Make a list of at least 25 alternates and replace where necessary.
As an example, here are alternatives to the word handsome:
Arresting.
Stunning
Hot
Sexy
Delicious
Eye candy
Gorgeous
Glorious
Attractive
Exquisite
Flawless
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 102
Half-Baked or Full-Baked?
At the beginning of All Write Already, we talked about “problem stacking.” One step forward, two steps back. But where do the ideas for those problems come from? What about the emotions, actions and characters?
Easy! Those ideas can come from anywhere. The key is looking for them.
Have you ever been around a child who is fixated on the question “why?”
Child: Why does the dog bark?
Mom: Because they can’t talk, and they need to get our attention.
Child: Why?
Mom: Well, because they want to play. Or poop.
Child: Why?
Mom: Because everyone needs to poop.
Child: Why?
Mom: Someone save me. Please.
That child is searching for answers.
Do you need inspiration for your murder mystery? Maybe you can’t decide where to leave a clue. Why not pay attention to current events? Law & Order sometimes uses the tagline “Ripped From Today’s Headlines.”
Need a universal experience for your characters? Pay attention to the discussions and complaints of your friends and coworkers.
Want to craft the worst date ever? Search the web for real life experiences.
Ideas are out there, just waiting to be discovered. Sift through the dirt and you’ll find the gold.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 103
How To Kill Creativity
Excited to write but wish you weren’t? Here are our tried and true tips to snuffing out that excitement as quickly as possible!
Chase “meh” ideas that feel commercial or fit trend but don’t excite you
Focus on every word being “perfect”
Dwell on criticism
Embrace fear
Constantly second-guess yourself
Magnifying the negatives
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 104
Straight Shot to Victory: Word Sprint
A “word sprint” means setting a timer and writing until the clock zeros out. You can do this multiple times a day, once a week/month, or whenever the mood strikes. You can even increase your time by five minutes each instance that you reset the clock. The goal? Complete your required word count for the day and then some!
If you are on a roll but you’ve already reached your word goal and the timer has gone off, don’t stop your momentum. Keep going. Think like an arrow—always moving forward!
Your assignment: With a word count goal of 250, set a timer for 20 minutes and word vomit. Did you meet your goal or did you go over? If you didn’t meet your goal, set the timer for 25 minutes and go again.
Day 105
Reflect and Catch Up
Write. Handwriting in a notebook, typing on a computer, dictation into your phone, how you do it doesn't matter - just get the words down. That comes first, before covers or promotion or social media pages. Each time you write, you learn and strengthen your writing muscles. So write. Produce the work.
—New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh
Day 106
Writing Software
It can be difficult to polish your work when you don’t have another person to help with edits. Writing software might come in handy.
Please note: Gena and Jill are not affiliated with any software or programs mentioned in this book. They do not sponsor the sites or receive any type of compensation. Also, this is not an in depth review of these programs. It is simply a quick overview of two types of software they use. While neither of the below is free, other programs are. Or, they are sold on a sliding scale. Think about what kinds of tools you need.
ProWritingAid: Checks grammar, spelling and delivers reports on style and overused words. This program is for both download and online use.
Scrivener: A word processing program that is specifically designed for writers. It organizes notes, research, outlines and more.
If you opt not to use a software and only rely on spell check, you could be missing grammatical errors—words that are spelled correctly but misused. Consider having a text to voice program read your writing aloud. Some free programs can even analyze your passages for clarity and overused words.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 107
Hop Plot Bunnies, Hop
Often you’ll see a picture or read an article and inspiration will hit, your ideas multiplying like rabbits. While plot bunnies are fun, they can lead to never-ending rabbit holes that draw you away from your current project. That’s why we recommend you write down any new ideas that excite you but don’t quite fit into your current project, then get back to work on your manuscript in progress. Writing warmups can help get the mental juices flowing!
Focus. Magnify. Accomplish. Triumph!
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 108
Unsympathetic Characters are Just Superficial
If your main characters are completely unlikable, the reader might not root for them to succeed. The characters might even reach the dreaded status of “irredeemable.” The kiss of death when you do, in fact, hope to redeem them, because the reader doesn’t care if they live or die. Heck, the reader might even want them to suffer a little.
That doesn’t mean your characters can’t make mistakes. No one gets everything right every time. The character doesn’t even have to do the “good” thing most of the time. They don’t need to be kind or sweet, either. But, for the reader to root for them, they need to be relatable in some way.
Did you kind of like Hannibal Lecter?
Did you have a soft spot for Darth Vader?
Did you want to give Gollum a hug?
Want to snuggle with Loki?
Think about your favorite unlikable-but-likable characters from books or movies. What made you root for/like them? What did you dislike about them? Did the other characters dislike this trait too? How did they win you over? Was there a moment that this character could have been redeemed, but they chose another path instead? What was the ultimate fate of this character, and was it satisfying or unsatisfying?
Now think about your own characters. Are your main characters sympathetic in some way? Do they have flaws or other balancing characteristics? If not, what can you do to make them relatable to readers? What is one relatable characteristic you can add?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 109
Ground Yourself in the Setting
Today’s exercise will help you to notice the little details that ground a scene in reality, and make your story more relatable to readers.
Let’s practice with a night scene. When the sun goes down, consider standing outside or turning off the lights in your room to experience the sights, sounds, scents and sensations that are present in the dark. Light a candle to feel the heat and watch the shadows.
How does this change your environment? What insects do you hear? How does the wind feel against your skin?
Do the same thing with sunrise. What do you notice? What changes? What details can fit within your story?
Where else can you do this experiment? A crowded sidewalk? A shop? A park? Take note of anything that stands out, anything that changes or keeps you in the moment, or even disrupts your concentration. Those details can be used in your story to help make it real to the reader.
You
r assignment: Double your daily word count! Write roughly 500 words for your novel.
Day 110
It’s Not Just A Meal!
We talked about ways to set a scene. Did you know food can help with that?
Going out to eat? Take a photo of any food you might want to reference in your book. Keep track of the flavors and how you react to them. Perhaps you have a character who will react similarly. Any fancy decorations that fit with your story?
How do you feel when you haven’t eaten all day? How does it feel to cook for someone, or to eat the food that someone has prepared just for you? Is cooking a hobby or a chore for your character? How does food taste when you haven’t eaten all day? When you’re sad? Is mealtime the heartbeat of your day, or a task that gets put off?
What kinds of conversations do people have over food? What kinds of nibbles are served at a party? At a community picnic? At a wedding?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 111
Let Your Subconscious Do Some Work!
As you lay in bed, think about some aspect of your book. Any aspect! Try to let the scene play inside your head like a mini-movie. You might be amazed by the number of plot holes you discover, or the brilliance of your solutions.
When this happens, when you realize a problem or solution, your mind might tell you, “Don’t worry. I’ll remember.”
LIES! There’s an excellent chance you’ll forget by morning. Write down or email yourself any problems and/or solutions when they come to you. Your story—and your readers—will thank you!
Will your tired brain convince you some of your ideas are amazing and you need to email them...but they’re just crap? Probably. We’ve woken up to emails like:
Twins are triplets
Buy an invisible friend
dow.p[/goe
Even if your ideas aren’t workable, you’ll never be able to judge their true worth if you forget them.
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Bonus assignment: Email yourself your nighttime ideas.
Day 112
Reflect and Catch Up
If it gets you writing, it’s good. It’s your process. Claim it, own it. Absorb only those tips and guidelines that get your fingers moving. Avoid the ones that freeze them over the keyboard. Avoid “rules". There aren’t any. “Rules" will start a waltz with your fears and together they’ll conspire to knock you off the side of the dance floor. The greatest education you can get as a writer is revising scenes you’ve already written and constantly reading books you’re passionate about.
—Bestselling author Christopher Rice
Day 113
Note Your Notebooks
As you progress in your writing journey, you may be keeping a second notebook with any new ideas you’ve had. Be sure to keep a running table of contents. There’s nothing more frustrating than sifting through half a dozen pieces of paper looking for a list you began weeks ago but had to put aside.
We recommend attaching a list with a couple words about each idea on the cover.
Example of Gena’s list:
Aliens among us
Pandora’s box
Zombieland
Atlantis
Evil fairy tale
War gods
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 114
Don’t Give Up!
Writing can be difficult. It can tax your mind and make you feel fried by the end of the day. But don’t give up. Some days are difficult, yes, but some days are magic. Endure any tough times now in order to reap a reward later. Just think. If you keep going, you’ll soon have a finished book. The blood, sweat and tears will be worth it!
And look at the progress you’ve made. You should have more than a hundred pages of your book written. Congrats!
Keep going and keep making progress! You’ve got this!
Your assignment: Double your daily word count! Write roughly 500 words for your novel.
Day 115
Collaborate
Brainstorming is a great way to develop your ideas. If you can, find a creative person you trust and tell them your idea. They might see something you missed or offer a complementary idea to inspire you.
GENA: I love to brainstorm with my trusted writer friends! In fact, Jill and I brainstormed one of my books on a road trip (Catch A Mate.) The conversation started with the old stereotypical saying “Men are pigs.” We jokingly stated, “And women are the slaughterhouse.” We knew there was a story idea there, so we began to toss ideas around. Ultimately we came up with an idea about a woman who is paid by suspicious wives to smile and flirt with their men to prove that no man can be trusted...but what happens when the cynic for love begins to fall for a coworker?
Years later, I attended a book conference and ended up brainstorming in a hotel room with Jill and Kresley Cole. I presented my initial idea for Can’t Let Go, and we played the “what if” game. What if this happens? What if that happens? They got me thinking about things I hadn’t considered before, and I loved it!
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 116
Total Immersion
Do everything you can to immerse yourself in your story. Noise-canceling headphones or music that fits the mood and tone of your novel. Clean your desk before you start a new tale or cover it with objects of inspiration. Whatever works for you! Think about your story even when you aren’t writing. In the shower. On a run. While cleaning. Play different sceneries through your mind. What if my character did that? What if my character did this?
Live and breathe it, and the words should come easier and faster!
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Day 117
Contradictions
You’ve probably come across a contradiction or two in your lifetime. The person who hates people but loves going to parties. Someone who is both humble and proud or smart and naive. Bottom line, real people can be complicated. Why not bring those same paradoxical traits to your characters?
No one we know fits into a convenient box. No one is sweet 100% of the time, and even dirtbags have good days. The smartest person in the world can mess something up, and an ignorant person can get something right. Someone can smile on the outside while crying on the inside. Along the same vein, someone can cry on the outside while laughing on the inside.
Challenge yourself to write characters with contradictions and complexities.
GENA: In The Glass Queen, the heroine abhors violence and yet she wants to make weapons and armor as a means to protect herself. In the original version of Oh My Goth, the heroine hates people who judge others...but she’s always judging others. In The Darkest Seduction, the hero is possessed by the demon of Promiscuity. He needs to bed a new person every day or he weakens and dies. He jokes that he has the best life, but inside he is miserable and craves companionship with one person.
What is a contradiction you can give your characters?
Your assignment: Write roughly 250 words for your novel.
Bonus assignment: Come up with at least one personality contradiction for your main character and/or villain.
Day 118
All Aboard! Next stop: Stucksville?
Are you stuck again?
Have you written yourself into a corner? If there’s a way in, there’s a way out. Don’t forget to play “what if” to brainstorm possible solutions.
Are you bored with the story? Maybe your characters are bland and you need to spice up their personalities. Maybe your plot lacks urgency. Do you need to up the stakes? Have you layered in emotion? When you figure out why you are bored, you can figure out how to fix the problem.
Did you realize you started in the wrong place or took a wrong turn? Can the scenes be retooled to fit your new direction? Yes or no, consider marking the spot with what you need to happen in the beginning of the book to support your n
ew direction and move on to fix it later. Sometimes, though, a change can’t wait, because you need to see it so you can figure out what comes next. If you go back and fix it now, consider meeting your daily word count goal as well.
Need to start over completely, because nothing is salvageable? Consider using your catch up days to write the new opening scenes.
All Write Already: Year Of Your Book Page 12
