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What Type of Writer are You?

When you pick up two sticks, are they the same? Course not! Just likes those sticks no two writers are the same. We all have our own quirks, likes, dislikes, and, most of all, our own methods to writing.

Consider the type of writer that just sits down and writes. They don’t chart their course they just hoist their sails and go where the wind takes them.

On the other hand, there’s the type of writer who will not write unless they’ve mapped out the route to their treasure troves.

Then there are writers who are a hybrid of the two. They outline, write and then turn around to edit everything that they’ve written.

Lastly there’s the fourth writer who outlines, writes and then changes their initial outline along the way.

There may be many more writing methods out there, but for simplicity sake, we’ll stick with these four. I’m the fourth type of writer. I don’t outline an entire story, instead, I may only outline the first act and then write. Normally the story changes so I plan out the next act based on those changes. Rinse and repeat.

Can you relate to any of the four method’s mentioned?

 

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Camp NaNoWriMo Update: Exorcising the Delete Key

Throws holy water on delete key.delete

Begone foul demon!!

Four days into Camp NaNoWriMo and the delete key is trying to possess me. Just a few moments ago I was tempted to enter the “select all” command and punch in the delete key. But then I reminded myself of something:

First drafts are meant to be written horribly.

You aren’t suppose to think about the sentence structure or if the story makes sense. It’s about having fun! So, if you’re suffering from post writer’s block (like me), I want you to take a step back and breathe.

And remember that you can tear the manuscript to shreds later on. Promise!

Or…

Hands you the holy water

See if that helps.

So how’s your Camp NaNoWriMo, A to Z challenge, or NaPoWriMo coming along?

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Monthly Wrap Up: A Toast to March and You!

With the end of March and National Reading Month, April and Camp NaNoWriMo are just around the corner. But before March ends, I wanted to take a look back. Some of you may (or may not) know this but March was the grand opening for the Tavern. It’s been such a joy to see it become as fantastic as it is. Thanks for following and making this such a success! I’ve met a lot of awesome bloggers, writers and authors whose words have either entertained, educated, or influenced me. Thanks! I hope the Tavern will keep on growing! 😀

Toasts a glass to you.

Alright, alright, alright enough with the mushy stuff.

Here are the past posts for this month:

 

So…are you ready to dominate April?

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The Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone

“The majestic grove that had drawn them was no more. Not even one of the greatoaks remained standing. They were strewn about the plateau as if felled by a mighty hand. Some were almost whole but has been torn from the soil and apparently flung about. Others had been twisted then sheared off, leaving fingers of wood sticking out from stumps like splinters of bone protruding from grisly wounds.”

Admittedly, I first snagged this book because it was free (and still is) for the kindle. And I don’t regret doing it! In fact, I also have the second book (also free) waiting for me to dig into. But enough of that…lets get to the review.

Catrin has no idea about the ancient powers that she controls. In fact, once she accidentally uses them on a schoolmate it frightens her 6513600and the people of her town (who ridicule her). While Catrin is dealing with that headache there’s battleships sailing from the mainland with the intent of capturing her. I wont spoil anything for you, but the rest of the book involves Catrin hiding in the forest and eventually using her powers to protect her friends.

I found this story to be an entertaining read! It was interesting to see Catrin turn from a vulnerable young woman to…well the Herald. Once she finally realized that there was no going back to her old life she immediately got with the program.

Also there’s an intricate backstory for Godsland. In fact, Catrin’s teacher spent pages explaining the history of Godsland to his class. I’m not a fan of excessive info dumping (which happens a lot in the story) but I was able to forgive it since it allowed me to further understand the story.

If you’re someone who enjoys soft fantasy stories, then you’ll definitely like this book.

 

What type of books do you like to read?

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Preparing for the Evils of Camp NaNoWriMO

Hand grenades?

Check.

Squadron of elven archers?

…

Oh, didn’t see you there.

I don’t know about you, but writer’s block has a tendency to ambush me in gorilla warfare fashion. I can’t afford any surprise attacks during Camp NaNoWriMo. Afterall, camp is suppose to be fun! So I prepared a list of evasive maneuvers that’ll keep me on my writerly toes.

 

  • Read Before Writing

When I first participated in NaNoWriMo I had fun during the first few days. Then after a week I started to slow down and procrastinate. In order to keep myself excited about writing I read for fifteen minutes before committing words to my manuscript. It worked like a charm.

  • Read After Writing

People usually stretch when they’re done exercising. The same should go for writing! I read for an extra fifteen minutes after a writing sessions just to cool down my imaginative muscle.

  • Write Without Restrictions

Having no restrictions on your imagination is easier said then done. But once you write without worrying about the way something sounds you’ll end up surprising yourself.

  • Outlines Aren’t Set in Stone

Don’t waste your energy struggling to keep close to your outline. It’s okay to veer away from it. Welcoming new ideas is a good thing not a bad thing.

  • Absolutely NO Editing

You can always do this after you’re done writing something. But doing it at the same time is a recipe for disaster. Ignore that inner critic, you can do it!

  • Freewrite Often

Freewriting or flash fiction is the equivalent of a warm up before a jog. I just sit back and write down whatever comes to mind. Once I’ve gotten in my creative groove, I jump into my manuscript.

  • Keep A Notebook Handy

I often tell people that I write even when I’m not in front of a computer. It’s true! I’m always—always—thinking up new ideas, themes, scenes, or whatever. But I can’t keep up with every thought. So I keep a notebook (or some device) around to log my flash thoughts into.

 

Do you have any writer’s block surviving tips?

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5 Books That Have Influenced Me

Before National Reading Month officially closes next week, I wanted to talk about five influential books.

You grumble.

Hey, hey, hey…these five books got me further invested into writing (other than this incident). You may even find them interesting. Show a little bit of enthusiasm! Sheesh…

1. The City of Towers By Keith Baker

In elementary, I never liked fantasy because I thought it was…unrealistic. That all changed on my fourteenth birthday where I received this book as a gift. Suddenly, I became obsessed with the idea of magic, elves, dragons or whatever else fantasy writers and authors could think up. Baker opened up my mind to other genres and writing styles.

2. Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

I remember the day I found this book. I was browsing the shelves in my middle school library looking for something to sink my teeth into. My fingertips brushing across the spines of assorted books until finally stopping at Nightingale. I flipped open to the first page and was transported into imaginary world. Its theme: feudral japan. I actually attempted to write this story out word for word and claim it as my own…then someone explained to me what plagiarism is. After that big let-down I decided to get serious about writing and made it a goal to pen my own manuscript(s).

3. Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater Rhodes

By high school, the only vampire book that I read was Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Demon in My View was my first paranormal romance book that I ever read. I enjoyed every word of it though it was the author that fascinated me. Why? Well Rhodes published her first book when she was 13! To me, that’s awesome.

4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

So, we all know how it feels to be assigned a book to read. You start skipping to the last page, letting your mind wander while you’re reading, and so forth. That wasn’t the case for me with The Outsiders. Something about Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy really drew me in. Maybe it was the silly names, the friendships and convincing sibling rivalry? I think it was more the author that captured my attention. In the back flap I remember it saying that Hinton needed encouragement to write this book. The fact that she did write and publish it, was also an encouragement to me too.

5. Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

This was the second assigned book that struck a chord with me. I actually read a couple of days ahead of schedule because I was so enthralled with the conflict. I wanted to know what happened to the preacher’s son in the end and if anything could be done to keep him (the preacher’s son) from facing the death penalty. I hadn’t read a book that had so much emotional value before. I interpreted Paton’s novel as a lesson of endurance in the face of strife (for example, in writing terms, rejection slips or writer’s block).

There you have it. Five books that have influenced and encouraged me to write over the years.

If you could choose five books that have had an influence on you, what would they be?

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Looking Forward to Camp NaNoWriMo?

Shrieks!

Camp NaNoWriMo is next month!? I swear time moves faster than a heavily caffeinated radioactive squirrel (in case you didn’t know those move pretty darn fast).

Not familiar with NaNoWriMo or Camp NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it usually happens every November where you challenge yourself to write 50,000 words in a month. Camp NaNoWriMo happens in April and its a virtual creative retreat where you work on whatever project you want. For example, I’ve noticed that other bloggers are talking about writing poetry everyday, others are going to pen new first draft(s) for the month, and others are going to spend the month editing old NaNo projects. But it’s not limited to writing, you could do whatever you want this month. I know someone who’s going to scrapbook April away.

As for me, I’m going to try my hand at penning a new novel as well as finishing the first draft to Restitution (if I don’t finish it in the next week).

So what’s your creative goal for April?

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