2013 Muse Online Writers Conference

 

Another year has come and gone.

Once again, it's time to prepare for another fun-filled week with the Muse Online Writers Conference.

Registrations are open, deadline October 1st. Register now. The schedule this year includes Pitch Sessions, repeat Workshops, and some brand new Workshops, such as Plotting with Scrivener and the Beat Sheet Workshop (Save the Cat.) Check out the full schedule, there's sure to be something to meet your current needs.

You can't go wrong, it's free!

I'll be around. Hope to see you there.
 

National Novel Writing Month - WINNER

One more day left people. Get those fingers pumping!

I managed to cross the finish line this morning, ending with 50,534. I have something resembling a novel, a little out of sorts, but definitely workable. November was tough and stressful, but now it's time for the rough stuff - making the words publishable.

I'd like to congratulate all of you who participated in National Novel Writing Month this year. Remember, there really are no winners or losers. We signed up, we gave it our all, and we gathered words together to create wonderful stories.

True, your story may be a little dysfunctional, out of order, or even a mess which seems beyond repair. True, you may be flustered, tired, and ready to burn the computer, the paper, the desk!

Take a deep breath and repeat after me, "I arrived, I wrote, I created, I won."

For an hour a day, two hours a day, or even fifteen minutes a day, you squashed the negative demon and wrote from the heart. Now, you know you can do it. No more excuses. Create, enjoy, be happy and positive.

National Novel Writing Month - Progress Report

Meter available at writertopia

We passed the half-way point a few days back. As we close in on the end of Day 18 of National Novel Writing Month, I ask you, "Are your characters misbehaving?"

Mine sure are! I had a plan, a nice little plan. And then, these people came in here and tossed my papers around. How dare they after all the work I've put into a PLAN?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'll be the first to tell you, there is no PLAN when it comes to writing. At least not in a half-pantzer's world.

I'm really not complaining, really. The story is becoming more in-depth with each new discover. I see a lot of work after the completion of 50000. But, if this was easy everyone would be doing it, right?

Hope all of you are making progress and your characters aren't misbehaving too badly.

Best of luck as we head toward the finish line.

National Novel Writing Month - Progress Report

Meter available at writertopia

As we step into Day 11 of National Novel Writing Month, I must admit I'm very tired. Why? The post office has hit high gear for the holidays, which is good, but very tiring. Pile on writing every day, and you have a very tired writer. But, I push and push and remain in line with the goal of reaching 50,000 words by November 30th.

I hope all you writers out there are making progress in both your word count and your story. I understand for some these may be two different issues.

On Day 7, my characters decided my plan wasn't good enough for them. :) I had to take a moment and rethink my stories direction. With the help of my characters, the story evolved further. To allow this pause in production, my characters and I had a talk and resolved our issues in the form of a document, which goes into the word count of the month. I believe this to be legit and have moved forward with the story.

If you find yourself stuck and about to panic, give yourself a break. These characters tend to do what they want and sometimes we have to let them do it. In this race toward 50,000 words, brainstorming sessions are allowed. If you keep pushing forward through your novel and don't take a moment to reassess when needed, you are only gearing up for even more rewriting.

Don't fall apart. Don't give up. Talk to your characters. Explore possible plot changes. And, don't feel like your cheating by doing this as part of your word count. It's much better to be clear on your direction at word count 10,000 than waiting till you are half way to your goal and get so stuck you throw in the towel.

Best wishes to you all as we move forward in this writing journey.

National Novel Writing Month

November 1, 2012 begins National Novel Writing Month and sends many writers scurrying for their keyboards. In honor of the first day of many writing days to come, I thought I'd share some of my views on this event.

There are probably as many writers who disdain this process as there are those who anticipate it.

I'm one of the writers in between. I've participated two other years. One year, I produced a beginning to a novel and a bunch of short stories. This collection of basically a mess is sitting somewhere in the darkness waiting to be resurrected. The other year, I produced a decent novel in major need of repairs. I'm hoping to get it together this coming year.

So, two years equaled two piles of words in need of first aid. Why am I doing it this year?

I have a plan this time around. I believe one of the biggest mistakes a writer can do is to go into the high paced challenge without a plan. Writing words just to get to 50,000 without any purpose can result in a novel, but chances are it's going to be a mess to repair.

The purpose of NaNoWriMO is to write with your internal editor off. Some mistake the 'internal editor' for the Editor. The Editor is the part of you who makes your story complete. He is the one who goes behind the writer and fixes up the craft, corrects punctuation, and even dots a few 'i's.

The 'internal editor' is a whole new species. This is the gremlin that stops you two sentences in, saying, "Do you really think you can pull this off?", "Who do you think you are Stephen King or something?", "No, no, you can't start the story there? - A page later - "No, no, you have to start over, this isn't right."

Writers - kill the 'internal editor' and write from your heart. Let the words flow one right after the other. Bleed onto the page. Without the cranky jabbering of this gremlin, you'll be surprised how many words you push out in a day - challenge or not.

Don't forget to give the Editor his turn. His job is just as important as yours but see if he'll wait till you finish up the crafting first. Some writers have to edit as they go. If this is you, go ahead. There's no harm in it, but make sure you allow enough time to get your writing done also.

What if I don't get my 50,000 words by November 30th? My advice - keep writing. Just because the challenge is over doesn't mean you can't finish up your work. If you don't, then you just wasted thirty days that could have gone elsewhere.

What if I'm not finished with my novel by November 30th? Again, keep writing.

If your only point to participate in National Novel Writing Month is to write 50,000 words, then you are missing the point of the Novel part of the challenge.

I hope all who are participating enjoy their writing during the month. Those sitting back watching, get ready for a new novel for your reading pleasures.

May your MUSE be with you!

Muse Online Writers Conference 2011

The week has arrived. I hope everyone is having a wonderful time and learning new things. As you can imagine, I'm a little busy trying to keep up with everything - classes, day job, editing work, and so on. Please forgive me if there's a lapse in interesting posts this week. Feel free to let us know if you are attending the conference and any exciting classes you may be taking.

The Muse Online Writers Conference

It's that time of year again, time for the Muse Online Writers Conference. Registrations are open, deadline September 25th. Don't miss out on this one of a kind free writers' conference. A variety of workshops and chances to pitch your book to various publishers are available. You can't go wrong, it's free!

Muse Online Writers Conference

I'd like to take a moment to thank Lea Schizas for putting together another wonderful conference. This year's conference held many wonderful workshops, numerous pitch sessions, and a large crowd of great talented writers. I'd also like to thank each and every presenter who took a week out of their lives to give us the workshops and guide us through their lessons.

Registration is now open for the 2011 Muse Online Writers Conference.

Stop by http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/, register for the forum, and find the thread 'I am attending the 2011 conference', fill out the poll and you are registered for next year's conference.

Hope to see you there!

F2K: Free Creative Writing Course

I recently participated in the F2K: Free Creative Writing Course.

The exercises were interesting and thought provoking. I came away from the course with a slightly new look at my own writing. I also met some talented writers in the course and hopefully gained at least one new critique partner.

Downside of the course: we began with numerous students, but by the end only a few were left.

I would recommend this course to new writers or experienced writers who would like a little brush up on their skills or some social time with other writers.

You won't come away from the course a master of writer, of course who is, but you will come away with a new perspective. I would say the best lesson of the whole course was the material given for Lesson 6. The thoughts on plot and theme gave me a new way of producing my writing.

There is the option to have one-on-one Mentor assistance, which costs 25 dollars. I did not take this route, but it may have made the experience more rewarding.

An optional course book is also available: P. June Diehl's The Magic and the Mundane. Again, I did not have this to go with the course.

If you'd like to attend the next scheduled course, which is in October, you may register at http://writersvillage.com/free/ .

Step One: If you're not registered with F2K social yet, go to Login/Register for F2K Social. Fill out the simple registration form.

Step Two: You'll receive an email with an activation link. Click on the link (or copy and paste into your browser). You're activated.

Step Three: Once you're registered and logged in, a new menu appears. Go to F2K Course, select F2K CREATIVE WRITING COURSE 1010 and click the Register button. That's it!

Have you already taken this course? What did you think? Are there other courses you would recommend?

I would love to hear your comments and suggestions.

2010 Muse Online Writers Conference

Registration Deadline is Tomorrow!

You must register for the conference by tomorrow or there will be a five dollar late charge.

Official deadline for registration is September 10th.

The conference runs from October 11th to 17th.

It's a full week of fun, learning, and socializing. Come join in the 2010 Muse Online Writers Conference. You won't be sorry.

Winner of National Novel Writing Month

I managed to find the time and pushed out the words to complete the challenge of the National Novel Writing Month. It's a great feeling to have accomplished so much within a month's time.

The reality is I have a lot more work ahead of me. I began with no outline, with only a speck of an idea. The scenes came to me in spurts and not in logical order. Sifting through the produced work should prove to be a large task. The results and the learning experience will be well worth the effort.

Congratulations to all who participated. It takes a lot of motivation and courage to attempt such a feat. Whether you won or not, you gave it your all and that is what counts.

Good luck with your finished product and keep writing.

National Novel Writing Month - Day 21

NaNoWrMo, it's almost over. How many will complete the word count? How many of those novels will make it into the next stage?

At this point, I doubt myself. It's bringing back memories of the first time I did this challenge. And again, I'm wondering if it was a mistake to start. I'm sure every writer goes through this when writing a novel. But, I wonder how much of it is from the added pressure of getting it all down within a month. I'm sure an outline would have lessened the stress.

I'm still tapping the words out in hopes of meeting the challenge. At this point, I have to get twenty-five hundred words a day for the remainder of the month. Shouldn't be hard if I can think of something more to write.

Good luck everyone, as they struggle through this challenge.

27552 / 50000 words. 55% done!

National Novel Writing Month - Day 13

Friday the 13th. Didn't realize what day it was until just now. Nothing bad happened to me today. It was actually a good day. Wonder if it would have been different if I'd known it was the dreaded thirteenth. Anyone have odd occurrences because of the date?

Sorry about the lateness of this post. I've been working hard trying to keep up with work, life, and NaNo. The whole word count responsibility is really cutting into my daily life. In less than two hours, I can produce the words needed, but sometimes it's difficult to know where the story should go next.

How are the rest of you doing out there in NaNo Land?

21439 / 50000 words. 43% done!

National Novel Writing Month - Day Nine

I've made it a whole week and stepped into the second. Things are going great. I have a solid plot line now. I just have to fill in the pieces. I've managed to write the end of the story, now I have to work on the middle scenes.

14790 / 50000 words. 30% done!

National Novel Writing Month - Day Four

I've made it to day four, with only small problems. The story I began on day one has been put to rest. It was a good story line, but I regret to say I am not the one to write it.

I began a new story on day two and it is moving right along. I don't have the entire plot worked out yet, but it will come to me as I go.

As of today, I'm at 6,154 words.

How are you other Nano participants doing?

National Novel Writing Month 2009

I wasn't sure whether I was going to participate this year or not. I've only did this one other year and the results sit in a file folder. That year instead of a novel, I came up with many beginnings for books. I reached the word count but not in the method of building an entire novel.

I still haven't got a plan for the novel I'll be writing this year. I'm hoping to come up with an outline this week. If not, I'll wing it. I look forward to giving this a shot and coming out with a decent novel.

Good luck to all attendees. Are you participating?

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

2010 Muse Online Writers Conference

Open for registrations. http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/2010MuseConferenceRegistration/

This conference is free, but don't let that fool you. It is very professional and contains a lot of needed information. The pitch sessions alone are worth attending, not to mention all the workshops and chats. Donations are accepted, but not necessary to join in.

The Muse Online Writers Conference

Registrations have closed for this year, but it’s something to think about for next year.

This year the workshops range from writing horror to writing for children. There are workshops for tightening your prose, marketing, blogging, and so much more. Many editors have also made it possible for the attendees to pitch their work to them in special pitch sessions. The editors and publications range from short stories to novel lengths. The conference lasts a week and is packed with great opportunities.

http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/

Check it out and get ready for the conference of 2010.

The organizer, Lea Schizas, published author and award winning editor, works hard each year to bring writers this conference at no cost.