NaNoWriMo 2015!

November is almost upon us (yes, I'm sorry, I said it), and with November not only comes AMAZING weather, Christmas music, sweaters, heaters, and Thanksgiving, but also a month-long "task" for writers: NaNoWriMo. (Dare I use the gif I did last year when writing my NaNoWriMo post? ... Yes, I dare.)




For those of you doing the painful challenge of NaNoWriMo this year, I applaud and bow down to your dedication.  Some of you may be scratching your head and going... "NaNoWhatO?"  If that's you, let me explain.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.  It's always in November of each year, and, as it implies, your goal is to complete a full novel in a month.  It's not a competition, but if it helps you to think that, it's a competition against yourself.  For youths (those of us who are 18 and under), it's easier because we get to set our word goal count manually.  It can be as low as 100 words to as high 100,000 words!  Not so easy for those of us who are "adults" (yeah, being an adult doesn't have as many benefits when it comes to that area).

For some (maybe most, maybe even all), NaNoWriMo can be quite... overwhelming, daunting, even scary.  But if you're equipped with the right knowledge and preparation, I promise that it will be less stressful and maybe even really fun. :)  Here are some things that I do before NaNoWriMo and during to prepare and meet my word goal.  Hopefully, it will be helpful to some of you.


#1.  Actually have an idea.  Yeah, it's hard, I know, even if you're planning to start NaNoWriMo the day before, it's a really good idea (obviously... duh.) to have an idea of what you're going to write.  Even if you don't have an idea at all, you can start by asking yourself some questions.  What genre am I writing about (or want to write about)?  The protagonist's personality vs. antagonist's?  Those kind of questions.  What I might do sometimes (ssshhhhh) is look at a few of my favorite movies or tv shows and take my favorite aspects from each and try to come up with an idea from that.  But that's only if I'm desperate and on the brink of brain deadness.  Pinterest always helps, too.  Looking at story inspiration boards really helps... more than I could ever fathom, really.

#2.  When you have an idea, outline it, plot it.  Yes, yes, I know, I know, you've heard this a million and a half times, and it can get... redundant.  I hate plotting.  I absolutely HATE it!  It makes me feel like I have to stick to this one thing, I have to get organized, and I have to stay in a box.  But it's really not like that.  I have found (for the unorganized and list haters out there like me *cough*) that if you plot the beginning, middle, end - along with critical turning points in the storyline (which I usually write in different sentences at the end of the document) - then it's not so bad and lets you be more flexible with your storyline.  But for those of us who are strict plotters, I applaud you and encourage you to do just that.

#3.  Character personalities.  This is an area that I feel I'm stronger in (unlike plotting *hides face in shame because I'm not one of those people who can plot extremely well*), and is actually one of my favorite aspects of "planning".  In order to have a good novel, you MUST have characters with strong personalities.  Not strong as in overbearing, but strong as in sound and dissectable (yes, I made that word up), not shallow and boring.  The key to this is really getting to know your character, feeling your character, putting yourself in their shoes.  I know with some characters it's a bit hard to "be" them, but that's where imagination comes in handy.  Character questionnaires are also a great way to better know and develop your characters.  You may have an awesome storyline, but if your characters are shallow and stink, then it's not worth the read.  The other way around, however, might be forgivable.  Stinky plotline maybe possibly be saved by amazing characters.  Trust me, it's worked for me in the past.

#4.  Set a schedule.  On the NaNoWriMo website, once you type in your set goal wordcount (for YWP, where you can set your word goal), it automatically tells you how many words you must write a day for you to finish on time with your set word goal.


#5.  (Optional, depending on what kind of a writer you are, if you can stand this sort of thing) Have inspirational music going on in the background as you write.  I know - for me, at least - that when there is righteous music going while I'm writing, it inspires me, makes me feel the emotions of what I'm writing, and also makes me feel that I can do (write) anything!  Also gets your brain juices flowing.  ;)  If you don't already do this, then I encourage you to at least try it.  If you're looking for good writing music, I have a list made out especially for writers, some of my music. :)

#6.  Write.  "Well, duh, Angie."  Yes, this one is a bit obvious (a bit?), but it can also be the most challenging.  Actually find time to write in the day.  If you're super busy, find time at night, or early in the mornings.  This is critical to meeting that word count goal.  (Well duh again)

#7.  Push through.  Sometimes when writing, we can get bored with out plot or characters or whatever aspect on the book (as a huge procrastinator, I find this very true for me).  We can even get discouraged at our daunting word count goal, or even the way the story is turning out.  But no matter what, PUSH THROUGH!  It will be totally worth it in the long run, trust me.  Here's a little tip I have for this "sickness": write another scene, switch POV, change your text color to something bright and different every time a new speaker or paragraph or scene comes on.  Believe me, these little things can actually help.  What I DON'T suggest doing: going on pinterest for inspiration.  If you do that, then you'll be stuck there for eternity.  Take it from the Queen of Procrastination, you don't want to do that.


As I said in the beginning of this post, NaNoWriMo can be really scary, but if you just tackle it head on with a clobbering stick, then you'll be just fine this November.  I applaud you, writers for NaNoWriMo 2015.  You are brave souls.


~Angie

Real Beauty

I'm going to talk about something really personal for all girls, I think. It's the issue of beauty and acceptance of yourself.  I know that this is something most girls - if not all - struggle with.  If it's not insecurity of your weight, height, width, or body, maybe it's your personality, the way you talk, something you don't like about yourself that you desperately wish could vanish and be replaced with a revised and perfect version of it.  Boy, have I been there.  Still am, actually.  It seems like I've been on this journey of finding my security for many years now, but as I look back now, I can see that I've come a long way.

When I was about eleven years old, I went through a major growth spurt and was always eating something.  I would eat as much as my teenage brother at the time during meals and would still have room for dessert.  By the time I was twelve, at 5'3 I weighed 180 lbs.  It didn't bother me much at all and I didn't think anything was wrong until one day while trying on jeans my mom had a serious talk with me.  As she handed me the size 18 jeans, she told me that maybe I should start to watch what I'm eating, and only put something in my mouth when I'm hungry.  I didn't really think anything of it until I began dance again after a few year break.  Let me tell you, at 5'4 and 180 lbs., fitting into a leotard is not something that looks good in a mirror... So I started watching what I ate, exercised, and let the rest go.  I started losing weight, but as the pounds fell off, my security did as well.  I  kept feeling that I was never thin enough, never at the right weight, my face wasn't pretty enough, my nose was too turned up, my dancing skills too amateur for my age, ect.  It didn't help that my two best friends were (are) absolutely GORGEOUS and perfect in every way.  I wanted to be in every way just like them, but the mirror always told me I would never be as beautiful.  My parents always encouraged me, though, that I was beautiful, I was perfect, and I didn't need to be a certain way to be gorgeous.  I tied down my happiness to being thin.  I told myself that I would be happy, automatically and always happy, when I would be down to my goal weight.

As I lost more and more weight, the doubt that brooded in the dark part of my mind gradually began to take over the way I looked at myself.  Every time I saw myself in the mirror, a cloud of darkness would envelope over me.  I told myself I was fat, I was ugly, I wasn't good at anything, my art was horrible, my dancing was childish, my writing was trash.  Some nights I would cry myself to sleep, or stand in front of the mirror, sobbing silently so no one would hear me.  It got bad at times.  Really bad.  For a while, I would refuse to eat as much as I should at mealtimes and nothing ever in between.  When that happened, my parents told me that if I didn't start eating, they would pull me out of ballet.  That scared me.  So for the reason of being pulled out of ballet - and for that reason only - I started to eat regular amounts again.  I wasn't happy about it, but I didn't want to give up my love either.  So I ate... unhappily, I might add.  Even though I had lost over fifty pounds and was down to a size 4 pants, I still wasn't satisfied.  I would always curse my big thighs, my enormous calves, and my big hips.

I had been battling off and on with bouts of "Yes, God, I know I'm beautiful!  I am and You made me perfect and beautiful in Your image.  I won't worry about it anymore," and "I am so ugly and fat... Why couldn't I be beautiful and perfect and pretty like my friends..."  My goal weight kept changing, going down and down and down.  I kept telling myself "just five more pounds."  Five more pounds later, "just another five."  And I didn't feel any happier, just the opposite.  My faith during this time became weaker, and that fire for Jesus I once had was starting to fade away, flickering and being blown out by the petty worries I had.  But then something happened... I was in the car with my mom and younger brother and a song came on the radio.  I'd heard it before, but the lyrics caught my attention and hit me in the stomach like a train going full force towards me.  It was just a few months ago, actually.  The song was "Who I am" by Blanca.  I'd heard it before, but never paid attention to it, and it was just background noise, if you know what I mean.  But at that moment of the day, I was just feeling so beaten down, like a heavy cloud was around me, because of my weight.  But a part of the song goes, "Another voice, another choice, to listen to words somebody said.  Another day, I replay, one too many doubts inside my head. Am I strong beautiful am I good enough?  Do I belong after all that I've said and done?  Is it real when I feel I don't measure up?  Am I loved?"

Those words described where I was emotionally at the time, and it couldn't have described me better.  The words that I heard through the speakers just touched me, and I started to cry.  Inside I was sobbing, the truth finally breaking through.  And when I heard the rest of the song, it just confirmed to me that I AM BEAUTIFUL, and not because of the way I appear physically, but because of WHOSE I am.  God's words finally broke through the ice of my hardened heart, and a revelation was revealed.  I don't need to be a certain weight to be beautiful, or a certain clothes size.  The world might tell me that I do, or that I have to wear this much makeup to look acceptable, or get a certain grade of score on tests, but I know what the real truth says.  The real truth, Jesus, tells me I am beautiful because I am his, and not because of what /I/ have done, but because of what /He/ has done.  I am beautiful.  I am loved.  I am good enough.  I am His.

Psalms 139:14 - I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

/I/ am fearfully and wonderfully made.  /You/ are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Fearfully... and wonderfully...


I'm not out of the forest yet (is anyone ever, truly?), but I am slowly - but surely - making my way back to that fire that once possessed me.  Over 5 years, 3 inches, and 50 lbs. lighter, I have finally come to understand that, truly understand that.  For years I had heard it, but never really understood it.  Key word: understand.  You might know it, but do you understand it?  Do you believe it?

It's taken me years and a lot of heartache and tears to realize this... As you read this post, I hope you understand and believe that...

You are beautiful.

You are loved.

You are good enough.

You are His.

You

Are

His...



~Angie

Short Story Challenge

Writing novels can get, well, to be honest, lllllllloooooooonnnnnnngggggggg after a while, and also a bit... old.  I find the best way to cure me of this "disease" is to compose a short story.  It gets my mind off my novel and on a whole new set of characters and their problems.  Also, the advantage of writing a short story is you don't have to worry about writing a whole novel about them.  It's just a short story. 

So that is why I am giving this challenge to anyone who is reading this now.  Write a short story about the picture below and send it in to me, and I choose which one is the winner.


Rules:

1) Short story must be a SHORT STORY.  The maximum is 3,500 words (which is roughly 10 pages).
2) Absolutely NO PROFANITIES or SWEARING!  I will not tolerate any foul language.
3) No unacceptable or questionable scenes. 
4) The deadline for your short story is July 4.  That will be the last day I will be accepting short stories.

Along with your short story, submit a little bit about yourself and perhaps an icon of something that you love or describes you most.  I.e., I would probably submit my icon picture as Rapunzel since she's my favorite Disney princess and also 'cause I have really long hair. 

The winner of this challenge will receive a virtual hug and a thumbs up icon, a blog post about the author, and the author's short story published on my blog. 

Are you ready???



You can email your submissions to me at angiezoewriter@gmail.com.


May the best story win!


~Angelina Zoe