If you aren't familiar with NaNoWriMo, then you can learn more by clicking the link. National Novel Writing Month is a daunting but straightforward challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. Since 1999, every year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people begin to write, determined to end the month with 50,000 words of a brand new novel. They enter the month as elementary school teachers, mechanics, or stay-at-home parents. They leave novelists. It's a lot of fun, whether you are actively participating, or just watching participants suffer. ?

If you are thinking about participating in NaNo, then it is wise to plan and prepare as much as you can, so that you can focus on reaching your 1,700 word count every day, and worry less about writers block and the panic of "WHAT NEXT?!"
This doesn't mean you have to outline (for those of you who hate outlines). This means you simply need to ask your story some compelling questions, and make sure all the gears are oiled and working!

I have 20 writing prompts for you to use to really get to know your story structure, your characters, and your themes (some are linked to more in-depth blog posts!):

1. My Main Character wants...
2. Why my Main Character wants that
3. But really, my Main Character needs...
4. Because of their empty hole...
5. My Main Character believes that
6. Relationship that formed my Main Character
7. What is my Main Character hiding?
8. Mask my Main Character wears for the world
9. Main Character's dark side
10. What drives my Main Character crazy?
11. How does my Main Character react when under stress?
12. Side Character agendas
13. Who is working against my Main Character?
14. What is my Main Character's "normal"?
15. Inciting Incident
16. A mistake my Main Character will make
17. Mid-story crisis
18. The small win moment & the "hit rock bottom" moment
19. What is the climax?
20. What is the resolution?

And then, 5 world building questions as well!

1. Magic system & rules
2. Local Geography
3. Is my story set in Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter?
4. Local cultural values/taboos
5. Setting & main haunts the Main Character will be seen in most

​Finally, write down what possible themes there are to explore. Remember that readers want a story that is relatable and transforms them by the end. They want to learn something about themselves and humanity by watching the hero trip and fall over a lesson they refuse to learn. This is done by choosing a theme to focus on (you can read more about themes on THIS blog post). Ideally, you will only keep the theme in the back of your mind, and it will come to blossom during editing. However, having a couple of ideas written down NOW will keep your story on track LATER.

Is this overwhelming for you? Does the idea of writing a book in 30 days sound impossible for you? Do you want to take part in NaNoWriMo, but fear you wouldn't meet your goals and expectations? 
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This is normally a $600 program, now available to you for $297 for a limited time.
So, what is your next step?
How can you move forward in your writing career?

If you want some books that will help you create a strong story, and hence a best seller book, you NEED to check these out! These are Amazon Affiliate links, so if you purchase either of these books, then I get a small commission from it!

Is this overwhelming? Does the idea of writing a pager turner sound impossible? Do you want to be the author of the next best seller, but fear you won't meet your goals and expectations? 
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Even though I have yet to read the entire series, the first book - A Wrinkle In Time - does an excellent job of answering the basic Who, What, When, Where, Why, & How in the very first chapter. It makes the protagonist clear, the plot forces the protagonist to change and do things she normally wouldn't, it identifies both the external and internal conflict the protagonist must face, and it especially does a great job of showing you her desire and how she needs to change before the story ends. And, of course, while she is still the same little girl, she has grown and changed for the better by the end of the book.

Every good story can be explained as a series of events that happens to someone who is in pursuit of a difficult goal, and how they are forced to change as a result. But oftentimes we as readers and writers are left wondering “What is this person's goal?” 
Goals are the protagonist’s driving desire to overcome and achieve. It is the yardstick that your readers will use to gauge everything your character goes through in the story. If you have filler and fluff that does nothing to push the character toward their goal, a reader will get bored and put the book down.
There are two questions you should ask about your characters, especially your main character:

1. What does my protagonist want? This is looking deeper into your character’s external needs. In Despicable Me, Gru wants to be a super villain, and plans to steal the moon. In Little Women, Jo wishes she were a boy, wants to do something great, and never wants to get married. In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins just wants to go home.
2. Why does my protagonist want it? This is fleshing out your character’s internal need, which is the thing that drives their external desires. Gru in Despicable Me wants to make his unpleasable mother proud, because no matter what he has done in life, his mother has left him wanting for love and acceptance. In Little Women, Jo is afraid of change, does not recognize her power as a woman, and believes she is what keeps her family together. In the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins worries about what other Hobbits think of him, and thus suppresses his desire for traveling and seeing the world.

​If you want to explore a book that does a great job of getting you - the reader - invested in the characters, I recommend you check out this one.
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Little Women is one of my favorite books! It follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy— from childhood to womanhood and is loosely based on the author and her three sisters. The girls each have a marked personality of their own, and they quickly come to feel like your close friends. I laughed with them, cringed at them, and cried sometimes. I didn’t always agree with their choices, and didn’t like all the paths they took, but just like with good friends, I was okay with them becoming themselves. It is one of the best books to study for character development and drawing in reader investment, and I recommend it to everyone who asks.

Does the idea of writing a pager turner sound impossible? Do you want to be the author of the next best seller, but fear you won't meet your goals and expectations? 
I'm hear to help.
You can subscribe HERE and receive access to several free PDF books that will walk you through the steps of writing a compelling story with dynamic characters, PLUS be the first to get access to coaching opportunities! 

Many writers focus only on the plot of their story. They have a fantastic idea, but the story wanders and stagnates. Why? Was it because they were a pantser? Or did a plotter go stale? Neither. Usually, the author simply did not ask their story the right questions.

Story is about someone solving a problem. It’s best to know exactly what that problem is before you hit the publish button, or even begin to write. If you can concisely sum up what your story is about, it will be far easier to write, and have a much better chance of getting attention.

How do you sum up a complex story?
Try summing up your story by explaining what your theme, conflict, and plot are, and how they work together to solve the story problem.

• Theme. What are you saying about human nature? What is your main character's biggest flaw that readers will relate to? Theme is the central idea of any story, and the universal truth that the story teller is exploring. Often it is directly tied to the main character's biggest flaws.
• Conflict. What flaws, things, or people must the protagonist overcome to achieve their goal? The conflict, internal and external, is the heart of the issue to be solved or overcome. This is what the reader is constantly thinking about as they read.
• Plot. What are the external events that force the protagonist to deal with their inner issues? What big thing (and I mean BIG) happens that forces the main character into action? Remember that escalating progression of external cause-and-effect events force humans to face and deal with their issues. If it weren't for things getting out of hand, we would never change anything in our lives. Same goes for the main character.

Once you are able to explain what your theme, conflict, and plot are, you will find it much easier to sum up your story in a short paragraph (and even put it together in a gripping synopsis!). Once you can sum up your story, you can keep it focused, keep it strong, and it will make editing SO much easier for you.​

If you’d like to check out a well written book synopsis that outlines the 3 keys of their story, I recommend you read the synopsis of these well written books. 
(BTW, these are Amazon Affiliate links. If you buy these books, you help their author, and you help me as well):

Is this overwhelming? Does the idea of writing a pager turner sound impossible? Do you want to be the author of the next best seller, but fear you won't meet your goals and expectations? 
I'm hear to help.
You can subscribe HERE (or below) and receive access to several free PDF books that will walk you through the steps of writing a compelling story with dynamic characters, PLUS get early access to exciting writing career boosting opportunities! 

Great writers always clue us into what the characters are thinking and feeling, because that’s where the story lives. But, that's easier said than done. How do you learn to get your reader to feel and put your book on the "All The Feels" list on Goodreads?

Well, my first suggestion is to read more books! Find some books known for giving you the feels, and read them. Dissect them. Watch how the author does it. I will list a couple I recommend below in an affiliate link!

Next, ask yourself these questions:

1. Is the reader aware of the protagonist’s specific expectations? Can the reader tell whether those expectations are being met or not? Writers often forget this, and forget to get into the right specifics.
2. Does each scene affect your protagonist emotionally in the moment? The reader must know what emotion the protagonist is feeling, especially when it’s the opposite of what the protagonist is saying they are feeling.
3. Does the protagonist react to everything that happens? Physically, thinking, or feeling? How does what happens affect your protagonist? To keep your readers invested, your protagonist must react to everything that happens to them or around them. Remember to keep everything that happens pertinent to the story!
4. Can the reader see the causal link between what happened and why your protagonist reacted the way they did? This links back to Number 1. If the reader understands Number 1, then they will likely understand this.
5. Does everything reflect the protagonist’s point of view? Remember: First Person especially is never neutral. Everything in the story relates to HIM or HER.

​Help the reader feel what the protagonist feels. Let the reader into their feelings at every turn. Give them what they need to be invested in the story. Don't bog them down with cool world crafting and spell mechanics and backstory. Just let them get in your character's head and heart, so they can celebrate, or cringe, or cry with your character.​

Just click the book image, and it will take you straight to Amazon! If you purchase something, it will give me a tiny little commission that will probably be used to buy kids vitamins, dog treats, or more books.

​Mockingjay is the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and you really won't understand all of the emotions in it without the other two books. The other two books build up to this book, so it is RAW EMOTION. Yet, the author's writing style never changes between the books. You, as the reader, have just taken a wild journey with the character, and know what she loves, expects, and hopes for. So, before you know it, your emotions are wrapped up in her success and failure as well.

​If you like classics, my mom recommends Charles Dickens for drawing in reader emotion. Specifically, she recommended The Old Curiosity Shop.
Published in 1841, The Old Curiosity Shop was an instant bestseller that, even while it was criticized for its sentimentality, captured the hearts of the nation with its portrayal of little Nell Trent, who is thrown into a terrifying world when her beloved grandfather is unable to pay his debts to the loathsome Quilp.

​The Book of Form and Emptiness finds a mother and son grappling with the profound loss of the father of the family. While the mother’s anguish expresses itself in a hoarding problem, her son hears inanimate objects talking to him, and these voices eventually overwhelm in a cacophony that drowns out his own. Did I mention the book itself is also a character?

Is this overwhelming? Does the idea of writing a pager turner sound impossible? Do you want to be the author of the next best seller, but fear you won't meet your goals and expectations? 
I'm hear to help.
You can subscribe HERE and receive access to several free PDF books that will walk you through the steps of writing a compelling story with dynamic characters, PLUS get early access to book coaching opportunities and sales!

Story is internal, not external.
If the reader is not feeling what the protagonist feels, the reader won’t keep reading.
Everything that happens in a story NEEDS to affect the protagonist. If it doesn’t affect the protagonist, it doesn’t trigger emotion, and so remains neutral to your reader.
The reader’s understanding is important as we share the protagonist’s thoughts when their expectations are being met or not being met. If your reader doesn't understand, they have no emotional investment.

Perspective

• First-person thoughts and expectations must be woven into everything. The protagonist draws conclusions about everything they mention, down to the smallest detail. Everything they mention inherently pertains to the story they are telling and to the point they're making. They never, NEVER mention something “just because”, or objectively describe things.
• Second-person narration a rarely used technique in which the action is driven by a character ascribed to the reader, one known as "you". The reader is immersed into the narrative as a character involved in the story. The narrator describes what "you" do and lets you into your own thoughts and background. Again, nothing is ever mentioned without purpose, or objectively described. Everything brought to "your" attention is important and causes some reaction from "you".
• Third-person, the narrator shares reactions, avoids dialogue tags, and doesn’t need to use quotation marks and italics to convey the thoughts and conclusions of the protagonist. The trick is to seamlessly slip out of the neutral narrator’s voice and into the character's very subjective point of view . If done well, it’s invisible.

It's been a long time since I did any blogging or vlogging, and unless you've been keeping up with me on Facebook or Instagram, you have NO idea that I - the person who swore she was incapable of staying in a long-term romantic relationship and would never get married and was totes okay with that - got married to my best friend in 2019, and inherited some bonus kids! And then I - the person who was led to assume she would likely not be able to get pregnant or give birth easily - to my own surprise, popped out my very own baby a year later (she's the only DIY project I've ever finished)! I also started growing my hair out again (yikes), and have moved from the country into town (don't get too excited - the pop is roughly 1500, there are chickens right next door, and cows across the street).
It's been a whirlwind of craziness in my life the last couple of years.
However, I am slowly reentering the blogging/vlogging/bookish world again, and let me just say that it is pretty terrifying and I'm scared I'm gonna drown... again... BUT! Here I am, giving it another go.

OH! Not to be forgotten: I still have Pilot. He's gotten old and chonky, but is still the most goodest boy ever to wag a tail. He loves his new baby that I made for him.

If you are interested in free books, writing tips, and learning how to become a Master Storyteller, please subscribe to my helpful emails here:

​“I saw the Count lying within the box upon the earth, some of which the rude falling from the cart had scattered over him. He was deathly pale, just like a waxen image, and the red eyes glared with the horrible vindictive look which I knew so well.”
​- Mina Harker - Dracula

There are four books in the series: Raising Dragons, The Candlestone, Circles of Seven, and Tears of a Dragon.  In paperback, kindle, or audiobook, they are excellent books. Just pick one and get involved! Believe me, once you get started, you won't want to set this series down.