1. Blog surf  – looks like you’ve got that one down ; )
2. Catch up with friends on Facebook
3. Organize your purse or wallet
4. Search #nano or #nanowrimo on Twitter for other procrastinators
5. Begin your holiday wish list on Amazon
6. Organize your files on your desktop
7. Make new playlists on your ipod
8. Go out for a brisk walk, look for a hard labored pile of leaves to destroy
9. Fall into the dreamy eyes of Edward or cutesy smirk of Bella on the NewMoon site
10. Look up your characters’ horoscopes for today

How do you procrastinate? Come back for part two later…

my word count:_____

Taken from the wise words of Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo:

“…And please remember: If you write a paragraph or chapter you don’t like, just put it in italics (or change the font color to white). Do not delete! After you write your way across the 50,000-word finish line, you can double back and clip out all the parts of your book that make you cringe (I think you’ll surprise yourself with what you decide to keep). For now, just keep moving forward! There’s an old folk saying that goes: Whenever you delete a sentence in your NaNoWriMo novel, a NaNoWriMo angel loses its wings and plummets, screaming, to the ground.

Where it will likely require medical attention.

These are words to live by. Resist the tyranny of the delete key! Onward! Upward!”

“Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” Norman Vincent Peale 1898-1993, Pastor, Speaker and Author

word count:_4,226_____

Confessions of a first-time NaNo writer: the Jitter-bug

By Kristine Meldrum Denholm

This is my first year attempting Nanowrimo, the 50,000 word journey, and I admit it, I’m anxious. I’m a non-fiction article writer, former journalism grad and former writer for a press office. Pretty decent at writing and reporting facts, feelings and guts. But do I have the guts to find some fiction in my fingers?

My previous attempt at novel writing went something like this:  Had great idea. Wrote it down. Wrote a chapter one month. Another the next. Got caught up in kid-raising and my freelance writing business and put the book on hold. Momentum killed. Two years later, it sits on chapter 6…or 7. But who’s counting?

Then I heard some mumblings of Nanowrimo, how it forces you to write a book in 30 days. I wrote Mary Jo: Can I do it? What are your tips? Can I pay you $10 to do it for me? OK, $20?

Mary Jo, a Nanowrimo winner last year (read: expert in my book), told me to relax, I’ll be OK. Besides, she’d be my buddy. (I clearly needed one.)

Just like I need good deadlines. Deadlines are why I’ve had articles published. The deadline is what Nanowrimo revolves around, why it works. So…

Here I am. On the trip. Goin’ fishin.

Only, my thoughts are something like this: “I don’t have the time…Should I write out more of a plot outline? Stephen King says to not get bogged down in plot, it’s a quick route to something dullard….Anne Lamott says do great characters….how do I know what my character would have for dinner?…How do I resolve the problem that character is facing, though?… I have to pick my son up from school right now… I just don’t have any time…and why is the Tru-Green man here right now, because he really doesn’t need to spray because I need the kids to play on the grass so I can write…Maybe I should write out 30 plot points…Maybe I should bug Mary Jo again about Nanowrimo….How am I going to get 50,000 words written? I don’t have time…Will I be able to feed my family too? What if we all come down with the swine flu and I can’t do Nano cuz I’m at the hospital and oh gosh…I just need to breathe…”

Any other non-fiction writers trying fiction? Anyone one else have a case of the Nano jitters? Drop me a line, if you can bear writing just one more line…

Kristine Meldrum Denholm is a professional  writer, published in books, newspapers and national trade publications. You can find her at www.kristinemeldrumdenholm.com or her blog for writers, “Stories of Life: One Writer-Mom’s Odyssey” at www.kristinemeldrumdenholm.blogspot.com.

word count:_2,200_______

P.S. I’m guest blogging on Kristine’s blog today  – check out my thoughts on NaNo!

I am honored to have author, Cindy Hudson, here today sharing her experience as a writer, mom and book club founder. Please welcome Cindy and remember to leave a comment or question for a chance to win her book! (US addresses only, please. Must be posted by midnight 10/29)

Good Readers Make Good Writers

By Cindy Hudson

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a guest appearance by one of my all-time favorite authors, Gore Vidal. My daughters were young then, and I had them on my mind as I stood up from the audience to ask a question: “What advice do you have for young people today?”

“Read, read, read,” he said, “and don’t worry so much about what others think of you.”

Of course, since I’ve always been a voracious reader, devouring everything when I was young from cereal boxes and comic magazines to stacks of library books, I barely needed justification to instill a love of reading in my own kids. And these words were certainly on my mind when I started mother-daughter book clubs for each of my daughters several years after my encounter with Vidal. But until I wrote my first book, I didn’t see a strong connection between reading good writing and writing well myself. Even then, I questioned how reading fiction would help me write nonfiction.

Now I see reading well, no matter the genre, as a crucial part of writing well for two main reasons:

• When I read great writing, I’m inspired to write my best too. Great novelists such as Vidal and countless others are provocative, moving their readers to think about big issues in history and in life. Their words flow beautifully, and they stir their readers to emotions that may affect future actions. While my words and my ideas may be more practical, I truly believe what I write about—mother-daughter book clubs—can make profound changes in the lives of moms and daughters. So I must write well and communicate clearly if I hope to inspire my readers to start reading groups of their own.

• Writing well is more than getting the reader to understand a concept or how-to do something. Otherwise, all books could be written as manuals. Instead, great writers use tools such as metaphor and similes. They introduce plots and themes and use dialogue to tell stories that someone may want to read. As a writer, you can also study how these narratives are told, and you may learn something about how to craft your own stories.

After being in mother-daughter book clubs for many years, I can also appreciate how discussing books can improve your writing as well. During our group meetings, we sit around in a circle and talk about parts of the book that resonated with us. We discuss favorite characters and ponder how our actions would differ from theirs. Usually, there are elements of the story we like, and some we don’t like. That’s to be expected, but what I find interesting is that rarely do we all agree on those points. Two or three of us may really dislike a plot line that others loved, and vice versa. When we talk about these differences, I can appreciate another point of view even when I don’t change mine.

How does this help my writing? I can see that my own readers will certainly find points in my work they agree with and others they disagree with. This lessens the pressure the perfectionist in me feels to write words that are unassailable by everyone. Instead, I hope each reader finds something of value that will stick with her long after she has finished reading the words I have written.

Cindy Hudson is the author of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs (Seal Press, October 2009). She is a mother-daughter book club consultant, journalist, and editor. Hudson has more than twenty years of experience as a marketing and public relations professional. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two daughters.

Visit her online at www.motherdaughterbookclub.com or check out one of her upcoming events:

·  November 10, 2009—Tuesday, 7 p.m. with Heather Vogel Frederick at A Children’s Place, 4807 N.E. Fremont St. Portland, OR 97213

·  November 17, 2009—Tuesday, 7 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, Clackamas Town Center, 12000 SE 82nd Avenue Portland, OR 97266

…Mindy!

You’ve won a copy of Therese Walsh’s book, The Last Will of Moira Leahy!

Please send me your shipping address via email: mjcwriter”at”comcast”dot”net

Thanks to all who visited and commented. Please stop by tomorrow for a special guest post & giveaway by Cindy Hudson, author of Book By Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs.

As a reader of Writer Unboxed, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of Therese Walsh’s debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy. I have followed her blog giveaways, hoping to snag this novel for myself. You, lucky readers will also have a chance to read what I think will soon be a best seller. Therese will be answering your questions and comments. But you must comment in the box below before midnight tonight (10/27) for a chance to win!

Therese recently sold her debut novel in a two-book deal to Random House (Shaye Areheart imprint).  The Last Will of Moira Leahy is about a woman who lost her identical twin–and a large portion of herself–about a decade ago, but reconnects with her former life after purchasing an artifact from her past. Through interwoven narratives, we see Maeve Leahy as she was and what led to the tragedy with her sister, Moira. We travel with her in the present day as she unravels the truth about the artifact–who’s following her and leaving her notes—as layers of her past are peeled away and the course of her future is forever altered. The novel will be published on October 13^th, 2009. Therese is also the co-founder of one of the Writer’s Digest best sites for writers, Writer Unboxed. You can learn more about her and her novel at her website: ThereseWalsh.com.

The Last Will of Moira Leahy
A novel

by Therese Walsh

A LOST SHADOW
Moira Leahy struggled growing up in her prodigious twin’s shadow; Maeve was always more talented, more daring, more fun. In the autumn of the girls’ sixteenth year, a secret love tempted Moira, allowing her to have her own taste of adventure, but it also damaged the intimate, intuitive relationship she’d always shared with her sister. Though Moira’s adolescent struggles came to a tragic end nearly a decade ago, her brief flirtation with independence will haunt her sister for years to come.

A LONE WOMAN
When Maeve Leahy lost her twin, she left home and buried her fun-loving spirit to become a workaholic professor of languages at a small college in upstate New York. She lives a solitary life now, controlling what she can and ignoring the rest–the recurring nightmares, hallucinations about a child with red hair, the unquiet sounds in her mind, her reflection in the mirror. It doesn’t help that her mother avoids her, her best friend questions her sanity, and her not-quite boyfriend has left the country. But at least her life is ordered. Exactly how she wants it.

A SHARED PAST
Until one night at an auction when Maeve wins a keris, a Javanese dagger that reminds her of her lost youth, and happier days playing pirates with Moira in their father’s boat. Days later, a book on weaponry is nailed to her office door, followed by anonymous notes, including one that invites her to Rome to learn more about the blade and its legendary properties. Opening her heart and mind to possibility, Maeve accepts the invitation, and with it, a window into her past. Ultimately she will revisit the tragic November night that shaped her and Moira’s destinies, and learn that nothing can be taken at face value, as one sister emerges whole and the other’s score is finally settled.

Published by Shaye Areheart Books/Random House (Oct. 2009)
Hardcover: 304 pages
ISBN# 0307461572

The Last Will of Moira Leahy is available through Amazon.com, B&N, and independent or chain bookstores.

Interview by: Mary Jo Campbell

How did the idea come to you for The Last Will of Moira Leahy?  Did you begin with the character(s) or the plot?

First born were a woman who knew just about every language in existence (Maeve) and an antiques dealer (Noel). I had only the slightest of plot ideas—I wanted the first scene to take place at an auction house, in the middle of an auction. There would have to be some battle over something, I decided, and scanned the list of items I’d virtually gathered for the antique dealer’s shop. From that list, I chose something that looked interesting: a wavy sword. I threw it in the scene. Later, I showed a friend my scene, eager for her good opinion. “I like it,” she said. “Is that sword going to be important in the rest of the book?” It sounded like a good idea, so I did a little research—and discovered some very interesting things about the sword, a Javanese keris.

Later in the discovery draft, I learned Maeve had a twin sister. The twin, Moira, had died, but she was still present in the tale—and at the root of everything.

What was your writing style for this book: write by hand or keyboard? out-line first or write and see where the story leads?  do you write through the entire rough draft or revise as you go?

I worked almost exclusively on keyboard and drifted my way through the manuscript. I revised as went along—and I revised a lot.

In a recent interview, you mentioned that a lot of research went into writing this book. I tend to get distracted with the mass resources available when researching. How did you organize your research time without getting off track or procrastinating the actual writing?

This question made me smile, because I’m somewhat self-indulgent with my research and do sometimes use it to procrastinate. I will lose happy hours tracking down the perfect piece of information, but once I’ve found it, I’m back to the writing with fresh enthusiasm.

I know of writers who put placeholders into their work, e.g. “Where did character live prior to moving to town? Insert remembered details here.” Unless the detail is minor, I almost always stop writing to seek it out. It can halt the flow, but I’ve found that those gems—once found—can change the course of a book. So I justify my research hours.

When and how did you start working on your platform as a writer?  How important is this facet to a fiction writer’s business?

Kathleen Bolton and I started Writer Unboxed—a blog meant to empower other writers with craft posts and through interviews—in January of 2006, which marks the beginning of our online-platform effort. In today’s world, I think platform is extremely important to a debut novelist because our technology-centered world is a noisy one. There are so many things to do, to hear, to see, to read. What will set us apart? How will we gain notice? We’d all like to believe that our work will be enough to gain us our due attention and propel us into a contract and then onto the NYT’s bestseller list. And it happens. To some. The rest of us have to work at it.

What surprised you about writing your first novel and what would you do differently next time?

I was surprised about the process of writing a novel—how the story would turn in a way I didn’t expect but that was for the best. I learned to trust my muse. That said, I don’t have as much time to let her play in the story this second time around (I have a two-book contract), so I’m using a note-card system and hoping a little better organization goes a long way.

You can tell a lot about writers from who they read.  Who are your current or all-time favorite authors and why?

I have a full keeper shelf, but I adore Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife. I love the complexity and uniqueness of the story, her brilliant plotting, and that the book made me sob as not many things in life ever have. I love Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime for inventive storytelling, too, and unforgettable characters.

Thanks for having me here at Writers Inspired, Mary Jo!

Be sure to leave a comment and come back tomorrow to see if you’ve won!

Need more encouragement to jump start your novel for November?

Check out what all the cool people (who are writing novels this year) are saying:

“Annual Write-fest might just change your life”

“Have I mentioned November is possibly the most insane month in my family?”

…planning is key to succeeding.

Unfortunately, I didn’t plan for this Friday’s post – I ‘ve been planning my novel for NaNo – Have you registered yet?

...Julie Steed! by popular demand ; )

Though almost 200 of you visited to read Sara Morgan’s insightful interview, Julie left a comment and wins the book!

Julie: send me your snail mail and the book will be shipped to you. mjcwriter”at”comcast”dot”net

Be sure to visit for next week’s interview with Therese Walsh, author of The Last Will of Moira Leahy