can start a platform and make your writing more salable and publishers will like how you are already marketing your book. So, you might want to do this with Smashwords.

Stacy Duplease
Inspirational Historical Romance Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Where to find my upcoming books

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: Where to find my upcoming books

Journaling Chronicle: Weekend journaling

My blog: Where to find my upcoming books

Writing Resource and NaNoWriMo Advice

Check this out. There's some really good advice found in this blog post:

http://kayedacus.com/2011/10/11/writer-talk-tuesday-tips-and-advice-for-marathon-writing/

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Keep an eye on my writing blog

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: 13 days until NaNoWriMo

Journaling Chronicle: Weekend journaling

My blog: Etc. etc. etc. and other misc.

Book Cover and other preparations for novel writing

It does not matter where you are in your preparation for your novel for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). There are a few steps to always take when you are coming up with an idea for a novel. You might want to grab a journal and go through each of these points one by one.

1 What is the title of your novel? (Even if it is a temporary one.) 

2 What genre is it? 

3 What is a sentence summary and hook for the book?

4 What is a two-sentence summary for the book?

5 What is a four-sentence summary for the book?

6 What is a paragraph summary for the book?

7 What is a two-paragraph summary for the book?

8 What is a three-paragraph summary for the book?

9 What is the back cover (one-page) for the book?

10 Design your front cover. 

11 Start to make an outline.

12 If you have the time, expand your outline and include more subpoints. 

Type and print all of the above out and carry with you at all times for inspiration.

So, where are you in the planning process? 

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Keep an eye on my writing blog

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month Begins 01 November

Journaling Chronicle: Weekend journaling

My blog: Etc. etc. etc. and other misc.

13 days until NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is in 13 days.

How is your preparation coming?

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Keep an eye on my writing blog

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month Begins 01 November

Journaling Chronicle: Weekend journaling

My blog: Etc. etc. etc. and other misc.

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month Begins 01 November

14 days and counting...

I am getting excitedly nervous. I wish it was today. I am at the hurry up and wait phase and want to get this story started. So, I guess I will keep adding more and more sub-points to my outline.

Are you ready? Getting closer? Or are you still searching for either the idea, the nerve to write a novel, or both? 

Just write. It's that simple. You can do it. All you need to do is put in the time and make the commitment.

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Check out my new blog

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: NaNoWriMo Countdown: Do it

Journaling Chronicle: What is journaling? The simplest response

NaNoWriMo Countdown: Do it

NaNoWriMO--National Novel Writing Months starts 01 November 2011.

That's 17 days away!

There is still plenty of time to think of a novel idea, outline, and plan. No worries.

Also, you can be a pantser and not have anything planned and just start writing on, or even after, 01 November.

If you wonder for a heartbeat if you should do NaNoWriMo, do it. Don't let another year go by without pursuing might end up being your dream and your purpose.

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Check out my new blog

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: "What's Your Speed": A writing resource

Journaling Chronicle: What is journaling? The simplest response

What is your plan?: How much writing per day? How many days per week?

So, what's your plan?

How many words do you want to write each day?

How many days per week are you going to write?

With NanoWriMo, the goal is 50,000 words in 30 days. So, that's at least 1667 words per day if you write every day--including on Thanksgiving. If you don't want to include Thanksgiving, that's at least 1725 words per day.

If you want to write only 5 days per week, not including Thanksgiving, you need to write at least 21 days and at least 2381 words per day. 

So, what is your plan now?

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Check out my new blog

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: Check out the new blog

Journaling Chronicle: What is journaling? The simplest response

NaNoWriMo and clearing your schedule

So, you want to write a novel... Have you cleared your schedule so you are able to do so?

Have you put writing on your calendar/schedule at least five days a week? 

Have you told people that you are going to be basically unavailable during the month of November--except for Thanksgiving? 

Have you set your vacation responder in your email so people know it might take you a while to get back to them? 

Just a few suggestions.

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Check out my new blog

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: Check out the new blog

Journaling Chronicle: What is journaling? The simplest response

Experimenting with my writing

As you read in a blog post last week, I started to use Google Docs for my main writing tool. So, I can use it on my cell, on my PC, and on my Amazon Kindle Fire once I get it. Now that I've used it for over a week, I have a confession.

It's even better than I thought. 

My productivity had increased by at least double. Some days, it's been triple-fold. No exaggeration. I am getting far more done and far more quickly. 

Then, two days ago, my work doubled again (on top of the double already from using Google Docs). I couldn't figure out why. Then, yesterday, it went back to what I've been averaging over the last week. Huh. Why? What caused the jump?

Then, in the middle of the night, it hit me. I knew what caused the spike. I listened to country music. I sang at the top of my lungs, danced, and wrote. But, through all the fun, I increased my productivity yet again. Interesting. You would think it would be the opposite. Nope.

So, I tried the country music thing again. Sure enough. I had a spike in productivity again. 

Interesting. 

This is what I talked about in my last blog post. You have to constantly experiment to see what works and what doesn't work when you write... keeping in mind it can evolve and change. 

If you get more done with writing one day, why? What's the difference? If you get less done, why? What's the difference? These are questions to ask yourself. It will help you to ace NaNoWriMo and write the best novel possible. 

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Obstacles and "Yorktown's Dawning": Part 2

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: 18 days and counting until NaNoWriMo

What works and what doesn't work when writing

With the act of writing, there's lots of experimentation. It's a matter of finding out what works for you--and what doesn't.

The fun part (I say sarcastically) is knowing that what works today might not work tomorrow. It's a process of continual experimentation and adaptability. The more adaptable you are, the better your writing will be. 

Stop. Re-read that last sentence once more.

If you are worried about getting blocked, or not knowing what to write when you need to, keep everything I just said in mind. Adapt. Transform. Grow. Experiment.  

How do you want to write your novel for NaNoWriMo? Do you want to hand write, use a typewriter, cell phone, or a computer? If you're using a computer, what program?

Where do you plan on writing?

Experiment with different things. See how it transforms your writing.

Stacy Duplease
Historical Fiction Author
A timeless kind of love... 

My historical fiction blog & latest book information: Obstacles and "Yorktown's Dawning": Part 2

My writing fiction & NaNoWriMo blog: 18 days and counting until NaNoWriMo

The Most Effective Prayer Life: Part 2: Write and the Prayer Journal or Prayer Notebook

In my previous blog post, I talked about how to have the most effective prayer life through WRITE and write. But, I didn’t discuss the ‘write’ part. That’s where this blog post comes to play.

I talked about this earlier in this blog that sometimes it’s necessary to write down, or prayer journal, your prayers. After all, if you’re like me, in my busyness, I forget a great deal of things unless I write them down. Needless to say, when it comes to prayer, why would it be any different?

There are 2 main ways to pray.

~ Prayer on the go (while you do life) (aka bullet prayers; praying without ceasing; etc.)

~ Quite Time Prayer (when you stop life and take intentional time to pray—where you are able to focus on worshipping God and listening to Him; WRITE; prayer-walking; knees; approaching the throne of God; prayer closet/throne room)

The WRITE way of having the most effective prayer life is the Quiet Time way. It’s the sitting down (figuratively or literally) and giving God the time. It’s the worshipping of God and the approaching the throne. This is what you do in your prayer closet (figurative or literal) or prayer spot/recliner/desk/table/walk.

Writing our prayers can be the best and most effective way to pray. Period. Hands-down. End of story. Exclamation point.

Why should we write our prayers?

~ We remember what we’ve prayed and what we’re supposed to be praying.

~ We can keep track of our answered prayer. (This helps us have a record of what God has done in our lives. It is our way to erect a monument so we don’t forget God’s blessings.)

~ It keeps us intentional in our prayer.

~ We can review our prayers and examine our prayers (see last blog post).

~ It brings us discipline and self-control.

~ It helps us to be persistent and consistent in our prayers and in our praying.

~ It helps us to focus and not get off-track while we pray.

So, how should we write our prayers?:

Write them in a prayer journal or notebook. They are both really one in the same.

What does a prayer journal or notebook look like? There are two main types:

~ Paper version

~ Digital Version (put on the computer)

I will talk a great deal more about this in the future. But, this is a start.

~ Stacy Duplease

Remembering Your Present, LLC, Prayer Guard USA, and pj4life (Prayer Journaling for Life)

Author of Biblical Fiction, Bible Studies, and Devotionals

Email: Pj4life1@gmail.com

Blogs:

http://pj4life1.blogspot.com/

http://alifeofseasons.blogspot.com/

http://prayerguardusa.blogspot.com/

The Most Effective Prayer Life: WRITE and write

How can we have the most effective prayer life?

That is the question of all questions for me. It’s the main reason why I am writing this blog (Prayer Guard USA) and Blog book of: “Prayer Guard USA Order of Battle.”

I must confess, I don’t have the answer. (Far from it, actually.) I have portions of the answer, but not the full answer. This is a work of progress inside of me and is active in my life. (I pray this will become a full-time goal for me—and of course for you.) I think over the next several months, and through the years, we’ll all be able to answer this question a little more than we can today. (I hope a lot more, though!)

So, let’s start to explore that question: How can we have the most effective prayer life?

The most effective prayer life is one that is based on: WRITE and write.

Write and:

Word-Based

Review

Ignite

Time

Examine

Now, let me explain what this means.

First of all, the most effective prayer life is an all-the-time, daily prayer life. It never stops or ceases. So, that is always on the forefront.

Next, the most effective prayer life is Word-Based, Reviewed, Ignited, Time-Oriented, and Examined. Then, we’ll discuss the write component.

The most effective prayer life is Word-Based. It doesn’t contradict the Bible. We read the Word before we start to pray, while we pray, and when we are done with our intention sit-down (figuratively—not literally) prayer. That is how we can hear the Lord the most accurately and the most clearly.

The most effective prayer life is reviewed. We go back through our prayers and take note of the ones that have been answered (how and when) and which we still need to pray.

The most effective prayer life is ignited. It’s intentional, alive, active, and focused. We don’t allow ourselves to get side-tracked, if at all possible. If we do lost our focus, we make sure to go right back to praying the moment we realize we’ve stopped.

We need to give it TIME. Every day. All day long. Prayer needs to be our PRIORITY. It must be put first on our planner, schedule, and calendar—not last. We need to plan things around prayer—not plan prayer around other things.

The most effective prayer life is examined. We look for what works, what doesn’t, how to improve, where we’ve improved, more lessons to learn about prayer, etc.

The most effective prayer life is: WRITE and write.

Write and:

Word-Based

Review

Ignite

Time

Examine

In the next blog post, we will look at the write and 6^th step/part of the most effective prayer life.

~ Stacy Duplease

Remembering Your Present, LLC, Prayer Guard USA, and pj4life (Prayer Journaling for Life)

Author of Biblical Fiction, Bible Studies, and Devotionals

Email: pj4life1@gmail.com