Tag: Nanowrimo

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Self Care for Writers (7 Self Care Tips I Learned From Living Alone)

Maggie Hemlock

Before anyone says it: Yes, I should be working on my novel. I’m 30 chapters into a 42 chapter holiday novel. I just need a little change of pace today. I’m tired. I’m brain dead. (Probably from my attempt to cut the soda. That will be remedied soon.) In the mean time, I thought I’d share some self care tips for writers. Though, most of these will be useful for everyone.

1. Do Helpful Things for Your Future Self

Yeah, you don’t want to wash those dishes tonight. Or maybe you don’t want to put the laundry away tonight. Whatever it is you’re putting off doing before you go to bed – do it now. Future you will thank you. There’s no worse feeling than waking up with chores waiting for you.

2. Make Your Own Stress Measuring Scale

Mine is based on those silly little face charts you see in hospitals when doctors ask you how much something hurts. I measure stress the same way and provide appropriate care. If it’s below five I carry on with the day as normal and just make sure to squeeze in some downtime to myself that day. 6-7 I stop right then and do whatever I can to fix the problem (sometimes there’s nothing. It’s just what it is.) If I can’t fix the problem I take some downtime. For me usually half an hour of reading will level me out enough to get back to work. I know this isn’t the case for a lot of people. You can’t just stop working and take a break whenever you like. I write full time at home and have this privilege. Anything above a 7 and something has to change big time. Honestly, since moving I’ve only hit a 8 once and just needed to take a step back and get a new perspective.

3.Schedule Your Goals

I know this one might belong more on a success guide, but for me having a schedule of what I need to do every day to make my goals happen keeps me level headed. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy every step or even want to do that piece everyday, but with everything outlined it’s easier to remember why I’m doing it. The why is what makes the world go round.

4. Meal Prep

I recommend this to everyone, but if you live alone and work a lot of hours this can be a life saver. Cook a lot on day and eat on it over the next few days or longer. Your freezer is your friend. Some days I’d skip lunch if I couldn’t throw something in the microwave and chow down quick and get back to work. I know, mindful eating people, that’s not good, but it’s better than not eating at all.

5. Set aside ‘headspace’ time and stick to it.

There’s this meme all over the internet about spending more time ‘imagining’ or thinking about your story than writing it. This is a healthy part of writing and creativity. Though, if you want to do it long term you really need to get a handle on it. Sure, if you’re laying in bed thinking about your story as you fall asleep you’re probably fine.If you sit down at the keyboard and imagine instead of write you’ll only be frustrated with yourself later. Set a time limit on this and write. For me this is a self care tip, because I write to pay the bills and if I’m not writing the bills don’t get paid. If they don’t get paid there is no such thing as self care in my life.

6. Track your time.

I write professionally. Well, full time and it’s my sole source of income. After I moved, I started tracking my time. No, not limiting my activities, but tracking my working hours to see where my time was really going and what wasn’t working for me. As I’ve perfected the schedule I get more writing done than ever. Last week I wrote for 12 hours and 22 minutes and came in at around 26.5k words. Yes, I write faster than some people and I’m not saying you should aim for any certain time. Before that I was writing about 15 hours a week and pulling in about the same in word count (15-17k.) Tracking my time and making sure I had enough time to do all parts of my job (writing, editing, rewrites, marketing, social media, cover work, etc) allowed me to focus on my writing during my writing time. This has allowed me to have a lot more free time to unwind by focusing on one task at a time instead of being in the middle of a sentence and remembering something else I needed to do.

7. Sleep. Seriously – Get Some!

Before I moved work was my number one priority. I’m a classic workaholic and I’m not happy unless I’m working. BUT I’m not happy while I’m working if I’m dragging ass and brain dead. So now, sleep is my top priority. Sure, it annoys my friends that I disappear so early in the evening and turn my phone on do not disturb, but me and my pillows have improved our relationship. Also, from time and word count tracking I’ve discovered the better sleep I get the more I write the next day.

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NaNoWriMo Last Minute Prep

Maggie Hemlock

I’m not participating in Nano this year, but I’ve participated many times in the past. My life and career also revolves around writing (don’t judge me.)

I know a lot of blogs and videos talk about NaNoWriMo prep in the months and weeks right before the start of November, but what if you’re a chronic procrastinator or decided to participate at the last minute? This doesn’t mean you’re doomed. It just means you have to be creative in the way you plan out your month of writing. If you’re already prepared maybe this can act as your checklist and jog your brain of something you’ve forgotten to do.

Plotting isn’t the end of the world

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Yes, I’m mostly a plotter. I swear by it and none of my books would be alive today without it. Plotting doesn’t mean you have to write a novel length outline of your story. Here are some quick plotting methods to help you get started. Remember, you can always tweak and change of the details.

  • The 3 Act Method: Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. These are the components a book cannot exist without. Grab a notebook or open up your favorite word processor and jot down these parts of your book. You can fill in the other details later as you get to it. Having some direction is better than no direction.
  • Follow the hero’s journey format. There’s a lot of information out there about this so I won’t bore you with it here. If you’ve never heard of it before checkout one of this book.
  • Write down all your main scenes on note cards and put them in order. I love this method because you can easily change the order of events.

Keep a writer’s journal

This is one of my best kept secrets. Before I started dedicating a notebook to this I had notes and scraps of paper all over the place and even pinned to the wall. Now I keep it all in my notebook. Ideas, character info, whether John Doe is blonde or a redhead. What Kelly ate for breakfast. Whatever you need to remember for later jot down. This is the journal I’m using right now. You can even put your plot in the journal if you wanted to.

Ask a friend to read your work periodically

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I know long time writers will cringe at this advice. Stephen King even says to write with the door closed and I do, but in my early days of writing I needed that audience. Also, having someone who is ready to read your work at the end of every week will give you extra motivation to get your words on the blank page.

 

Decide how to track your word count, progress, and work still needed

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I use the free version of PaceMaker.

It doesn’t yell at you for being behind like some do and it allows you to customize your writing plan.

Schedule 5 days in November where you will aim to write 5k.

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I know that sounds like a lot of words and for some people it is. I aim for this number almost every writing day. I know it’s not sustainable for everyone, but hear me out on this one.

Five days of 5k words each is 25k words. That’s half your words for the month. Even if you don’t hit those 5k words – you might get a day or two ahead on each scheduled day. Things will pop up that keep you from writing. As someone who writes full time some days I view the world as a series of obstacles between me and the keyboard.

 

Let me know your favorite way to prep for Nano in the comments.

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Camp NaNoWriMo 2019 Wrap Up

Maggie Hemlock

After taking three days off from working on my novel and blogging it’s time to reflect on the month. Every time I participate in a NaNoWriMo event I always swear it’ll be the last and it is the last time until I forget how crazy it makes me. lol

This year Camp Nano was definitely complicated by undeserving drama in my personal life. All of this taught me I can write through hurricanes, but now after two days of not working I’m still tired. I still don’t have a title for Book 5 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga. Though, I do have a good idea of the next 2-4 books in the series. Some exciting things are in store of the Hemlock Wolves and their mates. Also, some danger brews in the future. To be honest, I’ve spent a lot of the last two days staring into space and daydreaming about future scenes.

Camp NaNoWriMo was fun for the most part. Mostly, it just proved to me I can write through almost anything if I have an idea I’m passionate about. I met my word count and surpassed my word count goal for the month, but I still have a third of the book to write. So, it’s a victory, but it feels like such an odd time to celebrate.



April was my busiest month of 2019 so far.


I’m relieved April is over, but tomorrow I’ll go back to writing on book 5 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga.

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 25: The day that happened.

Maggie Hemlock

I think the title of this blog reflects my current ability to title works of writing. This week has been a roller coaster of emotions and drama and word counts. A week that’s made me think about writers and addictions. It’s almost like the chicken and the egg question.

chicken and egg

As any of my long time followers (from FB and other places) will know I quit smoking on January 13th of this year. I used nicotine gum as my form of nicotine replacement therapy. It’s more than three months later and I’m still on it. I’m working on cutting down and every time I do I have the symptoms all over again of quitting. I know a lot of people would say just go cold turkey! It’s only 24 milligrams of nicotine a day. Not all of it even makes it into your bloodstream. Quitting cold turkey isn’t for me at this point. I won’t bore you with all the reasons why. Protecting my quit is very important to me. It’s my biggest will power accomplishment ever. Yes, this from the woman who writes everyday most of the year. Writing is easy. It’s not writing that’s hard. Even when I need to take a break.

All of this thinking has made me add a topic of writers and addiction to my to blog about eventually. It’s everywhere. You see the jokes about full ashtrays and a million empty coffee cups. Sometimes it’s wine glasses. I don’t really drink. Maybe a glass every year or two. So, that’s not my poison of choice, but it’s out there. Not all writers have any of these addictions, but it’s prevalent enough to acquire memes to support the stereotype.

Yes, I wrote more before I quit smoking. Yes, it was easier, but going back isn’t an option for me. So, I can only go through the process of quitting. I’m a little less than 8k words away from the finish line of my 50k Camp Nano goal. I don’t need cigarettes to write, but I do miss them. I wrote 2,091 words today. Now, I’m off to embrace the fog of nicotine withdrawal until my brain adjusts or tomorrow morning arrives to clear it for a little while.

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 18: An Excerpt from Book 5 of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga

Maggie Hemlock

I don’t have much to say about today’s writing. I’m coming up on some twists that would definitely be spoilers if I talked about them. So, instead I’ll leave you an excerpt from the book.

Sorrow cuts through my life like daggers. Memories of lost laughter echo in the background of my thoughts. During the day I drag my pencil across the page and the pain leaks out. At night it sits on my chest. Then morning comes and I see Duke’s lopsided smile as he climbs into my bed. Two-year-olds are faster than wild horses and he’s the reason I don’t give up. My precious little boy is the light of my life and my daily path out of the darkness.

My parents are gone and I’m farther from home than I ever wanted to be. Lee’s so happy though. Millie and Travis run him and Bane ragged, but at the end of the day they get to fall into bed together exhausted but in love. I don’t begrudge them their bliss. I just wish it was contagious. Things could be worse, but there’s always room for improvement.

“Blake!” Zooey’s voice cut through my thoughts. “I thought we’d find you out here hiding in the trees. What are you doing? Writing the next great Hemlock novel?”

“Maybe someday,” I laughed and slammed my journal shut.

I smiled at the women who became my best friends after I moved to Hemlock Academy two years ago. What started as a work project to aid in Zoey’s self-produced herbalist manual grew into a mutual affection based on music, annoying brothers, and of course being some of the youngest students at Hemlock Academy. It didn’t take long for Lotus to fall into our circle when she returned from her father’s European business trip. While the rest of the world worked on stepping past what was now just called ‘the tragedies’ the three of us lived in the shadows of the events. Zoey still caught the occasional headache from her injury, Lotus had nightmares about large men dragging her from her bed, and I hovered over Lee like Jeb might sneak through the bathroom window and steal him from me again.

These were the things we couldn’t talk about with the others. The Omega Liberation Front solved the problem and saved the day. Every Tuesday and Sunday we attended chatroom meetings of survivors. Lotus and I were invited because of our proximity to the events. I attended them, because it was the only time I heard Lee say he was okay. Most of the survivors were okay now. They lived their lives and pushed away memories as if they didn’t happen. There was only one memory I couldn’t push away at night, but the past fled from the bright sunlight over Hemlock Academy.

  It was time to get down to business, because Zoey’s thick dark trademark Hemlock hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of her head. Her shoulders squared and she looked like Darian when he walked into a pack meeting. I never understood why everyone compared her to Ross. She lacked his gentle nature and tact. She was all bullheaded like the Patriarch and her other Alpha brothers. The man she married better have a steel set of balls, because she’d settle for nothing less. Zoey didn’t hold her punches and I liked that about her.

“Lotus did it!” She grinned as she plopped down on the grass next to me. “The little vixen actually got in contact with The Grim Howlers’ agent and scheduled a conference call for tonight! I can’t believe the operator even put her through.”

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Camp NaNoWriMo Pep Talk: The Importance of Taking Breaks

Maggie Hemlock

Camp NaNoWriMo is the more laid back version of NaNoWriMo. Not everyone tries to push out a novel during Camp, but many people do. Whether it’s your first time or your tenth time there’s a rush and an urgency to the month.

An epic challenge has been laid out before you. It’s a duel you can’t turn away from. The month starts in a mad rush of words flung across the page. We move just as quickly as the heroes of our books jumping into their own new adventure.

As the month goes on we discover we don’t have the stamnia of our heroes. We’re not magical unicorns who never need to sleep! Burnout does happen. I lov the buzzy atmosphere of Camp NaNo, but in my expereince a break will help you write more in the long run. Feeling burnt out today? Take the day off. Tomorrow you’ll wake up refreshed and likely itching to get back to work on your book.

At the end of the day novel writing is like everything else in life: Best in moderation and balance.

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 11: The Day of Blah!

Maggie Hemlock

Some writing days are just better than others. I woke up pretty exhausted this morning despite sleeping in an hour later than usual. I’ve recently cut my nicotine gum down by a 1/4 and I think that’s taking its toll on me. It’s about 5 PM at the time I’m writing this and I’m ready for bed. I’m going to try to stay up a few more hours before crashing.

I’m trying not to get caught up in the fact that quitting smoking is slowing me down in every other area of my life. It’s a good thing to do, but that little ‘nicotine addict monster’ likes to claim I could write so much more if I just smoked. I don’t want to smoke. At this point it’d likely make me sick. I just don’t want to be tired anymore. Oh, tomorrow is another day. I’m so ready for this weekend!

What I accomplished today:

Today I wrote chapter 11 and 12.

Snags Along the Way:

Mostly just being tired. I think I need to write out another plot soon too, but I’m too tired to do that today.

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 20,074

Total Words Written: 2,150

Ending Word Count: 22,224

After thoughts:

I’m going to have to remember slow and steady wins the race. No matter whether I finish this book this month or next – I tried despite being in the process of quitting nicotine.

Goals for Tomorrow:

Tomorrow I just want to meet my word count goals and start my weekend early!

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 10 Recap: Am I pantsing this book??

Maggie Hemlock

This morning I woke up feeling great! Which was a good thing since we’re a third of the way through camp! Though, as I was writing today an odd thought occurred to me. I’ve trashed two plots so far for this novel! The beginning is still coherent and it’s still moving towards the same ending. I knew the ending since before I started writing the book, but the middle has evolved more than any book I’ve written before. For most of my life, I’ve been a hardcore plotter. Knowing what I was going to write the next day and the day after was what kept me going. Now, I know what I’m writing tomorrow. I know what happens in the next few chapters. (Inside my head at least) but I don’t have a plot outlined. Please don’t take my plotter’s membership card away! Lol

In some ways, this has been more fun than usual. I’m not saying I’m converted to pantsing forever, but this book I might be half-pantsing. I feel like I’ve written more in a shorter amount of time since taking the stress of an outline out of the picture. Maybe it changed when I quit smoking. I’m just 3 days shy of 3 months quit now. Maybe it’s unfolding this way, because I didn’t decide for certain I was participating in camp until the last minute (so to speak.)

Whatever’s happening, I’m enjoying it.

What I accomplished today:

Today I fleshed out chapters 7-9 and wrote chapter 10. It’s an exciting part of the story that I can’t wait for you guys to read.

Snags Along the Way:

I really didn’t hit any snags today. It was a nice normal boring (around the house not in my book) writing day. Which, of course, are my favorite sort of writing days!

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 17,329

Total Words Written: 2,745

Ending Word Count: 20,074

After thoughts:

I’m almost 4k ahead of schedule! Which is freaking awesome! But I’ve reworked my schedule to take weekends off. I’m bad at taking vacations from work. They usually last two or three days and I’m back to work. Maybe, I can start taking off days for the sake of taking them off instead of just for errands or sick days.

I’m really excited to write chapter 11 tomorrow. It’s a very unique chapter the likes of which haven’t been seen in one of my books yet. Y’all can’t see my devil horns, but they’re there. I swear! Lol

Goals for Tomorrow:

I’m just aiming for about 1.2k words tomorrow and I hope to finish chapter 11 tomorrow. I spent this afternoon cross checking characters to make sure I had all my details ready for tomorrow.

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Camp NaNoWriMo Day 8 Recap: The Day I Wrote All the Words

Maggie Hemlock

This morning I felt amazing! (Well, once I had my coffee!) After two days away from my novel I was ready to jump back in head first. Okay, fingers first on the keyboard. Last night I dreamed that Blake took my dog for a walk and came back with a parrot. I swear, he’s not that strange in the book, but my dreams have a way of turning the most sane people into total weirdos. The parrot kept chatting about Hogwarts and the O.W.L.s. I think I could do a whole series on ‘weird dreams I had during Camp NaNoWriMo,’ but I’m too busy writing a novel!

What I accomplished today:

Today was my best day of the month thus far. Not only with word count, but now that the first third of my plot is set in stone I was free just to write what I plotted without stopping to considered what would happen next. I went back through a few earlier chapters and fleshed them out and added tidbits to build on throughout the book.

I finished chapters 6 and 7 and started on chapter 8.

Snags Along the Way:

Today didn’t have any snags. I woke up early while the world was still quiet and wrote my heart out. I wish every day would go as smoothly as today did. lol

How today went:

Starting Word Count: 11,186

Total Words Written: 3,064

Ending Word Count: 14,260

After thoughts:

Today I got the first fight scene out of the way. The first fight scene and first sex scene of any book are the most difficult to write. Not to worry, that sex scene is coming up soon! Today is my best word count day of camp so far. With a little luck tomorrow I’ll beat that record!

Happy writing fellow campers!

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CampNaNoWriMo Pep Talk: How to Make Your Writing Time Sacred

Maggie Hemlock

It’s Day 7 of Camp NaNoWrimo. The excitement of the first week has worn off and you may be feeling the time crunch. Committing to writing a novel in a month isn’t an easy feat! Just attempting it is a courageous act of creation!

As a full time writer my friends always ask me how I keep going. I promise I’m not a mythical creature with extraordinary endurance for pounding my fingertips against the keyboard. I have my good, bad, and ugly days. I’ve just made my writing time sacred. I don’t have another job in the mix, but I do balance family,friends, free time, and hobbies with work. There’s no one formula that works for everyone, but here are 4 tips to be a magical unicorn with a daily writing schedule.

1.Be Realistic

When I first started writing I had outrageous daily word counts. I could easily pump out 5-7k of words 5 days a week. No problem. I can still do that in sprints, but as a lifestyle it’s not maintainable or realistic to me.

Like forming any other good habit you have to really consider where it fits into your schedule. Did you need to wake up 30 minutes earlier and squeeze in some writing before the kids wake up? Do you need to write on your lunch break? Can you clear Sunday evenings?

Figure out how much time you can realistically devote to writing. Sure, there are times where I’ve sacrificed other things to write. The muse is a demanding asshat some days. He’s there and he’s ready and screw the book I started reading last night and the errands I really intended to run. But if you intend to stick with writing and make your writing time sacred you need to set the time aside daily or weekly and stick to it.

2.Don’t Wait for Inspiration or Motivation

This advice is everywhere, but it’s worth repeating. Writers are writers because they write! If I sat around waiting for inspiration to slap me upside the head and invite me to the keyboard I’d never finish a book. Inspiration and motivation are fickle bedfellows and should be treated as such. Some days they’re randy and ready to go. Other days they go out and play with their other friends. Learn to work without them.

3.Close the Door and Hang Your Do Not Disturb Sign

It’s never easy telling our friends and family we need time to spend on something without them, but sometimes you have to. We’ve all encountered those in our lives who don’t take our passion or work seriously. They’re the hardest ones to get the point across to. Be firm and do your thing. If it’s your writing time. Turn off your phone and don’t answer the door. Remember, this is your sacred time to dedicate to your craft.

4.Aim for Scenes Not Words

This may go against the Camp NaNoWriMo spirit, but it’s in the best interest of finishing your project. Sit down with an intention of writing your characters from point A to point B. Don’t worry about how many words it takes to get there. Words make up your books, but it’s the scenes that make your story worth reading.

How do you make your writing time sacred?