Writing Wednesday: 5 resources

 

Who else has been lazy since completing/participating in NaNoWriMo? Don't worry, you're not the only one! I doubt I've even looked back at my words twice since finishing. I've rewritten some pieces and have read a few storytelling books, but I'm not writing often enough for my liking!

In order to kick that in the butt I'm introducing Writing Wednesday to my blog. These posts will always be about writing, whether it's tips, resources or - gulp - my own extracts. (I'm still contemplating whether I'm brave enough for that yet, though!)

I doubt this will be a weekly feature, just as and when I feel like it, but I will definitely be posting more creative writing posts as well as my usual book reviews and lifestyle posts. So, for my first Writing Wednesday, let's take a look at some of the super helpful resources you can find online to help you tell your stories.

1. The Guardian resources

I love the 'How to write a novel in 30 days' section of the website. It's filled with author interviews, hints and tips and incredibly helpful worksheets. I've been making my way through them for a while, and they've become invaluable when planning and researching for your story.

2. NaNoWriMo

Not only does this website have so many pep talks from authors, but a members forum. Oh man, this feature was invaluable when I was trying to write 50k words in just one month. It's full of people from all over the world that are in the exact same situation as you are. I've only ever met friendly and insightful people on there. It's like a little community.

3. Amanda Patterson's tumblr

Amandaonwriting is such a great page and one of the main reasons I started using Tumblr again. It's filled with writing prompts and inspirational quotes that are bound to get you excited about creating stories and poems.

4. Character questions

This page lists 100 questions to ask your main character from the important to the mundane. The more you know about your protagonist, the more their individual voice will shine through. A great way to start writing and to deepen your characters personality is to interview them. Try it - it's fun!

5. Written? Kitten!

Not really a resource but an incredibly helpful (and cute!) tool. For every 100 words you write, an adorable photograph of a kitten pops up. This is perfect for when you just don't feel like writing. (and when you want to look at photographs of kittens, for me - that's often!) Don't like cats? Not a problem. You can change the settings to either puppies or bunnies. Prepare to squee!



 What tools do you use to help you write?

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Camp NaNoWriMo

Last Sunday I made myself a commitment - in April I attempt to write 10,000 towards a novel!
For those of you who haven't heard of NaNoWriMo before, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. It encourages authors, both new and experienced, to write an entire novel in the month of November.
I've always wanted to participate but never thought I had a good enough idea - plus I've never really indulged in creative writing that much except for my blog and my personal diary. This is why starting off with the camp appealed to me. The word count goals can be much shorter than the 50,000+ word count expectation of the regular NaNoWriMo. 
The camps run on April and July and you can set yourself a much shorter word count goal - anywhere from 10,000 to 999,999! You set up your profile, and are put into a "cabin" of fellow writers to talk to for support. There's also a large forum where everyone participating can chat to each other. 
I'm setting myself a challenge of just 10,000 words this month, and might participate again in July to expand upon it further. I have no set plot or story in mind just yet, I'm purely typing up character developments and passing thoughts and hoping that it will all nicely come together at the end of the month. That's the plan anyway!
If you've ever fancied yourself as the next JK Rowling (haven't we all?!) then I'd definitely recommend getting involved with this. It's also a really good excuse to write everyday. Sign up here - come on, it's not too late!

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