Six Gorgeous Writing Soundtracks to Power You Through #NaNoWriMo

Because I am a total and complete nerd, the neurobiological connection between music and writing is a subject that fascinates me. (Most random lede award.)

According to a completely unscientific poll of writers, some can't work with music at all, others have to have it, and of those who write with music, there's a further dichotomy: Team Instrumental vs. Team Lyrics. 

If you (like me) find creative inspiration in good instrumental background music, here are some playlists to help us power through like the writing machines that we are, whether we're in the thick of NaNoWriMo, wrapping up a deadline (hold me), or just getting our daily wordcount.

All the beautiful instruments for your writing enjoyment:

For those upbeat, romantic scenes:

If calm and atmospheric is your writing vibe:

Instrumental versions of worship favs:

A mellow and beautiful guitar soundtrack:

Recommended accompaniment for sci-fi/fantasy writers:

Movie score magic:

A bonus acoustic coffee shop mix (not instrumental):



Do you write with sound or silence? Lyrics or no lyrics? What are you working on this week?
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Laurie Tomlinson is an award-winning contemporary romance author and cheerleader for creatives. She believes that God's love is unfailing, anything can be accomplished with a good to-do list, and that life should be celebrated with cupcakes and extra sprinkles. 


Previously a full-time book publicist, Laurie now serves as a virtual assistant and runs a freelance editing and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She lives with her husband and two small children in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they are eagerly awaiting the release of her debut contemporary romance novel in May 2017 from Harlequin Heartwarming.

You can connect with Laurie on her website, Facebook page, and Twitter. 

Writing in the Flurry - NaNo and Not

I have a tendency to get more done when I have less time. Anyone else like that? When forced to produce something, then I am more effecient. Deadlines work for me – challenges work even better.

Of course, I think I've met my match over this past year and a half of being a published author. I'm almost dizzy with the responsibilities of family, work, and writing all combined to have their own deadlines...and many times they meet at the same TIME!

Are you guys feeling the sting? How many of you are participating in NaNo? Does the pressure push your limits?

I haven't participated in NaNo this year because my schedule pushes me aplenty right now. So far for November I've gotten about 15K words in and that's a complete and utter miracle!! But I know many of you are participating. 

What have I realized about fitting in writing time?

1. Daydream often - between work and family responsibilities my writing time is limited, so when I have a few minutes I'll daydream about my stories. As I'm driving from one client to the next, in carline, while cooking dinner...etc. Daydreaming gets my mind and heart ready to put words on a page when I have the opportunity. (I've also discovered the magnificence of using my iPhone to record ideas...YES)

2. TRY to etch out a consistent writing schedule. I'm not great at schedules, but I consistently write for thirty minutes a day. My average is an hour - but that doesn't always happen. I've found that I'm most successful with a consistent time.

3. (FOR ME) Write where the fire is - I get the best wordcount when I'm writing a high-motivation scene, so sometimes if I'm particularly stumped OR if I know I'm not going to get a lot of writing time in for the day, I'll jump ahead to another scene in my book and write it. The scene can be one that has high emotions, lots of dialogue, or one I've already figured out in my head. My word count is higher in less time with these, and I feel more productive.

4. BREATHE - recognize you're human and put your priorities in order. My faith and my kids are the top of my priorities list, but I also need to recognize that my creativeky/heart needs to be a priority too. Recognizing your breaking point is vital to being able to continue writing well and consistently. When you NEED a break, take a short one and then get back in the race. 

5. Chocolate - self-explanatory

What about you? What’s your writing style? What meets your writing needs? Do challenges work for you? Can you skip around in your book as the fire hits? How are your goals for Nano working out for you? Nano-brag if you want!! You can also Nano-cry too - we all get that :-)

Inspired By Place: 16th Century England meets Small Town, USA

Hatfield photo borrowed from:

http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/houses/hatfield.shtml

Here at the alley we are spending the next couple of weeks talking about places that inspire. I took this assignment rather literally as I am going to share my latest inspiration for my newest novel, Goodnight, Lizzie.

I have been all caught up in 16th century England for the past three years, but more and more, I also find myself inspired by
every day beauty as I live life in my part of the world.

So with NaNoWriMo in full swing, my brain worked in overdrive to think up a great story to whip up in a month.

Usually, I am one who decides on "place" first...guess it's the Landscape Architect background or my love for traveling...or my historical bent that calls for a rich setting...

I decided this year, I'd base my story where I've been living lately...Small Town USA, but still weave it with my great love for history and Elizabethan England.

(Maybe one of these days I'll share exactly how I am going to do that...let me get a few chapters under my writer's belt.:))

Whether it be a large, mysterious castle, or a tiny coffee shop in the Midwest, the most important thing that inspires me is that life can be lived out there, and I can play "dolls" with my characters for a good long session of make-believe. If I can visualize life lived out, then I can write it on the pages. Glad I can hop in my car and drive just down the street for a good gulp of research--perfect for the time crunch of NaNoWriMo, huh?

So, how did you come up with the setting for your novel? Or, what's your favorite place to go find inspiration?

Happy 2nd Day of NaNoWriMo!

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written six historical novels and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one-sheets and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check her personal blog at angiedicken.blogspot.com and connect at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dicken.angie, 

Twitter: @angiedicken

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/agdicken/

How I'm "Cheating" at #NaNoWriMo But Really Winning

National Novel Writing Month begins in a few days! Are you ready? I have been reading alllll the articles and resources to prepare, and I made a pretty neat little outline of scenes and designed a planner to increase my chances for success. 

New work schedule and kids on sleep strike or not, this NaNo flunkie was going to win this time. 

Until....

I had an opportunity come up for the beginning of November that deserves my full creative energy. So my NaNoWriMo aspirations will look a little different this year. Even if it means cheating. 

The rules of NaNoWriMo are finite. 50,000 words on one new project between November 1-30. No intentionally padding words by doing things like naming your character John Jacob Jingelheimer Schmidt or spelling out every contraction. I'm sure there are more, but those are the main ones.

Even though the title of this post was a major spoiler alert, here is my confession: I'm going to be breaking almost every single one of those rules.

• My primary project isn't new. It's a story that I started writing last year and had to put on hold.
• Yep. I said "primary." As in, there are two projects I'll be dividing the 50,000 words between.
• My 30 days won't take place between November 1-30. And this is okay. All of this is okay.

I think the true heart of the official NaNoWriMo rules are getting 50,000 words on the page and not padding them. No one is doing herself any favors by writing an extra 2,000 or 15,000 words that will eventually be deleted. I can give up before I start, knowing I could never win by their standards. That I'm a historically slow writer who's never been able to turn off her internal editor anyway. That no one in her right mind would step into rush-hour traffic at the corner of New Work Projects and Kids on Nap Strike.

Or I can give life to new words at a time when it would be great for me to re-establish a consistent writing habit. To fight for my work and art when there are lots of real-life distractions that make it easy to save it for tomorrow...every day. To learn more about myself and my stories through what will probably be a trying experience. 

I'm hoping that, somewhere in the middle of these 50,000 words, I can finish the first draft of a manuscript that's on my heart and get in some good work on a new one. But whether it's one word or 50,000 words at the end of November, I encourage you to join me in setting aside time to write every day. Let's end the year strong with glorious new habits and beautiful new words and see what we can do! 

Well? Are you up for it? You're welcome to click here to download my free 30-day NaNoWriMo planner!

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Laurie Tomlinson is a wife and mom from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is passionate about intentional living, all things color-coded, and stories of grace in the beautiful mess. Previously a full-time book publicist, she owns a freelance copywriting, editing, and PR consulting business called 1624 Communications. 

She's a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a two-time Genesis Award winner, and the runner-up in the 2015 Lone Star Contest's Inspirational category. Her work is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary.

You can connect with Laurie here:

Facebook - AuthorLaurieTomlinson

Twitter - @LaurieTomlinson

Web - www.LaurieTomlinson.com

Methods To Plot Your Novel

Photo by audFriday13
freedigitalphotos.net

Many people are gearing up to begin NaNoWriMo next month and so I thought I would share some awesome blog posts on plotting that I found. These are great tools for those who need a little punch in their plotting craft.

Kaye Dacus: Look What @Sherrinda Made Me Do
A look into Kaye's storyboarding/plotting while she is furiously trying to meet a deadline.

Erica Vetsch: Plotting and Pages
A look into Erica's plotting techniques.

Julia Reffner: Storyboarding for "Plodders" & "Mist Flyers", Storyboarding Part I
Great look into the benefits of storyboarding.

Cindy Wilson: Writing With A Formula (even if you are not a plotter)
A great tool for figuring out your story's main plot.

I would also recommend My Book Therapy's book, From the Inside Out...discover, create, & publish the novel in you. It is a great tool and very simplistic, and has worksheets to help you think through your story in the development stages. I love this book!

How do YOU plot out your story?

***Links are from my personal blog October 22, 2010.**

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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.

Unusual Things to be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving Holidays to you!

We here at the Alley are so blessed by your readership. Although many of you are shy to comment or maybe you've enjoyed a post but didn't have time to share or have a specific thought to comment with, we see you here. God's richest blessings on you.

Today, I thought we could talk about the unusual things to be thankful for. 

Sure it's easy to thank God for our children, the weather, our food, etc. But what about the unusual things. 

Let's see, what can we put on this list.

Crits with lots of red writing. Sigh. I get those more than the raving positive comments at the end of the doc. I am, however, thankful for the color on my paper because I learn, I see the issue in my work, I change, I write better . . . until the critters find a new issue GACK! Breathe. I can be thankful again, learn yet another concept, see my error, change, and write better again.

Contest responses in the first round. No. no. Please. I really didn't want an email from the contest category administrator yet, at least wait another two months. Actually, I was hoping for the golden call about that time. 

The email was sweetly written, sorry....blah blah blah. I usually open the email later that evening, with a cup of hot chocolate, hoping my entry was really good but my score just missed the cut. Two days later, when I have matured, I read the judges comments.

Now comes the thankful part. I really am glad to have the score sheets. Specific areas of writing earn their own points. I can find out if I scored high on the hook, but bombed style or setting. Sometimes a judge will include a critted version. Sure, because of the subjectivity of the business three judges can score completely different. I can compare the three and learn what needs to be perfected. And if I keep learning and trying and submitting, someday, I might get the call like I did this year for the Phoenix Rattler Writing Contest :)

NaNoWriMo in November. In the season of crazy, NaNo gives you the opportunity to go insane. I am thankful because I had this fabulous idea for a story swirling in my head, consuming my thought time, but I had editing, requests, and obligations which required my full attention. The new idea had to wait until January, maybe February before I would have time to devote to it. Seriously, this is was not the time. 

But . . . this year, I signed up. NaNo has become my vent. An opportunity to get that first draft out of my head with no obligations to edit at this time. It moved those ideas that pop into my head when I was in the middle of something onto a page and cleared my mind to focus on the other tasks I needed to do. Insane ended up working for me.

Frantically busy days. No way will you get any writing done on a day where the to do list outweighs the available time. This is a day to keep one of those mini spiral writing pads and a pen with you. This is the time when new, fresh ideas will form, soaked with sight, sounds, feelings, tastes, and new learning. Don't waste these added blessings, whip that spiral out of your back pocket, take notes, and later add them to the perfect character/setting in your book. It will make you feel better, I promise:)

Suggested frantic day observations worth taking notes:

*the cheerleader or grannie type cashier leaving the register to run after the customer who forgot a bag, 

*the fresh scent of a traffic jam, and musical blarings of horns, engines, and screeching fan belts bleeding over your favorite song on the radio. 

*the missing ingredient in dinner flavor 

*the unexpected guest's lovely appearance, and yours when you answered the door with curlers, no make-up, and fuzzy slippers

*the voice of the marketer who called-yet again, this time when the oatmeal boiled over 

*the vibrant colors of your child's drawing on the surface of the living room wall which you noticed right before your mother-in-law arrived. 

*the new things you found while searching for your missing keys during the last twenty minutes 

*the force needed to scrape frost off the car when you're ten minutes late for the special appointment. 

This list could go on for pages!

Oh the blessings we have in disguised packages. 

Have some fun. Giggle. 
Add an unusual thing to be thankful for.

(Including prepositions at the end of a sentence:) )

This short post has been brought to you by the sponsors of 

You Better Hurry And . . .

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This blog post is by Mary Vee

Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes contemporary Christian fiction with a focus on the homeless population and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website www.maryvee.com

Step into Someone Else's World

Ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com

What's Up The Street for Next Week?

It's the month of complete and utter insanity!

Yes, whoever decided to make November National Novel Writing Month was...well...

A nice Christian girl really shouldn't say.

LOL!

We're three days into the madness, are you hitting a rush or realizing that 50k seems a whole lot more on this side of the month?

Share your woes and success and hopefully your success well out weigh the woes!

And check out what's coming up next week...

K. Dawn Byrd is vising the Alley with a guest post about her latest novel and setting a Biblical tale in modern times on Monday.

Sherrinda brings her usual dose of wit and wisdom to the blog on Tuesday.

Mary is in the middle of a cross-country move (pray for safe travels!) but will definitely be here on Wednesday. 12 hour driving days gives plenty of time to think up great Alley topics. ;-)

Krista is ALL about romance on Thursday (good thing, since I just realized I write romance, not women's fiction. Ha! ;-)

MBT Brainstorming coach Michelle Lim is here!! And she has awesome tips for our stories + a giveaway! Be sure and check it out on Friday.

Side walk Talk
Our thoughts and prayers are definitely with the friends and readers on the East coast. Our own Julia is there and Alley friend Renee Ann too. Praying for safety and electricity back soon!

Casey posted on the ACFW blog on the 1st (and yes forgot to promote her own post). You can check it out here. 

Challenge Yourself- The Journey of an Unofficial Nano-er

Well, it’s unofficial.


My NanoWriMo is anyway.

If you don’t get the weird slang, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. There’s a website and tons of various support groups for it. Even ACFW has a special group set aside to encourage the chaotic masses of frenzied writers.

The typical expectation is 50K words in one month.

And for the everyday, four hours a day (or more) writer, that may seem just peachy.

But fitting it into an already filled day requires creativity and a whole lot of perseverance.

So on November 1 I took the plunge –except I set my wordcount at 40K (pretty sure that I’d never reach it).

Now I can’t afford to hire babysitters each night after work so that I can write. I can’t afford a housekeeper or cook to take care of those needs – so what on earth could I do to add more writing time to my day.

Here are some things I’ve discovered this month that have helped me reach my current 24K wordcount:

1. Turn off the T.V.

I didn’t realize how much time I wasted watching television – and I’m not a big-time T.V. watcher anyway. Just by going into another room after the kids are in bed, I’ve added so many more words to my manuscript. I’ve saved time for three of my favorite shows – but otherwise, I write.

2. Close the office door and bring a lunch

During my lunch break I would leave my office door open, allowing plenty of distractions if I had time to actually take a lunch. So on the days when I can take lunch in my office, I close the door, scarf down my packed lunch, and get to writing. I can have as much as 45 minutes and type between 500 & 1000 words, if I’m on a roll.

3. Get up 30 minutes earlier or stay up 30 minutes later

I still get plenty of sleep (for me), but staying up that extra 30 minutes gives me a little more time. It’s amazing what you can write in 30 minutes. Just the other day I wrote 217 words in a fifteen minute break of time while the potatoes were boiling for dinner. :-)

4. Strategically write in the midst of chaos

While my kids are watching a movie I pull my laptop into the living room with them. My daughters will usually come snuggle up on either side of me, and I’ll write. While they’re enjoying some animated or kid-friendly video (that I’ve seen 100 times), I can get a few more words in. It’s really amazing.

The whole experience has been a good kick in the writer-buns for me. It’s shown me what I can accomplish with the time that I do have.

So- are you a NaNo-er?

What are some of your tips for getting in that extra time?

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Pepper Basham is a pastor’s wife, mom of five, and university instructor. She write stories (of various genres) and peppers them with grace and a dash of humor. Her current motto: “Three things are necessary, four are required: God’s grace, a sense of humor, children’s hugs, and good chocolate. Everything else is secondary.”


Photos courtesy of:
http://www.xandrajames.com/2011/10/nanowrimo-is-here-again/
http://wqebelle.blogspot.com/2011/01/nanowrimo-write-novel-in-1-month.html

What's Up The Street For Next Week?

From our family to yours....

We wish you a thanksgiving full of good food...

Family that crowds the table....

A heart of thanks that can not be quenched and the gift of everything you love.

With Thanksgiving this coming Thursday, I didn't have to think very hard what the theme for today would be. ;-)

Share some of your favorite Thanksgiving memories, we would love to share in them with you!

Coming up next week...

Pepper steals your Monday with  Challenge Yourself: The Journey of an Unofficial Na-No.

Take a bus ride with Sherrinda on Tuesday --it will be about writing. She promises. ;-)

Wednesday, Mary gives you a taste of each of what the Alley cats are thankful for.

Thursday, between bites of turkey, stuffing and thankful whispers to our Author, Casey has a writer's prayer.



Amongst Black Friday frenzy shopping, stop by real quick for Krista's word budgeting post-writing with the best words possible.



Sidewalk Talk....



Casey's blog party for her 2nd year of blogging is still partying on! Krista was a guest this last Friday and she still has the grand finale coming on Monday!! Not to be missed! (or at least, I hope you won't ;-)

Are you a Na-Noer? Then join the encouragement and camaraderie on the My Book Therapy forums.

Katie Ganshet launched her website on Wednesday and is launching her COVER on her blog on Monday.

And most of all...have a wonderful Thanksgiving and know we are so thankful for you!



Photo Credit



On Being Mentored: Fried Brains

I confess, I am not a NaNoWriMo participant this year. My confidence is not there--yet. I suppose I could blame my job, my house on the market and up-coming move, family, and a host of other excuses. The truth is, if I truly wanted to crank out a 50,000 word novel in 30 days I could--if I were ready. But I'm not.


Still, the idea of a magnanimous goal one month in the year is a fantastic idea. I thought--I can do that! So I joined a loop that let me set up my challenge. You can too!

So off we go-set our goal-writing every word which pops in our head to finish our book

Until a fried brain day arrives.

The first few days usually sail along. Then IT happens.


The words hit a snag, the brain is fried, unable to conjure even one more word. Hijacked, like a kite whisked into the one and only tree in a field by some random breeze.


What to do? The pressure to meet today's goal rises. Remnants of yesterday's missing goal had been shoved onto today. Can't do it again, but my brain is fried.


Who can save the day?


Here is an idea:  Loop Mentors.


Yes, goals can be met with--drum roll please------super loop mentor heroes!


I love the word loop-so different from the word clique. Think about it: A loop invites--a clique rejects.


Tracie Peterson mentioned the benefits she enjoyed from loops in our October Montana ACFW meeting. She asked other loop members for odd details, reactions to situations, and etc. The purpose: fresh ideas and perspective.


I belong to several loops, all of which provide encouragement in many ways. Well, they aren't all officially called "loops" but they all act like one.


A loop provides opportunity to report and cheer members for editing, completing a WIP, plotting, successfully completing any word count goal for the month in addition to help with  brainstorming, provide needed information, and so much more anti fried brain helps!


How many members are required to have a loop? The minimum: one more than is needed to put in a light bulb. Max: whatever the group feels they can handle. Gotta love the open, warmth in a loop--almost open house in nature. Come and go as you need and can give.


Loops members provide much more than encouragement and accountability. They provide ideas, answers, unique perspective, expertise, jump starts, grammar tips, and etc.


For example: One loop member hit a snag with a dance scene. After explaining a bit of her setting she asked for conflict ideas for the couple. Several chimed in their ideas. The determined author whittled and directed the dialogue until the perfect answer came. "Eureka!"


On another loop, a writer told the members her MC broke her leg! She needed to know the hospital process, recovery, and healing time--and she needed to know it quick. No time to do all the research. The answer appeared in a short time.


My family members have served as a loop in a way. I interrupt them at all times of the day to ask "what if" questions and siphon their expertise in a given subject. Sometimes I hear pret-ty interesting ideas!


The fun of looping is not taking-but giving. When I read about someone's word snag my brain hops into proactive solve mode. This exercise often solves my own word snag and jolts my fried brain. Another benefit is writing encouraging comments and reading other loopers ideas.

When we bless others, we will be blessed, too.

Don't be a hermit

Fried brains taste nasty.

How have you benefitted from loops?
Do you have any loops to recommend?

P.S. When you take a break from productive writing and notice a million loop emails don't leave the loop! PRESS the delete key! Highlight the whole group and delete them. You have permission.  Then when your brain is fried and you need help from the loop, or you have extra time to help others, click on the emails and enjoy the blessings.
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Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This blog post by Mary Vee
Mary lives in Montana with her husband and loves to hear from her three college kids. She writes Christian young adult fiction, especially pirate tales, missionary and Bible adventure stories. 
Her tag: Stepping into Someone Else's World. 

To learn more about Mary, visit her blog http://www.mimaryvee.blogspot.com/

What's Up The Street For Next Week?

Good Saturday Morning to you!!


How is NaNoWriMo month going?


Are you fully set and prepared to vomit--er write those 50,000 words come holiday or high water? There is nothing a writer cannot conquer and if you can do this in one month...you can write anything, at anytime.


So get a good word count in this weekend and we'll see you right back here at the blog on Monday with some great posts to keep you movited and pushing forward. :-)


Coming up...


 Pepper has guest author/ blogger Melanie Dickerson visiting on Monday. Will you continue to persevere when the writing life gets tough?


Sherrinda is your Alley hostess on Tuesday.

Alright Na-No-er's this post is for you from Mary on Wednesday: On Being Mentored: Fried Brains

Are you a long-term plotter or a short-term pantser for your writing goals? Casey has tips for both on Thursday.

Krista is all about Hooking Your Audience: "Castle Style" on your next Friday.


Sidewalk Talk...


Take a few minutes and watch this video that ACFW did during their annual conference in September. And you just might see a familiar Alley face. ;-)






This second one is another promo video ACFW did. Truly an organization that has a heart for writers of every level.





Not so random news...

Thomas Nelson publishers bought by HarperCollins

Review fiction and non fiction from Waterbrook Multnomah

Want a chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card? Visit this link to Casey's blog for details.

November releases at ACFW Fiction Finder

NaNo Land VS The Looney Bin

Many of you know I've taken on the challenge of writing 50,000 words this month in the NaNoWriMo Challenge. National Novel Writing Month. A month of early mornings--or late nights, whichever the case may be. A month of wracking your brain for plot and characterization during the day so that when you get a chance to put fingers to the keyboard, your story can fly. A month of insanity.

I'm sure a challenge like this is a piece of cake for someone who...
1) has no children
2) doesn't work full time
3) doesn't belong to a church that they are involved in
4) doesn't have a puppy who needs to be on ADHD meds
5) doesn't do holidays...Thanksgiving is coming up--who planned this NaNo, anyway?
6) basically, doesn't have a life.

So how am I doing?  Let it show you what I've done so far. (check out my NaNo Stats here)

Nov. 1 : 1785

Nov. 2 : 344

Nov. 3 : 2503

Nov. 4 : 1534

Nov. 5 : 433

Nov. 6 : 2364

Nov. 7 : 1835

Nov. 8 : 530

Total: 11,328

You need to write 1667 words a day to complete (and win) NaNoWriMo. I am behind. I now need to write 1758 words a day to complete my mission. It's do-able.

What I've learned thus far from this NaNo-y experience:

1. I do have time in my day to write. I had thought I couldn't find time, but you know what? I am very clear headed at 4:30 a.m. with a large...um, LARGE, cup of coffee in hand.(the additional sugar from the tons of hazelnut creamer is a plus)
2. You do need a big supply of caffeine on hand. Whether it is coffee, tea, a Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper from  Sonic, caffeine is a huge part of navigating NaNo Land.
3. Support from the family is a plus. One day my husband cooked supper while I pounded away on the keyboard after work, trying to catch up after a lousy word count the day before. Yeah, I know, a husband who cooks...sorry for those of you who don't have that tool.
4. I need to go to bed earlier. I need my sleep. Period. If I'm going to get up earlier, I need to go to bed earlier. This is a bit of a challenge with nocturnal teens in the house, but they understand this crazy journey I'm on, and have let me be. (FYI, my husband is on call if a parent is needed.)
5. There are many people doing NaNo and can be a great support and encouragement. Just look on Facebook, Twitter, NaNo's forums...there's lots of people doing this same crazy challenge who can sympathize and encourage you. At work yesterday, a 5th grader came up to me and said..."You're doing NaNo, aren't you? I am too!" Woah! I didn't know there was a "Junior NaNo" going on! Way cool.
6. If I don't make my word count, it's not the end of the world. I'm not going to be carted away by the NaNo police if I don't win NaNo and get my 50,000 words in. The deadline is enforced by me. I can be as hard or as lenient as I want. The point is writing everyday, a habit I am trying to develop.

NaNoWriMo is not for everyone. It is difficult to write that many words a day when life is full. But NaNo is a great tool for those who need a little push to get writing. It's been great tool for me in finding a writing time that works. If I'm going to be serious about writing, I need to just write, regardless of the job and other responsibilities. NaNo is helping me do that. Sure, there's a bit of insanity involved, but then again, doesn't every writer have just a touch of craziness? We wouldn't have it any other way, would we?

Has anyone ever done NaNoWriMo? If not, how do you stay motivated to write each and every day?