How To Win NaNoWriMo 2011

In 8 days National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) will be upon us.   Writing 50K in 30 days is no small feat but it's absolutely achievable. 

Here are the Minxes' ten top tips for winning NaNoWriMo:

1. Sign up.  You can sign up on the official NaNoWriMo site to keep track of your word count, download badges and other fun things.  You'll also find a copy of the official rules, so you can get a better idea of what to expect.  Alternatively, keep an eye out at the Harlequin forums for their version of NaNoWrimo (you can pick your word count goal for the month).  Or, sign up for both.

2. Get supported. Tell your family and friends what you're doing, or at least warn them that pizza is making a comeback and they could be required to be responsible for keeping themselves alive. Also, having a support network and encouragement helps.

3. Work out your word count.  The world's not going to stop while you do NaNoWriMo, so if you have a big event and know that you're not going to get your 1.7K written that day, you’ll need to find a time to make that up. If you work out how many words you need to write each day around your commitments and stick to it, you’ll have a completed draft of 50K novel at the end of the month.

4. Steal time from your schedule.   Here's where you can get creative.  You may not have significant blocks of time to write but if you can snatch 15 minutes while you’re commuting, on your lunch break or before dinner then you'll find that your word counts starts to add up.  There's also very little in life that can't be put off for 15 minutes.  

5. Prepare.  While the rules state you can't start writing your novel until midnight November 1.  But you can plan it, plot it and identify your characters before then.  You don't have to be a plotter and get the manila folders and label maker out (but by all means do if you wish), however, having your character names and a general idea of what you're writing each day will help. 

You can take this one step further with character sheets, sketches or collages, and chapter summaries.  Chapter summaries are a great trick for NaNoWriMo because the less time you have to spend thinking about what comes next in your story, the more time you have to do the writing and reach your daily word count goals.

6. It doesn't have to be perfect.  NaNoWriMo founder, Chris Baty, is a big fan of just getting the words down.  If you're having a day when you absolutely cannot work out what to write next he suggests adding a spaceship.  The spaceship may have to go in the first round of edits but it'll keep your word count growing and may also help you work through your plot problem.  Also, if you find yourself on a tangent, explore that tangent, explore the world, you'll be surprised about what you can discover about your characters and their conflict this way. Just don't give up.

7. Go on an edit detox.  There's no time for editing in NaNoWriMo, that comes next month. You may be tempted to go back and reread what you've written but at most, you’re allowed to reread the last couple of paragraphs before you start writing each day. Reading from the start of a chapter or chapter one is banned. Editing can be your downfall.

8. Beware the week 2 blues.  Everyone hits a wall about week 2.  Suddenly the writing's harder, everything's garbage and you start thinking about regrouting your kitchen tiles. It could all be garbage (unlikely) but if it is it doesn't matter.  The point is to push yourself beyond your normal limits.  There's a lot to be learnt about your writing and writing process from NaNoWriMo.  You can’t edit a blank page!

9. Upload. Make sure you record your final word count on the NaNoWriMo official site before midnight November 30 so that you are considered an official winner and can access their winner blog badges.

10. Don't be too critical.  If you finish NaNoWriMo be aware of your achievement.  You've just done something that most people only talk about, you've written the draft of a novel and you did it in a month! Get the champagne out.

If you didn't get the whole 50K down, don’t throw in the towel. Your word count will be a lot higher than it would be if you hadn’t taken NaNoWriMo on. Writing 50K in 6 weeks is just as impressive and your draft will still be finished by Christmas.

Either way, you’re going to need a lot of champagne.

Are you NaNoWriMoing this year?

Musical Inspiration

Does music inspire you when you're writing, or do you find it a distraction?

I'm firmly in the inspired camp. Some songs are almost a romantic novel all of their own, aren't they?

I'm slightly obsessive about it and always create playlists for my wip, and have been known to stop the car to text myself the title of a track I hear on the radio in case I forget it between there and home.

Even more geeky than that, I create playlists for my main characters, and play their songs when i'm writing in their pov. My current leading man, for instance, is a funeral director, so his playlist is quite dark and angsty, full of Muse tracks and other atmospheric stuff (and yup,  I get that his profession is a hard sell in a romance novel, but he's not as bad as he sounds, I promise!)
He also happens to be deliciously Irish, so there's a smattering of old Del Amitri tracks in there too. See where I'm going? I build the character through music in my head.

Do you do similar things? Please tell me i'm not alone in this?

 I'm a recent convert to Lady Antebellum (Thank you, Romy!) Their romantic lyrics and cool laid back country vibe really melts me - not to mention their extremely easy on the eye frontman. All round fabulousness.

Check 'em out, people, and then tell us who inspires you...

Author Spotlight - Christina Hollis

To readers of Mills & Boon romances, Christina Hollis is a household name. We are excited to have her here in the spotlight, talking about her latest release, Weight of the Crown.

What is your writing process?

I like to make sure I’m never faced with that deadly combination of no ideas, a blank sheet of paper and a deadline. I jot down ideas all the time - when traveling, in the middle of the night, or while working in the garden. Snatches of overheard conversation are a great starting point. My favourite way of working is longhand, in pencil, on the right hand side of a refill pad. I start with the characters, who then suggest a conflict, and off I go. My actual writing day starts after the morning school run and continues until pick up time, in late afternoon.

Everyone who writes knows it's not easy - what methods do you use to keep at it on days when it would be so much easier to go shoe shopping?

I’ve recently been introduced to #1k1hr on Twitter: it’s great to know I’m working with others towards a goal on the same timescale. The Pomodoro technique is good when working alone: basically, I set a kitchen timer and focus religiously on my writing with no distractions for 25 minutes, then take a break. Incidentally, I’m sorry to say I hate shopping: fresh country air is my big distraction.

Keeping fit: Do you have an exercise regime to counterbalance all those hours sitting at a computer?

I wear a pedometer practically all the time. My aim is to walk 10k steps per day, but I don’t always manage that many. I’m scrupulous about taking a break and moving about every hour to avoid DVT, though.

Do you believe in writer's block?

Only in the same way I believe in bricklayer’s block, teacher’s block or postman’s block, I’m afraid! Writing is my full time job, but it’s also my hobby and my therapy. If one project isn’t progressing, I switch to something else to give my brain a workout, then try again.

Have you ever used an incident from real life in a book? If so, did it get you into trouble?

To answer the second part of your question first, my aim is to write books that make people happy, not to upset them! My husband is so thoughtful a lot of the romantic treats - picnics and candlelit dinners - in my books are based on things he’s done for me. Many tiny details or sayings get into my work via my note-taking, and I put a lot of my own experience into my books. For instance, Kira in The French Aristocrat’s Baby (US Title: The Count’s Challenge) owned a restaurant and when younger I considered training as a chef, but writing won.

In what way is being a published writer different to how you thought it would be?

The amount of things that must be done before I can actually start writing each day. Dealing with emails and correspondence, organising competitions, giveaways, appearances, updating my website and blog - I thoroughly enjoy each and every contact with readers, but I do tend to get carried away if I’m not careful!

Promotion is no longer a dirty word. In what ways do you strive to reach more readers?

Social networking is key to reaching the largest number of readers in the easiest way, and it’s so enjoyable. I hold regular competitions and giveaways on my website and Blog.

What is your top promo tip for other authors?

Use a pen name - it allows you so much freedom to go out and be someone else when you’re promoting your work.

What did you learn while writing this book?

I discovered how much fun it is to invent my own country. Weight of the Crown is set in Rosara, a combination of all the places I love: big skies, breathtaking scenery and a prince who’s tall, dark, handsome and just waiting to be tamed by the right woman...

What was the most fun part of writing this book?
This is the question I’ve had to think about for longer than anything else you’ve asked me, because I loved it all. Writing is the best job in the world, and inventing Rosara (‘Land of Roses’) and its gorgeous prince Lysander was like opening a big box of chocolates every time I sat down to start work!

And just for fun: what would your hero’s honeymoon destination of choice be?

Lysander would love to go to a totally deserted tropical paradise where he could escape the Weight of the Crown and get back to nature. However, he’s so concerned that Alyssa works too hard, he’d make sure there was plenty of seven-star luxury on hand for her!

Now duty is his only mistress

For notorious playboy Prince Lysander Kahani, playtime is over…Left with a country to run, he draws the line at playing nanny to his orphaned nephew!

Instead he sends for a professional. But one glance at buttoned-up Alyssa Dene and Lysander’s wicked side re-emerges! Wary of his scandalous reputation, Alyssa tries to keep her distance – but Lysander draws her like a moth to a flame.

Lysander is fighting a battle between public duty and private desire, but he is determined to make Alyssa a royal offer she won’t refuse…


Thank you so much for this invitation - I really enjoyed it.

* * *

Weight of the Crown is available from Amazon, Amazon UK and direct from Mills & Boon.

You can find Christina on-line at her website, her blog, on Twitter, on Facebook and at Romance Book Paradise Promotions.

Christina is giving away one of her backlist books to a lucky (non-Minxy) commenter ... so you know what to do!

Crazy Heart

A couple of weeks ago, I turned on the movie channel to see a movie I missed when it hit cinemas a couple of years ago, Crazy Heart.

The TV blurb said:
A faded country music musician is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.

and I knew that Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell were in it, and that it had been the recipient of two oscar wins - Jeff Bridges got Best Actor for it, and the a song for the movie, The Weary Kind, also received one - and Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated for Best Supporting Actress too.

I've always loved Jeff Bridges' work - but somehow the idea of this movie had failed to inspire me to go see it, but for those who haven't yet, I must just say chase it down and watch it. It's fabulous!
Jeff Bridges playes Bad Blake, a faded, country music superstar, who drinks, smokes, and takes full advantage of the numerous opportunities to go to bed with the middle-aged groupies who flock to his performances in run down bars. He's out of shape, has been married numerous times, and has a son he hasn't seen since the kid was a nipper. Hardly hero material. But in my opinion, this is the best role I've ever seen Jeff in. He commands the screen, and even though he's overweight and rocketing towards distruction, he's still totally gorgeous.
When he meets the much younger Gyllenhaal, who plays music journalist, Jean, the sexual tension is palpable. And as they start into an affair, their individual conflicts are so strong, the story became so real, so poignant, that I was rooting for their happy ever after. There's a fantastic performance by Robert Duvall too, who plays Bad's friend.
My current hero inspiration is Colin Farrell, who plays Bad Blake's former protegee turned country music superstar. Colin doesn't appear in the credits, as he didn't want to take the focus from Jeff, but even if he had, the incredible charisma of Bad Blake would have wiped the floor with him.
The story is full of interesting twists and turns, and lots of heartbreak along the way - but ultimately, Bad's journey is an inspiring one, that grabbed me from the moment Jeff appeared on screen, and didn't let go until the closing credits.
I don't want to give any more away, so will leave you with the trailer to whet your appetite!
Enjoy!

New Voices and moving forward

First up, congratulations to the 21 finalists in the New Voices contest. How amazing that the editors have given a chance to an extra writer because there were so many they loved?!

Also, I'd like to congratulate every single person who entered. You not only sat down and wrote something, but you were brave enough to submit your work to public view. That deserves applause.

I'd also just like to remind everyone who entered (and who didn't!) that contests are not the be-all and end-all. Not everyone who finals in a contest goes on to publich that manuscript. Not everyone who gets published gets there via a contest. In fact, your odds are probably even better through the slush pile than through a contest, where there can be only one winner.

So keep writing, and keep submitting.

Now if you're not completed contested-out, here's another you might want to look at:

Author Nicola Marsh is running a pitch contest on her blog until Sunday, with critiques from both herself and the senior editor of Entangled Publishing as a prize.

Talking about Entangled, keep an eye on their blog for updated submission calls each month. This month they're looking for contemporary novellas.

And more submission calls ....

Carina Press is looking for winter-themed sci fi novellas, and Avon Romance is looking for soldier homecoming short stories.