Get Your First Draft written and never get out of your Sweats.

I attended the most awesome online writing conference this past week. The workshops I participated in were valuable with professional instructors. If you haven't heard of or atteded The Muse Online Writer's Conference, you're missing out. I worked on character, scenes and description. Ann Hite, Devon Ellington, and Margaret McGaffey Fisk. These workshops taught me STUFF. There are many more informative classes too. Like, horror, suspense, dialogue,book trailers, villains, I can't name them all.  I've already signed up for next year.  Lea Schizas and her mods are wonderful and this had to be a large undertaking behind the boards! A big thanks to all of the creators.  And a big thanks to the participants, the bravery they have to put their writing out there to be critiqued, analyzed and read by strangers so we can all learn something is amazing.

And that is why I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I had come across it in my travels on the internet, but never thought that I would be able to write 50,000 words in a month. I am damn gonna try.
I think a little preparation will go a long way to reach this goal.

I am going to apply what I have learned at the Muse Conference:

1. Interview my cast of characters and find out what really makes them tick.
2. Outline, oh drat. It must be done. I'm going to use the plot line I learned from Martha Alderson.
3. Write descriptions of the places my scenes will take place in.

So, Thanksgiving is in November. If you want to join me and many others, get invited somewhere for dinner, get your significant other to make dinner, volunteer at a soup kitchen for a few hours, purchase your dinner from a grocer for heat and eat, or remember what it's really about. Being thankful. I'm thankful for my family although they all live far away from me. I am thankful for my hubby, who works, so I can do what I want, and right now it's writing.

Leave me a comment who you are over at NANO so we can be writing buddies. You still have time to get ready...NOW

A website for writers

In my procratination to do something, anything, but write, I found a website! One that I think will help me with my unthoughts. Maybe, none of you have "unthoughts" but I sure do.  It's when your brain thinks of a thousand things (or more) and none of them is what you should be thinking.

This website is in its infancy? However, the owner is not.  She, Barbara Baig, is a writer, teacher, and a cheerleader to people she doesn't know that want to write. Me.

I decided I need lessons. I need some sort of organization to my writing thoughts. 

The first lesson is to write for ten minutes.  OMG. I thought, ten minutes? Not something I can do, sit and write for a solid ten minutes.  This morning, I did it.  I made a new folder in my documents and labeled it for writing practice.  I opened a new word document and dated it.  I set the timer on my cell phone for ten minutes.  I started typing. The ten minutes ended in faster time than I imagined.  She states if nothing comes to your head keep writing the last word until something does.  I have four places that my head emptied with a repeated word.  But, to my amazement, my mind told me more to write.  And now I believe doing this ten minute exercise each morning will help in clearing my head, directing it in the right places and hopefully STOP my procrastination.

Check it out, Lessons, and see if her suggestions help you.