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Camp NaNoWriMo Recap: Day 2

Avery Hemlock

At 6:31 I was awake, but dreading sitting down at my keyboard. I have a huge love/hate relationship with starting a new novel. I’m always itching to write, but getting the ball rolling is easier said than done. It’s hard to get out of your own head and quit thinking about the finer details and just get some words on the page. That’s what Camp NaNoWriMo is all about: Getting words on the page. Which is exactly what I did today!

What I accomplished today:

I whipped chapter 2 into shape! Then I wrote chapter 3. Most of my word count came from chapter 3, but chapter 2 was my victory for the day. I’ve barely started chapter 4, but I’ve already had one fight! Yay! I love writing fight scenes. There’s nothing quite like a fight scene to get the blood pumping and the words flowing.

Snags Along the Way:

Today I was just tired. I’m in the process of refining in my caffeine intake and it’s trying to kick my butt. Chapter two was still a struggle. It’s the first chapter I’m writing in the POV of my second (Alpha) main character. In most books I have more trouble tweaking the omega partner to fit what I need, but this Alpha is just a cave-Alpha today and doesn’t want to play nicely for me. Let’s hope Blake likes a cave-Alpha in the bedroom! 😉

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 4242

Ending Word Count: 6,578

Total Words Written: 2,336

After thoughts:

I hoped to be a little further along by this point, but I’m happy to be on track to finishing camp this month. Now, that chapter 2 is out of the way I can work on the rest of the book! I definitely will be tweaking the plot after I finish the next few chapters. Overall, I’m starting to find my flow.

Happy writing fellow campers!

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Now Available: Healer’s Oath Book 4 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga

Avery Hemlock

Just when the Hemlocks thought Jeb was through causing trouble, they discover their work isn’t over yet.

When omega Lee Knight wakes up in a strange bed he doesn’t remember crawling into, his life takes a turn for the bizarre. It’s not only the strange house and faces he doesn’t recall. It’s everything he experienced before waking up. His whole life is gone. Unsure of even his own name he must trust the man who calls to his soul to guide him through the perils of his past to reclaim his memories and the lost part of his soul.

Alpha Bane Hemlock is best known for his medical practice and loyalty to his pack, but when new information and old memories test the bounds of kinship, he’ll have to decide what’s most important to him. Hours after meeting his true-mate he’s faced with the most challenging medical dilemma of his career. The true-mate he spent centuries waiting for doesn’t recall their first meeting. Their connection is undeniable, but Lee’s amnesia leaves Bane knowing more about his mate’s troubles than even Lee does.

When medicine and science fail to provide answers from Lee’s strange amnesia, he and Bane must journey to the Other World to discover a remedy. When the past and present collide, what does the future hold for these true-mates?

Catch up on the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga with Healer’s Oath!

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Camp NaNoWriMo Recap: Day 1

Avery Hemlock

I was up early this morning and ready to get a jump on things. Last night I dreamed that Blake (my omega main character) came to my house and ate all of my avocados (my current breakfast addiction.) I got so mad at him, but then he said they were his pregnancy craving and I couldn’t be mad at a pregnant person. It wasn’t until I woke up I realized that he wasn’t pregnant yet. Yep, it’s day one and my characters are already dream trolling me. #Lifeofawriter

What I accomplished today:

Chapter one was more or less written before today rolled around, but I needed to flesh out a few of the finer points of the beginning of my novel. I took most of my writing time today to smooth out Blake’s rough thoughts (my whole series is first person pov.) Chapter one is done!

Then I moved onto chapter two. I won’t go into a lot of detail about Blake’s love interest because of SPOILERS, but at the start of the day he wasn’t as well fleshed out as Blake. He still needs some work and so does chapter 2. That’s future (Tomorrow) Maggie’s problem, though. I know the goal of NaNoWriMo in general is just to write, but I’ve always had my own style of doing things. If I’m not satisfied with the beginning of a novel I can’t move on.

Snags Along the Way:

Whether you’re participating in Camp NaNoWriMo or writing a book any other time of the year you’re going to hit a few bumps in the road. Okay, usually it’s more than a few. I’m usually the no excuse get your words done sort, but I’m the first to admit life loves tossing curve balls at my head during the start of a project.

This time it was a sinus headache from the heater and of course nicotine issues. For those of you who don’t know I quit smoking after 15 years on January 13th of this year. I’m still on the gum and sometimes still struggle to get things done. Before I quit, I chain smoked my way through every book I wrote.

Healer’s Oath was well underway by the time I quit. Yes, there was a learning curve to writing without smoking. I write slower now than before, but not as slow as I worried I would. Though, this book is still a learning curve for me. It’s the first book I started without smoking. Now that it was time to put my nose to the grindstone I caught myself reaching for my smokes every time I paused to think about a line. My word count for the day reflects as much.

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 2739

Ending Word Count: 4242

Total Words Written: 1503

After thoughts:

Today wasn’t the grand start of Camp NanoWriMo I had in mind, but I’m still ahead of schedule. The hardest part of writing a novel is getting started. In a couple of chapters I can sink into calmer waters and really get some words onto the page!

Happy writing fellow campers!

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My Camp NaNoWriMo Starting Point/Plan

Avery Hemlock

If you’ve missed my previous blog posts on Camp NaNo I’ll use this time to catch you up. For Camp Nano this year I’ll be attempting the full NaNoWriMo experience. Well, almost. I’ll explain that in a minute.

With Healer’s Oath recently published it’s time for me to get to work on Book 5 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga. I’ve been itching to write this novel since Blake walked onto the page. Okay, before he walked onto the page. When he walked into my mind before the book was ever written.

Blake isn’t the normal style of omega wolf shifter I would write about. I won’t go into too many details about Blake yet because of book 4 spoilers. What sort of writer would I be if I spoiled my own book? But for those of you who have read Healer’s Oath you know Blake is a little out of the ordinary for me. No two of my omega main characters are the same, but Blake’s situation is unique from the others in a huge way! I’m really excited to see how that plays out in the plot I’ve very loosely put together. I always tweak my plots as I go which I’ll explain more a little later in the blog.

I say I’m going full NaNoWriMo, because I have every intention of doing my utmost to finish book 5 (yet to be titled!) during Camp Nano. But – I’ve already started working on my novel. I’m about 2,300 words into the book. I’m not worried about that, though. Traditionally the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50k words. Yep. You read that right. Fifty-thousand words. My books vary in length, but it’s likely I’ll write that much anyway if I meet my goal and win Camp NaNoWriMo.

As of right now I plan to post daily writing recaps here the following day. If blogging and writing become too much I’ll likely slack on the blogging. So, in this case no news is likely good news!

My plans for the first few days are as follows:

April 1st: Go through the words I’ve already written and flesh them out. I tend to write the first chapter very quickly and just vomit words all over the page. Then I go back through and flesh out the details before continuing on to Chapter 2.

April 2nd: Finish writing chapter 2 and try to squeeze in some of three and maybe 4. I plan to come in strong and get as much written as I can during the first part of the month. That way if I get tired or slow down later in the month I can still meet my word count goal.

April 5th: By April 5th I hope to make the first tweaks to my plot. Yes, this might cost me a writing day, but will save me so much time later in the month. By the 5th I hope I’m far enough into the story to see if anything major needs switched around. This is the method I use for all of my novels. Healer’s Oath was my most tweaked novel ever. Though, it was also my longest.

April 6th: I’ll be taking the day off to participate in Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon. I’ll post updates on Facebook and here on the blog.


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3 Tips to Prepare for Camp Nano

Avery Hemlock

I love the idea of working alongside other writers across the globe racing to finish a project. My schedule doesn’t always love it, though. This year the stars aligned and I’m using Camp Nano to go full Nano. I’ll be writing (or attempting to) write the first draft of book 5 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga. In this book Lee Knight’s brother Blake will be finding his true-mate who will love not only him, but his precious little boy Baby Duke too. I’ve been over the moon about writing this book since Blake sashayed into my mine as Lee’s younger brother! Camp Nano is the perfect time to bring Blake’s story to life.

Writing a book in a month can seem like an impossible endeavor, but every year writers across the world do just that! Whether you’re looking to write a novel or finish a current project here are 3 tips that help me kick butt during Camp Nano!

1.Clear Your Calendar

Depending on your writing speed and the length of your project you’ll need plenty of time to devote to your book baby! I’m not saying to neglect your life or miss an important occasion, appointment, or doctor’s visit. Just be sure to let everyone know what you’re doing and that you won’t be as available as usual this month. Move any appointments that can wait. Use the extra time you’ve cleared on your schedule to dedicate to your writing.

Bonus Tip: Count up the days you can’t write (Like Dewey’s 24 hour read-a-thon on April 6) and you can make up those words in your plan.

2. Plot and Plan Before Camp Starts

Panters everywhere are rolling their eyes at me. I know it! I see you!

In all seriousness, plotting ahead will save you so much time. Nano is about writing. If you plot your story ahead of time you’ll have more time than to write. Maybe it’s just a bullet point list of the 10 major scenes of your novel, but it will save you time and up your chances of success.

3. Choose Your Tracking Method

The official website offers some limited tracking tools, but I prefer a tracker I can see at a glance. Write Track is my go to tracker. I only discovered this hidden gem last year, but I’m in love. I use this tracker not only for Nanowrimo and Camp Nano, but also for meeting personal deadlines I set for my novel writing. The best part about Write Track is there’s no shaming if you miss your word goal for a day. The program just adjusts how many words you need to write in the future to meet your goal! It’s like a cheerleader who’s always around!

Good luck with Camp Nano! I can’t wait to get started.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the newest book in the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga, Healer’s Oath, check it out now to stay up to date!

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5 Ways to Overcome the Dreaded the Post Novel Writing Slump

Avery Hemlock

Whether you’re writing your first novel or your fifth at some point you have or will experience the post-novel slump. If you’re an avid reader maybe you’ve experienced that empty ‘I can’t believe it’s over and it’s time to get back to the real world now’ feeling after reading the last page of a great book. That’s close to how I felt when I finished writing and publishing Healer’s Oath. I spent almost a year looking forward to writing Doctor Bane Christopher Hemlock’s story and months writing it when the time came. Caught up in the experience I didn’t realize after the excitement of publishing wore off I’d miss him and his true-mate Lee Knight as if they were real people. I should have. This isn’t the first time I’ve experienced the post writing slump. I hit the big publishing button on my Amazon KDP dashboard and celebrated! Doctor Bane Hemlock’s story was in the hands of readers in time for me to consider participating in Camp Nano with a pen pal. I was ecstatic! But- I’d forgotten the slump on the other side. Yikes! With only a few days to break the slump I knew I had to get to work on some serious self-care. Camp Nano was the perfect motivator to get book 5 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga under way. If you’re wondering if I’m participating this year – Yes, I am!

Today in honor of the commencement of writing book 5 of my series I’ll share 5 ways to overcome your post novel writing slump!

1.Get Some Rest!

This may seem obvious, but as a writer it’s not uncommon to give up sleep to finish the story you’ve worked so hard on! Writing is mentally demanding and your brain has went from 90 miles an hour to a complete stop overnight! Take some time and recharge your batteries! Sleep in! Take a nap! Spend a lazy day binge watching your favorite feel-good show! Your brain and creative soul will thank you!


2. Read a Book! (Or 10!)

Most writers took to their craft after falling in love with reading and storytelling. If you’re anything like me your personal reading lays neglected on the nightstand while you bring your own story to life. I always describe the reading frenzy I dive into after finishing a novel like refilling my brain with words after pouring all of mine onto the pages of my book. Reading also reminds me why I write in the first place. I love the experience of sinking into a story and being transported to another world. I love storytelling and imagining readers sinking into my book that way!

3. Reconnect with Friends or Mingle with New People

If you’re rolling your eyes at me because you’re an introvert and need to recharge your batteries alone, don’t worry! I’m not saying to drag your writing slump rear end to a club or other crowded place. Reconnect with people who make you happy. That friend you canceled lunch with last week? Call them!

If you’re looking for a new experience to grow your social circle, but not break your introverted habits look into finding a pen pal. I’ve connected with a few since I started writing Healer’s Oath and they have made my transition through my post novel slump so much easier! Learn about someone else and their part of the world! I know you collect random facts and tidbits to use in your novels later. Pen paling is a great way to reach out and research at the same time!

4. Write Something Horrible You Never Share

Does the thought of writing while in a slump make you cringe and shake your head, but your head doesn’t know how to quit telling stories? Don’t be afraid to write a few bad chapters of a book that doesn’t go anywhere. It’s like a brain dump to get all the bits and pieces out and make room for new ideas. I’ve used this technique after every novel and my bad writing I wouldn’t share with anyone else has inspired some of my favorite stories of the Hemlock Mpreg Universe.

5.Get Active

I know exercise can feel like a daunting prospect when your brain is rebelling against your favorite past time, but even a quick walk around the block can clear your head. I love the feeling of music pounding in my earbuds while I exercise. It blocks out the rest of the world and allows my mind to wander into new ideas, characters, and settings! It’s amazing the things that come up when you get in your body and out of your head.

If you haven’t read the latest installment of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga be sure to check out Healer’s Oath today!