The Snowflake Method: Part 2

I know that I have posted about the snowflake method before, but that was before I had really used it. Now, as I am preparing for Camp Nanowrimo (which I probably should have prepared for earlier) I have found myself turning to the snowflake method as I sit staring at my computer screen. Let me rephrase that, blank, computer screen.

Let me tell you a story.

You are sitting in a chair one day, pondering life, when suddenly, you could swear that a light bulb went off above your head! You have an idea for a story. This is the one, the idea that will make you as famous as J. K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins. This is the idea that will make you a billionaire and get you a movie series.

You pull out a piece of paper to write down your idea. It's just an idea right now, but you are going to turn it into a book that will be translated into fifty-five different languages.

You start to write an outline. That's when it hits you. You have an idea. That's it. Just an idea. Now, you need a story. That's the hard part.

That's the story. We have all done it. We have all had a fabulous idea and then realized that that's all it was. But I am here to help! Or more, the snowflake method as designed by Randy Ingermanson. I was in the same position as you were in the story above. I decided I might as well go look at that snowflake method since I didn't have a better idea than to just stare at the paper until inspiration struck.

Snowflake method it is! I have found it very helpful in the sense that I discovered things about my characters I didn't know before, it really made me think. So the point of this post is: If you're stuck, try the snow flake method. 

Alysa Tarrant 

The Closet/ The Book Break

I have decided that the book is going into the closet. My book is literally, in my closet, on a shelf, in time out. At least temporarily. I think all books need a time out at least once. Sometimes you just have to step back and not think about it, so when you come back later, whether that's a week, a month, or even a year, you can see your book with fresh eyes. You start to see your characters in a different light.

I shall call this: The Annual Book Break

During the month of April the book I am currently working on (unless I'm really on a roll) will get a month off while I do Camp Nanowrimo, and start another book that will go in the closet during November, Nanorwrimo month and so on and so forth. We will see how this system will go.

Do you give your book a break?

Alysa Tarrant 

Great Authors That Were Turned Down

You have your book all finished and shined up and you finally got your query letter perfect and you send it in to a literary agent and then. . . they turn you down. Wow. Blow to:  the face. But not to be discouraged! Because there are so many authors who are legends, that were first turned down. 

J. K. Rowling: We all know her. She created the world of Harry Potter! Yet she was 12 times and only got published because the little kid of someone wanted to know what happened. She was told she would not have a future in children's book writing. 

Dr. Seuss: I learned to read from this guy but yet he was turned down because he was "too different." He has sold over 300 million copies and his books are still being printed (if I'm not mistaken) today! 

C. S. Lewis: I don't know about you guys but the Chronicles of Narnia were some of the first longer books I read and they have stayed with me for a long time. Yet for years he was rejected.

Beatrix Potter: She had to self publish The Tale of Peter Rabbit because she kept getting turned down! Personally, this has always been a book that is very close to my heart. I feel bad for the people who turned her down because she sold over 45 million copies.

If you want to see more click here.

Writing Tip: No matter how many times you get turned down or how discouraged you get, never, ever give up because if you keep trying, someday your name will go down in history. 

Alysa Tarrant  

Inspriation

The thing about inspiration is that it doesn't come looking for you. You're chances of dreaming up a book one day while lounging on the class are 1:Google (not the search engine, the number), and the odds are not in your favor.

Get out there and look for inspiration. It's just begging to be found but you have to take the initiative to go look for it. So get up off your couch and go walk around outside, go to the library, go grow a garden, go bungee jumping, but whatever you do, look for inspiration. And make sure you write down any idea you have!

I have discovered a phrase that I really love. It is the writing tip of the day.

Writing Tip: BICHOK (Butt in chair, hands on keys)

Alysa Tarrant

The Best Time to Write

Everybody has different times and places they write their best at. The key is to find out where and when yours are. For me, I write best late at night. I also really enjoy writing in a library. There's something about the library and the night that gets my creative juices flowing, not that I sneak into libraries in the dead of night because that would just freak me out. But if you're a horror writer, maybe that's your thing.

I feel like these are some of the most important things about writing, because if you never actually write, you're never going to be a writer.

So here is my question to you: Where and when do you enjoy writing or write you best?

Alysa Tarrant

Bed Rest and Camp Nanowrimo

I have found that being confined to bed has been helpful in the sense that I am actually working on my novel. Just today I had my wisdom teeth pulled out. I'm a bit drowsy from the pain killers but it's actually very nice to be waited on hand and foot. I even have a bell by my bed!

Anyway, between replacing bloody gauze and waiting for videos to load I have been able to work on my novel. I finally made it past 50,000 words! As London Tipton would say, "Yay me!"

Now about camp. If you haven't signed up for Nanowrimo's camp in April, sign up now! You get cabin mates and everything. This will be my first year doing camp but I am honestly very excited. This is more relaxed than Nanowrimo's National Novel Writing Month in November. You get to set your own word count goal and you can write anything from a poem to the world's longest book.

I'm going to actually talk about more writerly things now. If there's one thing that absolutely terrifies me it's when people do stuff in my mouth. I have had two mouth surgeries and I have been lucky because my surgeon does a remarkable job. But nevertheless when I was driving to the surgery place with my mom I got a bit teary eyed. Everybody is afraid of something, including your fictional characters. Take the fear that you feel from something and use it with your character.

Question: What scares you and how does it feel?

Alysa Tarrant 

The Procrastination Stage and the Carrie Diaries

So per my usually weekend habits I was catching up on the Carrie Diaries instead of doing something more productive. On one of the episodes Carrie had to write a paper and she didn't know what to write about. She also decided to procrastinate (and I'm making this show sound much more cliche than it is, I highly recommend this show). Her boyfriend called this the procrastination stage and said that all good writers have one.

It begs an interesting question. Someone famous (I have no idea who) once said that good things come to those who wait. In my opinion that is very untrue. Good things come to those who work their butts off! Hence, I disagree with Carrie's boyfriend. You don't have to procrastinate to be a writer, you do have to take breaks though. But you have to set guidelines for yourself. Say to yourself, "This week I will not work on or think about my writing at all. Next week though I will write another chapter though."

Carrie's boyfriend also said something about writing about what you fear. This advice I do agree with. When you find something that scares you or makes you uncomfortable write about that or use that in your writing. Every character needs a fear that they must overcome. For me this is the hardest part about writing a novel. You have to find their fear and use it against them. Only when you overcome that fear, can they overcome their fear.

And since this post seems to be all over the place I'd like to share a little tip with you. I have found that setting timers really helps me. For example: I want to watch Netflix, edit other people's stories, and work on my own story all at once, but that gets me no where except to my next episode on Netflix. So what I like to do (when I actually have the motivation) is to set a timer for 15 minutes. I tell myself: for this 15 minutes I will watch TV and then for the next 15 minutes I will work on this, and then this and so on an so forth. Sure, you could just look at the clock but a timer (at least for me) makes me work harder, I'm on a schedule.

Question: What scares you?