If You Can’t Write- Read!

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Last year, I was very disappointed with myself with how I was not able to progress that much with NANOWRIMO. I also was not writing that much.

Looking back on what I have been doing – it was not so much as a lack of time, it was more of a lack of discipline. I was spending way too much time doing other things other than writing.

Well, to be fair to myself, I pursued film making more last year, rather than writing. I learned video editing and videography. We even invested in a professional-quality (though not state-of-the-art) camera that can take good videos. Film making on a smartphone can be a good form of practice, but there are a lot of limitations that a gear upgrade could solve. In any case, I did mention in this blog a couple of times that I ended up being the cameraman/producer for my wife’s youtube channel.

Is it really that hard to write?

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What If You Don’t Feel Like Posting Today?

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Let’s face it, as creators, we know that regular content can rake in viewers and visitors, and the more viewers and visitors we have, the more “successful” our blogs become. Therefore, we have this constant nagging in our minds that we have to always have something up our sleeves so our readers can have something worth their while.

It is good for the handful of pros who have a schedule or calendar of things to post. It is just a matter of building a habit of having content ready to go, for the masses who are struggling to craft something, it can be a struggle.

What to do with Blogger’s Block?

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Hello everyone, how are you all doing?

It has been more than a week since my last blog post, and I am fearful to say that I might be losing my blogging habit.

I have fallen back into being fearful of what to post, hesitant on what to write, and have been repeatedly deleting what I have initially written.

I guess NANOWRIMO has taken from me more than just my time, eh?

Then again, work has been hectic. It is the end of the year and well, end of the year is the peak season for work. Most of the time, I just felt drained and exhausted, and out of energy to craft some good blog post worthy of your time to read.

So here I am again, breaking the Blogger’s Block, so I can get back into writing again. This is perhaps one of the benefits of having a personal blog. I can write what is in my mind, without worrying much that this will stray from the theme and content of the blog.

How to Pace The Story

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As a short story writer, one of my biggest problem is how to pace a longer story. It is very tempting for me to immediately jump to the ending once I know how it will go.

For example, if I am writing an adventure story, I more often than not find myself rushing to get the story to the point where things get interesting. That would be fine for short stories that are probably in a thousand words or even less, but for novels, we got to take our time. However, if we slow things down too much, it gets boring.

Great. Now what?

How To Continue Writing an Old Draft #AuthorToolboxBlogHop

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They did say that we must strike when the iron is hot, however, for writers, what can we do about a story that we shelved a long time ago and decided to pick it up again to continue writing?

When it comes to writing, I have a preference for getting it all done in one go. However, for large projects, such as novels, sitting down and finishing it all in one session is near impossible.

I have a problem with shelving ideas and writing. Either I completely forgot the original direction I was going on with the project, or I just lost interest.

However, for the rare gems where the story idea still managed to stick around after months, or dare I say, even years of neglect, how can a writer pick it up, dust it off and get back to working on it again?

Here are some tips to think on. Now, I understand that we all have our own processes and procedures, and what I have here is the process I use. Whatever works, right?

This post is part of a monthly project by Raimey Gallant, the #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop. While I am not much of an author, I hope I can somehow be of help to the community. Most of the writers who participate in this monthly project are leagues better than me as a writer, so I encourage you to check out the participants in this month.

Anyway, back to our main topic – How to continue writing an old, incomplete draft:

Why Book Blurbs are Crucial to the Success of your Novel — Kobo Writing Life

Photographed by John Michael Thomson By Amy Evans In the publishing world, descriptions found on the back of a book or on an online page are often referred to as ‘blurbs.’ Reviews and testimonials are often also included in book descriptions, and are also referred to as blurbs within the industry. For the purposes of…

via Why Book Blurbs are Crucial to the Success of your Novel — Kobo Writing Life

7 Tips to Writing Factions in Fiction — Legends of Windemere

Many stories have a ‘faction’ part of their world. It can be obvious with feuding guilds or opposing armies. Other times, you can miss it because you’re only introduced to one of the groups and merely hear about the others. You can even have factions turn up in a more modern setting in the form […]

via 7 Tips to Writing Factions in Fiction — Legends of Windemere

These are great tips, and I will probably use some, if not most, in the story I am working on.

Bonus points for the picture used.

The Essential Storytelling Ingredient That Makes Your Story More Addictive — Kobo Writing Life

By H. R. D’Costa You’ve come up with an amazing hook for your next novel. It’s the kind of idea that Hollywood would drool over. 1,671 more words

via The Essential Storytelling Ingredient That Makes Your Story More Addictive — Kobo Writing Life

When You Can’t Seem to Write

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Hello everyone. How are  you all doing this fine day?

I hope you are doing well.

In the past few days I haven’t really been up to writing anything. I tried reviewing the outline and draft that I am crafting for my new novel, but I could not seem to get any ideas flowing. It’s one thing when  you are stuck with writing your first draft, but it is another thing when you can’t even get a decent outline out.

Outline. Yes, you read that right. I am actually working on an outline for my novel.

Best Writing Tip To Completing A Novel

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Here’s the best tip I found on how to finish your novel… I wish I had read about it sooner, or I would not be here with a bunch of unfinished works.