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Les Writing blog, with tips, advice, and my own writing... And Nanowrimo obsession.

Pre-Nano Work: Outline

October 15th 2008 02:04
I haven't actually gotten this far because I'm way behind. (That said, I have pages upon pages of world notes and I have most of my character sheets done.)

But here is an outlining exercise...

Take a piece of blank paper and draw a square near the edge of the paper; this is your border. Write at the top 'Outline' and the title of your story/novel.

Now put all the major events as dot-jot notes basically, giving brief ideas of everything that absolutely must happen.

Make a separate list of things you think would be cool, but which aren't necessary.

Based off of your events that you need and the ones you want, figure out how you're going to have to pace it in storytime in order to get as much as possible in the novel.


You can go further with this, but personally I prefer very basic outlines. As long as I know what order the events need to go in I'm fine. It makes it more fun to write, discovering things as I go.
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When Everything Is Just Too Much

October 4th 2008 23:28
So let me tell you something. School is stressing me out; I'm trying to force myself to go but it isn't working very well. Things at home aren't pleasant either. I'm stressed; so stressed that I've been sick on and off for two weeks now. Nanowrimo is on the horizon.

It's times like these when anybody-writer or otherwise-starts to wonder about all their obligations and if they're worth it. It's times like these when normally I would abandon the blog for weeks at a time; I'm trying not to. It's sort of working. It's times like these when we just want to throw in the towel.

But what do we do? We keep pushing, keep pushing ourselves to the limit every day to do our best no matter how bad we feel. We keep going, doing everything in our power to prove that we are capable people. That we can handle it.


The writer lives this life more than some. We live from paycheck to paycheck in worry; maybe the next one won't exist. Maybe there will be no work. We work hard in competitive markets where we might not make anything. We might just fall on our faces and have to try to pick ourselves up again. It might not even work.

But that is the risk we all take. We all know it's there. And no matter what, we have to keep working. And no matter what, I will keep writing. I will somehow manage 250, 000 words this November. And it will be something to be proud of.

I hope that those of us going through hard times right now-students of any age especially-can push themselves to stay on top of their goals, and to meet them, and to do all the great things, or at least most of the great things that they want to do.
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