Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 194
One Day At A Time
Sometimes the thought of writing a book can be overwhelming. When we get overwhelmed, we like to baby step, tackling our manuscripts one task at a time.
Thought of writing a 500 page book? Yikes!
Thought of writing a single scene? Doable!
Thought of finishing a complete rough draft in 30 days? Yikes!
Thought of finishing a single chapter today? Doable!
Accomplish and triumph!
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 195
Make ‘Em Smile: Challenge
Remember when we discussed adding a pop of humor to break the tension in your novel?
Think about things you’ve found humorous lately. What makes you laugh? How can you incorporate a moment of humor into your own writing?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 196
Reflect and Catch Up
Is your story progressing the way you want? Have you realized you got off track at some point? Is something niggling at the back of your mind, telling you something is wrong...but you have no idea what?
When this happens to us, we like to go through the novel scene by scene to make a bullet point list of everything that has occurred. (Yes, we are big on lists.) That way, we can see the beating heart of the story. The highs and lows. Patterns might begin to emerge, allowing us to see what’s missing, and where the problems first arose.
GENA: One day, Jill spent about 10 hours helping me do this. We were at a conference but working in our hotel room during our down time. I’d gotten stuck, so, I opened my work in progress and described everything that happened in each chapter, scene by scene. Along the way, she asked me plot and character questions that gave me insight I’d previously missed. She also helped me brainstorm ideas for sections in need of improvement. I made notes inside my draft of the book about what changes needed to occur where. That back-and-forth with Jill helped me craft one of my favorite stories to date!
Day 197
Clichés: A diamond in the rough?
Are clichés a diamond in the rough? Yes, no and maybe?
Clichés and idioms are overused phrases like “Plenty of fish in the sea,” “A dime a dozen,” and “Out of the box.”
Clichés can take place in dialogue and narrative. They can be tired, but they can also give you some interesting insight into a character. Does your main character mix up clichés up by accident because their implanted translator needs an update?
Example: You can’t judge a book by its spine.
Or maybe they’re switching the words around by choice. Your risk-taking character might like to say: Better sorry than safe.
Maybe a character’s dialogue is littered with depressing clichés: “Life’s a bitch and then you die,” “It could be worse” or “When it rains it pours.” Then suddenly, they’re spouting things like “The more the merrier” or “Take one for the team.” Now you have a mystery for your other characters to solve.
Titles often play on clichés. Jill wrote SEALed With A Kiss and SEALed and Delivered, playing on a Navy SEAL twist.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 198
Discipline!
When it comes to writing your book, discipline is your friend. Get yourself in the habit of writing, no excuses. In any job, there’s only one way to get paid—do your work.
Creating a regular routine for your writing can jumpstart your brain. “Now’s the time we write.”
Be sure to keep track of your word count. What time of the day was it? Were you more productive in the morning? More creative in the afternoon? Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you work with yourself not against.
If you formed a bad habit, you can also break it. Give yourself time to adjust to a new way of doing things.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 199
Today Is The Day
Is today a good day for your main character to make a mistake? Big or small, how does that mistake affect their life? Magnify it. Plant the seeds for how they triumph.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 200
When To Research and When To...Not
JILL: We’ve talked about when and when not to research. Here’s an example. My freshman year of college, I took an anthropology class as a core requirement. I LOVED it. I loved learning about people all around the world, their customs and traditions and how we are connected by love.
In Primal Instincts (soon to be rereleased as Sworn by Instinct), I gave my love of learning about lore and ritual to my heroine, who was contracted to write a book about love and sex rites through time across the globe. Only, the writing was slow going for her. And me! Mostly me. There was a lot of research and—
Okay, I’m interrupting my retelling of the story right here, because it was at this point that Gena all but slapped me upside the head and reminded me that I was writing fiction. She asked why I was doing all this research when I could just make things up. Then I could be certain the facts were correct.
So yeah, I started making the sex rites lore. Needless to say, I had a lot of fun creating and writing that book!
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 201
Wind Up The Spring
If you plan to add sexual encounters into your book, sexual tension is key. Sure, the characters noticed each other’s overall appearance when they met. But now they’ve spent more time together. Have they begun to notice the little details ? A specific cluster of freckles that reminds him of the Milky Way? He has a different laugh for different types of humor? There’s a fleck of blue in her green eyes?
What little things can your characters notice about each other?
GENA: On the topic of sexual tension, I will share some advice Jill gave me years ago. I was telling her about the story I was writing, and she stopped me to ask what make the hero and heroine different to each other. In other words, what set them apart from all the others they’d dated in the past? What made them “the one” for each other? I thought about it and realized I’d just relied on the old standby: He thinks she’s the most beautiful…she think he’s the hottest… Bottom line: It was a superficial connection. I had to think deeper, longer, harder—pun intended—to figure out what made these people special to each other and why no one else would do. They began to notice details that went beyond appearance. What can the hero give the heroine that no one else can and vice versa?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 202
Nicknames
In our group of friends, multiple people have nicknames. They have the same purpose as an inside joke—a means of showcasing the specialness of a relationship. Would a nickname work for any of your characters?
JILL: In Sworn Enemies, originally published as Hitting the Mark, the main character’s name is Dani. She’s spent time in juvenile detention, but she’s out now and trying to live on the straight and narrow. Her father, a conman, has reappeared on the scene, using his nickname for her: Danibear. He wields her nickname as a weapon, attempting to use her emotions and love as leverage to lure her back into a new scheme.
GENA: The couples in my books LOVE to give each other nicknames. Sometimes they use the usual endearments. “Darling.” “Pet.” “Princess.” “Baby.” Other times they use the not so usual. Fox became “vixen,” because another name for a female fox is, in fact, vixen. Belle became “Four Elements Girl,” among a host of over fake superhero titles the hero teasingly gave her. Everly became “sorceress,” at first an insult by the hero, then a declaration of his unconditional love. Sometimes the nick names work with their significant other’s name. Ashleigh = Asha. William = Willy. Alice = Ali.
/> Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 203
Reflect and Catch Up
My best advice is to trust your instincts. Whether it's in regard to a scene you're writing, a plot twist you’re crafting, a career choice, or even just a particularly hard sentence. If your gut tells you something isn't working, chances are...you're right. So whatever your gut is telling you, do it. Do it and don't look back. Beginning writers often overlook advice that tells them to trust themselves, because they're still developing confidence in their own intuition and skills, but over the years of my career writing (and also teaching budding authors), I've learned that no matter how new you are to this, we're all innate storytellers, so if we just trust our instincts, we'll typically lead ourselves in the right direction.
–Award-winning and bestselling author Kait Ballenger
Day 204
Why Do You Love What You Love?
Have you ever analyzed why you love certain books, movies or TV shows? What aspect of the stories holds you captive? The relationships? The characters? The mystery? The prose? The wit? The creep factor?
How did the author or director make that part of the book or show work? Lots of build up? Getting straight to the point? What made it stand out to you? Is there a trope you can add to your own story?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 205
Leave A Little Mystery
You know everything there is to know about your main character. Do you have to tell your readers every little detail? No. Hinting about something and leaving a little mystery can be better at times.
“What did you do?” she demanded.
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Something...nothing. It doesn’t matter.”
“Tell me!”
“I–you–” Lips pressed in a thin line, he stomped from the room.
Now we want to know what he did, right?
This type of shut-it-down reaction can work for narrative, too. People often cut off a troubling thought before it has time to fully form.
I wiped a tear from my cheek and forced my mind to blank. No way would I let myself consider—no! I wouldn’t even think of her name.
What secrets do your characters want to keep from your readers, and what hints can you offer?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 206
Benchmark. Don’t Compare
There will be times you read someone else’s work and feel inadequate. That is natural. We’ve said it before but it bears mentioning again. Your voice is unique and all yours, and that makes it special. There’s not another like it. Keep going! The more you write, the more you’ll learn about the process. Accomplish and triumph!
Your assignment: Double your daily word count! Write roughly 500 words for your novel.
Day 207
Master Debater
You’re probably far enough along in your story that you’ve written an argument scene or two. Can you see both character viewpoints and the validity of both sides? If the argument is purposely skewed in one direction, for whatever reason, have you proven your point? If it is accidentally skewed in one direction, consider revising to show both sides have merit.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 208
Happy Holidays!
Depending on the timing of your story, your characters might need to celebrate a holiday. If you are writing a fantasy or science fiction novel, it might be prudent to create a brand new holiday that fits within your new world.
Are you marking your fictional book days in a calendar? This can help you know what day it is in every scene, so you never lose track of time.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 209
Go Ahead And Fight
If you’re having trouble with the physical aspects of a fight scene, try acting out the motions yourself. You might feel like a fool while you’re doing it—we have!—but the end result is worth the means. If an action doesn’t work for you, chances are good it won’t work for your character. (Though we admit our characters are far more flexible than we are.)
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 210
Reflect and Catch Up
It sounds cheesy but…follow your heart! As a recent debut author, I had no idea what direction I wanted to go with my brand, series, and career as a whole. The plethora of possibilities was overwhelming, but I found that the most positive feedback I’ve gotten is about the aspects of my books that came from my heart, not from writing to fit a certain market. It’s obviously important to write books that are going to sell, but it’s equally important to create stories, characters, and themes that feel right in your heart and inspire you creatively as an artist. If you’re only writing a certain plot, genre, or style because it’s selling in a hot market – and not because you truly love it – the passion may be lost on the page. Ultimately, if you love your words, that will come across to readers, and they will love them too!
—Breezie Bennett
Day 211
Crutch
JILL: I love my writing space. It’s a desk and hutch where I’m surrounded by my favorite books, pictures and notes from readers. I’d share a photo, but it’s covered with 3 notebooks, tax receipts and tons of loose papers I can’t get rid of (have I mentioned my slight hoarding tendency?).
In the past, I used the state of my desk as an excuse not to write. Being creative writers, we can convince ourselves of anything. We call those our crutches.
I had this great professor in college, Deborah Chester, who advised us to get rid of our crutches. My desk was my crutch. Once I got rid of that crutch, I could write anywhere. Gena and I plotted Dating the Undead while I sat in my car on top of a canyon; the only place I could get cell reception while chaperoning at a youth camp. I wrote Lord of Rage in a cafeteria and edited Naked Thrill stuck in a tornado shelter.
Lack of time is the most popular crutch for not writing, and yet we can craft a scene anywhere. We’re not tied to a desk or our electronics—grab a notebook and write while you’re waiting for your kids to get out of school or practice. Write on the train to and from work. Write during lunch.
Key word: Write.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Bonus assignment: Identify your writing crutches. Are you developing new ones?
Day 212
Today Is The Day: Surprise!
If you’re anything like us, you’ve thought, Oh, the naughty things I can do to my characters…
Go ahead. Get your god complex on again. Why not surprise a character and shake up your story world?
The loss of a job?
Food poisoning?
Alien toxin?
A dead body found?
The arrival of a long lost friend?
Fainting?
Car crash?
World-wide computer crash?
The return of an ex?
Win the lottery?
Your assignment: Double your daily word count! Write roughly 500 words for your novel.
Day 213
Meal Time
Real people get real hungry. Don’t forget to feed your characters; they need to eat, too. Unless they are a supernatural being of some kind. But even then, they’ll have to consume something for nourishment.
In Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series, the valkyries consume lightning.
You don’t have to describe every bite, or even every meal, but eating with others can add depth to the act. Also, behavior around the dinner table can set the tone of a scene. What are the emotional undercurrents? Are the diners at war? Or falling in love? Eating can also be one of the most sensual acts between characters...
All Write Already: Year Of Your Book Page 17