Writing in full swing. Camp NaNoWriMo? A couple of writing tips, too.

Hey everyone! I figured I would give you guys an update as far as my writing goes. It's the middle of the summer and I've been spending a lot of it inside writing. Isn't that great? I haven't written this much in years. It just feels good.

I finished Spreading Roots (finally) and it rang in at just over 50,000 words. In August I will begin the second draft, and as soon as I have that finished I will upload the chapters (including revised editions of the ones I've already posted) and then its sequel. I will say that the motivation to complete it is what got me writing again back in the end of May. I have been writing every day ever since.

For the first three weeks I got back into writing SR, I had these terrible nightmares. Mostly about zombies, ghosts, and the scattered dream I don't even want to talk about; those freaked me out so much. I suppose, looking back on it, that it was the subject matter. I wrote scary things, and so I dreamt scary things. It doesn't help that I'm a wimp either. Thankfully they've stopped and I've been having mostly dreamless sleep, though I do occasionally dream about the characters in the novel I'm currently writing.

Which brings me to Camp NaNoWriMo. This month I'm writing my first original fic in years, a werewolf novel that's been rolling around inside my head for quite some time. It's so liberating to finally get it out on paper. I'm over 10,000 words into my 40,000 word goal. I don't have any cabin mates, though I would love some. If anyone would like to join me in writing at Camp NaNo this month, I would love it!

For other writers out there, I would like to recommend a couple of things to you. First is 750words.com, a simple website that offers a space to write every day. If you get 750 words done in a day, every day, you start a streak. Right now I have a 38 day streak and I'm still going. And they have badges... guys, they have badges. Right now, because I've written every day for over 30 days, I'm an albatross. A freaking albatross. If you're competitive like me, those badges will offer you all the incentive you need to get your butt planted in a chair and writing every day.

What have I been writing on? The Alphasmart NEO. They were designed to be used in schools for kids to take notes and do other school work on, but writers have been catching onto them and the awesome productivity boost they offer. They're basically a giant calculator with a keyboard, and the battery life is phenomenal. Three AA's will get you 700 hours alone.

Way, way better than a laptop. They're over $200 if you buy them from the manufacturer (in Canada), but I got mine used for a steal on eBay for about $50, shipping included. Check them out and learn about them. You can take them anywhere, they're lighter than the average laptop, and you can use them in direct sunlight because of its LCD display. I've been using it ever since I got it almost a month ago, and the battery life is still at 90%.

Those are the two things that have gotten me back into writing, and I don't regret investing in either of them. This concludes my long-winded semi-annual blog post :) Haha.

See you around, folks!
July 6th, 2013 at 05:17am