NaNoWriMo Stress-free

It's November, and if you are a writer like me you know that it is NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month, a month where authors temporarily lose their minds in an attempt to write 50,000 words in thirty days. I've done this two previous years in a row and actually excelled. Then came this year...

What's different about this year you ask?

Well, this fall has not been going my way at all. I've had a sick relative that was in a hospital and then a physical therapy facility for a whole month who has now returned home, turmoil in my relationship that hopefully is calming down, a surprise book release, and another book coming out in less than two months. Who wouldn't be freaking out?!?

On top of that, the "perfectly constructed story idea" that sounded so good in my head is not going so well on paper. I can actually feel the psoriasis breaking out on my skin as I type this. So I'm not really feeling the spirit of NaNoWriMo this year. 

So to soldier on, I've decided to do NaNoWriMo my way to keep the stress at a minimum.

Here's how I'm switching things up...

1. I left my "Home Region" on the NaNoWriMo website.

Why did I even join that region anyway? Even though it's one of the two closest geographically to where I live (as in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin) it isn't really accessible for me to get to write-ins 45 miles away when I have neither a car nor a license, nor, if I'm being perfectly honest, the spare time to sit around at a library working on the same thing I could be working on at home just for the sense of camaraderie. Besides that, there's one woman in my "home region" who is a total witch with a b. I mean on day one she claimed to have written over 13,000 words which I swear is an impossibility. I'm not competitive, but she gloats and rubs it in and is overall not a nice person - and this is the second year of having to put up with this. And I don't need the stress, so the group had to go.

Whew, I feel better already.

2. I'm taking on a "Que Sera, Sera" attitude. 

If I can figure out the kinks in this story then eventually I'll finish it, even if I don't hit 50,000 words in the month of November or finish the first draft in thirty days. I'm not going to freak out if I don't. I'm patting myself on the back because you know what? I've already written 92,000 words this year on two other writing projects. That's pretty damn good if I say so myself.

3. I'm not writing every day. 

Sure, I can tell you I'm sitting here on my laptop every day writing. But some days I'm just not feeling it. I'm not behind... I don't think? I'm at 12,000 words written since November 1st and I'm tired. So if I want to read, I'm going to read. If I have a book that pops up that I have to review or a blog post to type and schedule, that will come first. I can stress myself out by staring at a flashing cursor on the screen or I can relax and let the words flow out of me if and when they come. 

4. I'm not thinking about writing when I'm not writing.

Sure, if an idea pops up, I'll write it down. But I have other things on my mind so I'm not going to panic and think "oh no, I haven't written today," or "I'm so behind on my word count!" Like I said, if it's going to happen, it will happen in time. I think that's part of my anxiety issue, I'm so afraid of what's going to happen if I don't get what needs to be done, done now that I don't stop and think about what will really happen, which usually is nothing. Why did we let NaNoWriMo get to be such a big thing? Did it used to be fun before all the competition and pressure? Some of my friends talk about being supportive and encouraging and I want to get back to that, not surround myself with writers who act like jerks and pick on people if they don't have a certain word count on a certain day. 

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Are you doing NaNoWriMo? What are you doing to keep your stress levels in check?

NaNoWriMo Prep

There are only 15 days until the start of NaNoWriMo 2017! Those of you that are writers might know what that is but if not NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, which runs during the month of November each year.

What is NaNoWriMo?

Each year writers around the world challenge themselves to write a novel, at least 50,000 words during the month of November. Is it really possible? Yes! My first year I wrote about 54,000 words and last year I wrote about 63,000 words if memory serves me right. This would be my third year participating.

Alas, the past two years I've participated were easier than this fall is shaping up to be. Even though I've had this year's idea festering in the back of my mind for a few months now I'm currently dealing with a relative that is about to come out of a physical therapy facility and will be arriving home around the end of October. It's been a stressful month dealing with everything - lots of paperwork and phone calls and incompetent people in the medical/insurance field, but I digress. Nonetheless, I'm going to at least try and see how much I can get done in the 30 days. Anything will be an accomplishment at this point because I don't want to push myself too hard. 

A Little About My 2017 NaNoWriMo Project

For the second year in a row, I'm turning to the YA Fantasy Genre for my NaNoWriMo project. 

Title: Monsters and Mist

Genre: YA Fantasy

Minimum Word Count for NaNoWriMo: 50,000 Words

Word Count I'd be happy with if I fail to meet 50,000: 30,000 Words

Estimated Chapter Count: 15-20

Main Characters:

Andromeda "Drom" Mistsplitter - Aged 18

Thane "Cutter" Cruelseas - Aged 20

How I'm Prepping For NaNoWriMo

- Outlining the chapters and what I want to happen in each chapter.

- Character building for my two main characters. I like to let the other characters develop as I go along.

- Worldbuilding and creation of the mythology of that world. 

- Pinning story ideas on Pinterest. 

- Building a playlist to write to for NaNoWriMo.

It would be great to be able to attend some of the write-ins for NaNoWriMo but the two regions closest to me are 30-40 miles away and I don't have transportation to get to them every weekend. I also don't really know any of the other local writers in the town I live in. On the bright side, I have a lot of writer friends I've met online so I'll have the support of some online friends at least. 

***

Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? How are you prepping? Are you a planner or a pantser?

How My Writing Career Changed in 2015

        With 2015 being only twenty-seven days away from being nothing more than a memory, it is time to begin looking back on all that happened to me in terms of my writing career.
  
      I went from an unpublished author waiting for my first novel to be released to now being the author of not one, but two novels; The Haunting Love (WCP, February 17, 2015) and Finding Elizabeth (Self-Published, September 15, 2015), with the first two books in a new trilogy on deck for release in 2016.

       It's been a great year for me creatively and I continue learning more and more about the publishing world every day. It feels like I've grown so much in the past year, the seven months in between The Haunting Love's release and Finding Elizabeth's release in particular. 
  
     I've made mistakes and I've learned from them. I've been lucky enough to have experienced publishing through both a small publisher and self-publishing.
  
     Marketing didn't come naturally to me. I had to learn the fine line between promoting my book and turning people off by over promoting. It was shocking to learn it took more than my early efforts of promoting my novel on Twitter and *hoping* my publisher would promote my book to bring in sales. I guess it's true what they say: if you want something done right it's best to do it yourself.

       During the process of self-publishing Finding Elizabeth, I learned to make connections with fellow indie authors and bloggers. I can't emphasize that enough. Build a support group, make friends, and always help others whenever possible. It makes you feel so good when you can help other indie authors and it's good karma in your favor. 

        Another area of growth for me in 2015 was interacting with the public and my readers at book signings. I am quite possibly the shyest person I know. Talking in public terrifies me. I like to think of my book signing for The Haunting Love (May 9, 2015) as a trial run. It was held at a small coffee shop in a small town near where I live and 80% of my sales were to people I have known most of my life. I am grateful for their support and patronage, but I needed more exposure. My book signing for Finding Elizabeth was held at a bookstore chain I love in a medium sized city (See my blog post "A Great Place for Authors to Hold Book Events") and I thrived. It was such a positive experience. I connected with and sold to a broader group of people that I had no prior meetings with. I smiled so much I thought my mouth was going to be frozen like that forever, but I felt so empowered afterward.

       One of my favorite accomplishments of 2015 was participating in and completing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month - November 1-30, 2015). 50,000 words in a thirty day period seemed daunting at first, but I am so proud that I reached and surpassed the goal and completed my novel.

        Fellow writers/indie authors: how did your writing career change in 2015? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to head what you got up to this year! 

Writing What You Know

     

        It's been said that you should "write what you know".  I think a lot of writers do that, myself included. 

       We write to explain the past, the things that made us who we are today, the choices and decisions that have helped shape our lives. 

        A person that grows up in a volatile home setting might write characters in the same situation because that's all they know, while a person who grew up on a lavish horse farm in Kentucky might choose to solely write about Kentucky horse country. It's easy to get lost in the familiar but it's also important for a writer to broaden their horizons and step out of their comfort zones, lest we become repetitive and boring. 

       I like to think of myself as an observant people-watcher. I'm constantly wondering what makes people tick. That includes a few of my favorite authors.   

       One of my favorite authors, who mainly writes young adult romance novels, always seems to write characters that have strained relationships with their parents. You can't help but wonder, is this what she (the author) knows? Does she herself have a broken relationship with her parents that cause her to write the way she does?

        Another author I like, who writes both young and new adult romance, always writes the same basic plot. I don't even have to open her latest novel to tell you that one of her main characters comes from money and privilege while that character's love interest comes from the 'wrong side of the tracks'; a child of either a drug addict or some other kind of lowlife. And the male character is always very possessive and clingy, which the author must find romantic. (I on the other hand see these as major red flags, but maybe that's just me). I can't help but wonder if this is the story of her life, with slight variations in each of her books. 

        I myself like to write female characters that are intelligent with a sharp sense of humor that aren't the stereotypical poster girl for beauty because that's how I see myself. I never saw myself as attractive in high school, and I still have bad days but now I see that there are all types of beautiful, not just the kind on the cover of Vogue. 

      I also have a tendency to set my novels in places that are familiar to me: Green Bay, Brookfield, Milwaukee, Marquette. I know these places like the back of my hand. But I've also reached out and expanded sub-settings to cities I've never been to. 

       Researching subjects and places for my writing is fun and I learn so much. If you would have asked me how I felt about doing research for a paper in high school I'd have sighed and groaned at how boring it was. I guess it's different when you can pick and choose what you wish to learn. 

      Someday I'd love to branch out beyond Paranormal Romance for Young Adults. I'd love to explore the Horror genre more and also branch out into New Adult Romance (either paranormal or regular). 

      It's kind of scare to deviate away from what you know but I think it's important to try new things. Not just in writing, but in all aspects of your life. 

      Let's say every morning you wake up and have two eggs, wheat toast, and a cup of coffee for breakfast. What's the worst that could happen if one day you wake up and decide to forgo your usual routine and have French toast and tea instead? Who knows, you just might like it better than the same old thing you've been eating (or writing as the case may be) everyday.  

     Just a little food for thought...
  

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Writing Young Adult

Hey everyone, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful Friday morning. I'm sitting on my bed staring out the open window anxious to get out into the day. 

As you might have seen on my Facebook page early this week it's "I Read YA Week", a week devoted to people that love reading and writing young adult novels. 

From my website http://www.taylorfenner.com:

        I love writing Young Adult novels as much as I love reading them; which is obviously a lot. Sometimes it feels like so many teens these days are too busy playing video games or texting to pick up a good book but lately I've been surprised by how many kids my sister's age have mentioned they like to read. It's a comforting thought that the written word isn't dead. 

To me it's important to have strong female leads in the novels I write. Girls need characters to look up to, to aspire to be like, someone they can relate to. And I think that's what a lot of good young adult novels give these days. 

I think we should all take a minute and appreciate all of the young adult authors out there that have paved the way for new, indie authors like me. Some of the authors I idolize and aspire to be like can be found on my "Things That Inspire Me" page on my website, so feel free to check it out and look into some of the authors I like. 

Today is also #ReadOrWriteAnywhere day.  Where do you like to read? Are you a writer? Where do you like to write? Is there a certain spot than inspires you? For me I can read almost anywhere; on the couch, on my bed, in a store, at the beach... anywhere really. My preferred writing spots are while sitting in bed or sitting at the kitchen table and occasionally on the couch. But inspiration can hit anywhere... I once was inspired to write a paragraph in my upcoming novel "Finding Elizabeth" while having dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. You just have to hope that you have something to write on; whether it's a napkin or the back of a receipt or a notebook you carry in your purse for such moments. You always have to be prepared. 

Well I'm just dying to get outside in the sun. Have a great Memorial Day weekend! Hopefully the weather will hold up and you'll be able to enjoy cookouts and time with your family if that's what you're into. Until next week! 

One Week To Go + Author Interviews

From my Author Website http://www.taylorfenner.com:

Hey everyone! It's the first day of May; do you know what that means? We're that much closer to summer! Ah, I can taste the s'mores and smell the sunblock already. 

Also, as of today we are EIGHT days until my book signing at the Living Room Coffee Shop in Clintonville, WI on May 9th. I'm getting more excited by the day and I hope all of you are looking forward to it too! It should be a great event. 

In preparation for the book signing I've placed posters in local libraries (as mentioned previously) and I'm pretty sure they're still posted in 2 of the 3 libraries. You might also have seen the articles about the book signing in the Shawano Leader, Clintonville Tribune-Gazette, and Marion Advertiser. I'd like to thank them for putting the articles in for me, they all looked great! 

So now all there is to do is sit back and wait until next Saturday. The books are here anxiously waiting to be claimed, my hair is newly touched up, and my nerves haven't kicked in yet. 

In other updates I've done a couple interviews for a few different blogs over the past two weeks. Two of them have posted already with three or four more to be posted within the next three months. Here are the links if you'd like to take a look:

Awesomegang Blog: http://awesomegang.com/taylor-fenner/

Book Reader Magazine: http://bookreadermagazine.com/featured-author-taylor-fenner/

The interviews are great ways to learn a little bit more about me and how my mind works. The "Awesomegang" one is a bit more in depth, but I hope you take a minute and check them both out! 

That's all I've got for this week. I'm in the midst of working on a chapter in Into the Light, the sequel to my upcoming novel Out of Darkness, and I'm really immersed in the story. I hope you have a great weekend, and a good week next week. I hope to see you a week from tomorrow! 

What I Thought Being Published Would Be Like vs. What It's Actually Like

From my weekly blog on my author website: http://www.taylorfenner.com: 

Okay, so imagine you're a kid and you're dreaming about what you want to be when you "grow up". You love reading books and you love to make up stories so you dream of becoming an author. As you grow older you dream about what it will be like if and when you ever get published.

I don't know about other writers out there but I always thought being published would be this amazing fantastical thing where you were sent out on book tours and had a glamorous lifestyle. Even after I signed my contract with Whiskey Creek Press I had this illusion that being published would mean getting to become friends with some of my favorite authors and getting to read some of their novels before they became available to the general public. After all, you see it all the time on social media. For example, one of my favorite authors is always hanging out with other authors I love and jetting all over the world while another of my favorites is always reading books I'd love to read sometimes even a year before they're set to release.

Allow me to burst that illusion for you. I mean don't get me wrong, being a published author is amazing and beyond my wildest dreams. I never thought this would actually happen for me. But being published isn't as grand as big name authors project it to be. I was inspired for this blog after reading this blog on buzzfeed: Why Being a Debut Author Isn’t Exactly a Dream Come True. To quote the article "For a lot of writers, it will prove to be the most emotionally unsteady period of their lives." And that was true for me. I was excited and nervous, happy and scared out of my mind all at the same time. I experienced mood changes that made me feel like how a bipolar person might feel. I was so proud that my book was going to be available for the world to read while at the same time being afraid that nobody would buy my book.

All I'm really saying that being published isn't as easy and carefree as authors project it to be. For me, as an author whose publisher is a small one, it requires a lot of hard work and effort. I don't get sent on a country-wide book tour, the authors I've befriended are "indie" authors like me, and although it would be fantastic to be able to read upcoming books before they've been released; so far that hasn't happened for me.

I spend a lot of my days updating and checking my social media accounts as well as my website, answering questions from people about my novel / book signing / anything else writing related, and trying to balance self-promoting my book without being too sickening. I divide my time between promoting The Haunting Love, getting Finding Elizabeth ready to self-publish this fall (hopefully), and working on my current works-in-progress. It's at times stressful and nerve-wracking and is in itself a full-time job.

Why do I bother you ask? Because, for me writing is saying all the things I can't say out loud. It's being able to create worlds for myself to slip into and creating characters that live on in my imagination. It's my escape from my sometimes lonely life. While I have a few close friends, I've never really been that outgoing and writing allows me to live vicariously through my characters. And at the end of the day when someone tells me that they've read my book and love it; that they can relate to one or more of my characters it makes it all worth it. Are you with me?

Wow, I feel like I've ripped a vein open and bared my soul to you here, my devoted readers. And in a way, that's also what writing creatively is. I hope this shows you that although being a published author isn't nearly as glamorous as it looks, at the end of the day it's still really rewarding. I wouldn't choose anything else for myself.

Anyway, have a wonderful weekend everyone! I hear it's supposed to be a somewhat nice one, at least in this little corner of the world.