Go ahead, keep staring at that blank screen. You’ll be inspired. Maybe. Perhaps.

Or, you could just take a break and try writing something different. Sometimes a writing prompt is just what I need get my creative juices flowing. Then, I can get right back into what I really want to write about — my NaNoWriMo masterpiece.

So, here’s a prompt I’ve taken from a lovely book I use for writing:

Sit and think about your childhood room. What objects do you remember? Write down as much as you can. Then pick one, and describe where you think it is right now.

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Create your “stranded on a desert island” list.

The Five Books you’ll want to have:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The Five Movies you’ll want to have:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The Five Foods you’ll want to have:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The Five Photos of Loved Ones you’ll want to have:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The last one is one of my faves. Especially as you continue on your NaNoWriMo journey, it’s one that is sure to put you in a positive mood.

Happy Day 10 of NaNoWriMo!

ThinkBLink by Shilpa Raikar.

712 MORE THINGS TO WRITE ABOUT, is published by Chronicle Books, and distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books.

PURCHASE THE BOOK

Let’s take a short break from #NaNoWriMo writing to ponder about why you got into writing in the first place.

What was that book that got you hooked? The one that made you think, “One day I want to write a book just like this!”

During National Novel Writing Month we get so wrapped up in the ebbs and flows that comes with the writing process – some wonderful breakthroughs, other heartbreaking disappointments – that we forget the true reason we write. Because we love to read.

If you are like me, sometimes it’s hard to remember the all the books you’ve read. Once a new book becomes the love of your life, you tend to forget the first love…the one the made you who you are.

Recently I came upon a book that helped me keep track of my mind of titles. Literary Listography My reading Life In Lists by Chronicle Books is the ultimate fill-in journal for the book lover. It is dedicated to all the Brave Writers Who Have Helped Move Humanity Forward.

“A BOOK MUST BE AN ICE-AXE TO BREAK THE SEAS FROZEN INSIDE OUR SOUL.”
~ Franz Kafka

“Finishing the last page of a great book is bittersweet: It’s like saying good-bye to a good friend. You live a myriad of lives, make many friends and visit a great deal of places, if you read.”
~ Lisa Nola

So, as you take a short breather from NaNoWriMo writing, think about your top 10 most beloved books and your top 10 favourite authors. These are the building blocks that will help give you the boost you need to complete this goal you’ve set for yourself.

If you’d like to check out this book that will hold all your treasured books, memorable stories and favourite characters, here’s the link:

ThinkBLink by Shilpa Raikar.

LITERARY LISTOGRAPHY, is published by Chronicle Books, and distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books.

Wise words again, from Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo.

“Here’s the thing: However attractive the idea of a writer’s retreat may sound, having all day to poke around on a novel actually hampers productivity.”

When you find yourself having nothing to do but write, sometimes the last thing you may want to do is write.

“A rough draft is best written in the steam cooker of an already busy life. If you have a million things to do, adding item #1,000, 001 is not such a big deal.”

“It may feel frustrating at first, but having daily writing periods curtailed by chores family, and other distractions actually helps you get things done. This is partially because the hectic pace forces you to type with a fleet-fingered desperation. But it’s mostly because novelizing in the midst of a chaotic life makes “book time” a treat rather than an obligation. It’s a small psychological shift, but it makes all the difference in the world.”

Excerpts from Chris Baty’s new revised edition of No Plot? No Problem!

Here is an excerpt from Chris Baty’s book: No Plot? No Problem!

“By the seven-day mark the initial excitement had worn off, and it revealed a sad ugly truth: Our novels were bad. Maybe even horrible. As Week One slipped away, the intoxicating speed of the escapade ground to a halt, and we began poking at our novels with the dismay of a third-grader whose slice of cake had been swapped for a plate of vegetables.

Starting had been easy. Continuing had been hard.”

I think I can,

I Think I can.

I Think I Can.

I THINK I Can.

I THINK I CAN.

I CAN!

The more you practice the luckier you become

NaNoWriMo Thought Of The Day:

“I have not failed.

I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Thomas Edison 

 

 

 

Howdy Writers! It’s Day 2 into NaNoWriMo. If you haven’t started writing your 50,000 word novel, then it’s not too late.

Need a bit of inspiration? Look what our friends at Riffle Recommend as Books Writers Should Read.

It’s Day 1 of NaNoWriMo and what better way to start off than thinking about why we want to write. Sure, there’s the personal fulfillment bit, blah, blah, blah…but when it comes right down to it, we think that Chris Baty (founder of National Novel Writing Month) puts the question right into perspective in his new book  No Plot? No Problem!

Novelists were clearly a different branch of Homo sapiens, an enlightened subspecies endowed with an over developed understanding of the human condition and their supernatural ability to spell words properly.

 

Novelists, we knew, had made it. They got fawned over in bookstores, and were forever being pestered for insights on their genius. They had a license to dress horribly, wear decades-out-of-date hairstyles, and had their shortcomings interpreted as charming quirks and idiosyncrasies rather than social dysfunctions.

 

Best of all, novel writing was, for them, a lifetime sport – one of the few branches of the entertainment industry where you are allowed to have a career long after you’ve stopped looking good in hot pants.

When you put it that way, who wouldn’t want to be a writer? But when it comes to putting pen to paper, of finger to keypad, it’s a different story. We can come up with a million excuses. But the fact of the matter is that if we want to write, there’s no better time than National Novel Writing Month.

We all have to start somewhere and now’s the perfect excuse. Join thousands of other budding novelists as they attempt to tackle their story from November 1st to 30th. NaNoWriMo starts with a promise, or accomplishing something in one month. It doesn’t have to be the masterpiece that you have always dreamed of. And, it won’t be. But it’s an opportunity to get started, and push aside all the other obstacles in your way. Think of it as a sense of possibility, one in which you start with nothing and end up with a book you’ve written. This November write down a path that’s unexplored and leave a trail that you will be proud of forever. That’s the ThinkBlink philosophy.

So, stop procrastinating and get started now. After all, it’s NaNoWriMo!

Good Luck! 
See you tomorrow for more ThinkBlink writing-inspired ramblings! 

ThinkBLink by Shilpa Raikar.