Every reader dreams of having a big, extravagant library: tall oak shelves, high-backed chairs, a crackling fireplace, and an impenetrable wall of books! But, some of us have…simpler budgets.
Whether you’re living in the library of your dreams or a small apartment, having a special reading nook is a great addition to any space. I’ve been slowly working to convert my balcony into a reading nook (though I will certainly have to reassess these plans when it starts to snow). I find that very few of my neighbors are out on their balconies with any regularity, so I enjoy going out there with my dinner for the evening and enjoying some time away from the perpetual screens that I find myself glued to all day. When I can catch it, I’ll go out and watch a nice thunderstorm rumble from the protected alcove. And, of course, when the weather is clear and there’s a nice breeze, there is nothing that quite compares with going outside with a good book.
The ambient sounds are good background for whatever I happen to be reading and it’s a nice mostly private space for me to relax with a book. I’ll go out with a cup of tea and a light snack to enjoy the cool mornings or evenings and unwind a bit before or after a long day. And on my days off, the balcony becomes a nice little outdoor reading nook.
A good reading nook should have adequate light, a comfortable seat, a nice temperature, and–naturally–something to read. It can be just about anywhere, but I recommend keeping it a bit separate from your sleeping space or anywhere with a lot of traffic in your house. If you can surround yourself with books? That’s great. If you can only bring out one book when you’re reading it? That’s also great! There’s no right or wrong way to have a reading nook (though we all dream of the dramatic ride on the library ladder). In the end, a reading nook is about making a comfortable space where you can enjoy a good story and let the outside world stay outside (or more outside, depending on your location).
Do you have a reading nook? What goes into your perfect reading spot?
Tag: Behind the Scenes
The Joy of Tabletop Games
I’m suffering from a bit of a mental burnout for a few reasons, so this post is gonna be a bit shorter than usual.
But, we just wrapped up a game of Monster of the Week in a group I’ve been playing with for about 6 months and I just wanted to reiterate my absolute delight at playing Tabletop RPGs.
I’ve no doubt talked about this before, but I just love story-driven games. Whether it’s decided by dice or a video game, I love stories that are gamified in some way. I am one of those people who enjoys running a game as much as they enjoy playing in other people’s games! I think that RPGs give storytellers a lot of very powerful tools.
You want to get better at worldbuilding? Give your players a set space and they’ll push up against the glass asking “What’s that out there?” and then you have to come up with something. I’ve encountered this scenario a few times in various games and it’s led to some fantastic adventures all from one player seeing something and wanting to poke it. You can build an entire continent of adventure and then have to shift all your adventures to a different location because those pesky players keep finding something more interesting elsewhere. And they ask questions that you need to come up with answers to–usually on the spot. It makes you a more flexible storyteller and makes you more aware of the places your readers are going to look to poke holes in.
Want to get experience with tone and mood? You quickly realize how different the words you use when describing an evil dragon’s lair shifts to the comfortable inn where everyone hangs their hat. I’ve been at tables where everyone collectively holds their breath, just waiting for the next words out of the DMs mouth. That’s tension. Seeing a player care about characters in a moment of crisis can be so heartbreaking you’d swear they were worried about real people.
Speaking of characters, running a tabletop game will have you thinking of characters on the fly that you want to explore more because you keep peeling back layers. One guard could very quickly turn into a group favorite (sometimes even going along for the ride) by the few characterizations you give them. You learn how to quickly make people enjoy (or despise) the characters you want them to, not by telling them, but by showing them. It can be so rewarding to see characters learn to trust NPCs or see a PC’s relationship with another PC change as they adventure together. You learn what really makes people tick, especially when you ask your players what their characters feel in the moment.
Story is such a powerful tool for games. It gives your players a mission, a goal, a reason to get out of their sleepy hamlets and go fight a dragon. But for someone who is obsessed with story, it is a lesson in committing to the moment and resisting the urge to make it perfect. An NPC’s name will never change–especially if it makes everyone burst out laughing. You learn to let go and have fun. You learn that it doesn’t need to be perfect on the first draft. It just has to be there.
Editing is a different beast, of course, but we all have our dragons to slay.
The Mini-Writing Retreat
For the last few months, I’ve been trying to think of ways to go on a writing retreat. It sounds quite appealing: arrive at a picturesque location, enjoy some shop talk with other storytellers, maybe hear an inspiring lecture, then buckle down with some well-deserved writing time! Whether it’s three days, a week, or more, the prospect of being in a self-imposed creative exile certainly sounds like the path of a true artist. Sadly, that’s not always available. Even three days is a long time when you don’t have the resources. Even if you can sacrifice a whole weekend for a writing retreat, you still might feel compelled to do errands, not to mention that you’d have to be able to easily seclude yourself from the day-to-day if you can’t afford to physically distance yourself from the distractions you love. These past few weekends, I started doing Mini-Writing Retreats. While the romantic notion of going away for weeks at a time locked in the struggles of creating is not feasible for me at the moment, I can usually find an open day in my weekly schedule. So, I’ve started committing myself to my writing time again. If you’re interested in creating a Mini-Writing Retreat for yourself, here’s how mine usually goes down.
Before: The days before I like to take care of things like food shopping, cleaning, and other little chores that might distract me. If I have the time to make a few meals I’ll do that and make sure the dishwasher is empty. Nothing throws off your rhythm like the temptation of something you “have to get done.” Plan out your meals and a couple of snacks so you don’t drift over to the fridge every five minutes to browse (and if you’re like me, grab something sweet to look forward to at the end of the day). Prepare to go social media dark for the day of, to ensure that all your distractions are limited, if not completely gone!
Day of:
5:30- Wake up. I know some of you are already rolling your eyes, but trust me. The silence of the very early morning is the best time to get in the mindset. Make yourself a pot of tea or coffee, make some breakfast (not just cereal), and enjoy a bit of relaxation before the retreat truly begins.
6:00-8:00- Writing. Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of editing, but commit some time to your work in progress. Actual work, not just mood boards or Spotify playlists. Put on some meditative music or something else instrumental to help set the writing mood if that helps.
8:00-9:30- Break and Walk. I like to get some steps in and let my brain work out any story problems I might encounter in those first hours’ worth of work. There’s a trail near my apartment that takes a little over an hour to make a loop of, so I’ll do that followed by a shower and getting dressed in real clothes (sweatpants are only acceptable for so long, even if you don’t plan to leave the house).
9:30-1:00 Writing. Get back to it! This is why you’re here!
1:00-2:00 Lunch. Break out one of those premade meals and sit with it away from your writing space. Let your mind relax a bit and give yourself a proper lunch break. Some light reading is suggested or even a quick writing lecture on YouTube to further inspire you. Set a timer, though. Can’t fall too far down the black hole.
2:00-5:00 Writing, writing, writing!
5:00-5:30 dinner. Pop out another pre-made meal and give yourself a quick dinner break to mull over your last few story problems.
5:30-7:00 Last Writing Sprint. Wrap up whatever you’re working on.
I usually like to wind down afterward with a nice, sweet treat and a movie. After all, you just worked a full day! Congratulate yourself on an excellent writing retreat and start thinking about when you’re gonna do your next! Have you ever given yourself a Mini-Writing Retreat? Have you ever been on a professionally hosted writing retreat?
Table Tops for Writers
Hello everyone! For those of you participating, I hope you’re doing well with your word counts! I’ve always said that Nanowrimo is the best experience to tell a story to yourself so you can prepare to write your next draft! Even if you don’t make it to the very end, you can at least say that you tried! And you’ll have more words written than 0 and that’s the real goal!
This month, I’ve started working with a new group of people to start an RPG group. It got me thinking about my experience with previous table top games in the past and thought I would share some of my thoughts about my relationship with role playing games as a writer!
A good portion of my experience comes from playing Dungeons and Dragons. Surprisingly, I didn’t get into D&D until I was in my late twenties. I got really interested in the game through Critical Role and decided to finally give the game a try. I’ve had a few people lead games for me and I’ve even run a few myself! The more I play these kinds of games, the more I realize how crucial they are for writers.
Firstly, games like D&D, Monster of the Week, Pathfinder and others are all about storytelling. Whether it’s a quick jaunt into the haunted library or an epic adventure across the lands, your adventuring parting is going to be telling a story together. From your introduction, there’s a call to action (usually a monster of some kind), which leads to finding more adventures, meeting mentors and questing together. Sometimes, subplots will arise and take you in directions you didn’t expect. As the GM, as much as a player, you have to learn to operate both as a planner and pantser when organizing your next move. The game constantly changes and you need to be prepared for unexpected changes.
You need to keep your characters goals in mind when playing and writing. Whatever whacky antics you get up to, wherever you send your character in the story, the most important thing is that you’re keeping your character’s goals in mind. Whenever I run a game, I always ask my players “What does your character want?” No one is going to give up a comfy life on the couch to go hunting dragons, but if a dragon burned down their house, they have much more reason. Like writing, TTRPGs are based on character decisions and interactions. While the plot may be about your characters fighting a dragon, the story is about your characters’ trials to facing that dragon.
Another thing I love about RPGs is how many different ways it can go. One decision, one mistake, one choice can change the outcome. As a player, it’s thrilling! As a GM, it’s mind boggling that a single role cant take away months of campaign prep in a single blow. Like writing, you may start off in one direction, but find a different thread to tug on that you find more interesting. The rest is finding how all of those ideas work together.
I almost always will find ways to test things. When I get an idea, I’ll trying writing it out as a scene or play with a character’s voice by speaking things I’d want them to say (my neighbors must think I’m a delight, I’m sure). My other favorite thing is to incorporate the ideas into games that I play. If I don’t introduce something as a new writing, people are more likely to tell me the honest opinion. If a character sucks or something doesn’t make sense, I trust my friends to tell me the truth about it. There’s a certain amount of trust that is between GM and players: the players trust the GM not to try and kill them outright and the GM expects the players to play true to their character (not as a gamer). It’s not unlike the relationship between writer and audience.
If you game, what do you like most about it? How do you use it to improve your writing?
After The Submission Scramble and Looking Forward
It has been a busy month! I recently moved and have been working a fair bit. Some of you may remember that I also undertook a project I was calling “The September Submission Scramble”. I’m proud to say that I finished and succeeded! Many magazine submissions, agent queries and contest entries later, I feel like I finished a lot over the course of the past month. I also feel like I was much more active.
The easiest way to win a card game is by holding most of the deck, right? Yes, technically, that’s not how you play cards, but you see my point? I feel like with submissions, you need to jump in if you want to play. I’ve always known that writing takes a surprising amount of luck, but the odds are better when you have a bigger sample size. The work I’ve been putting into this past month has been rewarding. It only takes ten minutes to get a query sent out, so I’ll probably be sending out a lot more of them. I highly recommend every writer try this. Pick a month and commit to submitting your poems, short fiction, novels, everything to anyone you think might publish it. The biggest problem is the fear of rejection, but I’m bracing myself for it.
That being said, I’m working on trying to figure out what the next month holds. Maybe some new short fiction to submit around or some more editing of older pieces. I’m half tempted to do Nanowrimo this year just to get the draft of something new out. Either way, I feel like I’m being a lot more active. Even if the choices I made this month were bad choices, at least I made them. I’m looking forward for what’s to come!
Writers on the move!
Currently, I’m at 30,000 feet. Sadly, I have not inherited a zeppelin, turned it into my floating base overlooking the city below. That comes later.
I am currently on a plane to California where I’ll be spending the weekend away from work and with my wonderful girlfriend. But it does pose something worth noting. On the one hand, I am very glad to be away from the usual humdrum of work and the city shuffle. However, I also want to keep up with my usual writing goals. To date, I’ve been able to make at least 400 words a day (and sometimes even a1000). So I intend to make my minimums, at least.
How do writers continue to work on the go? What challenges do we face? Time? Space? Resources? For some people, it’s a question of what to do when you aren’t surrounded by your pens, reference books or away from Wifi.
- Editing- This one depends on your style of editing, but I like the idea of being stuck in the air without Wifi or any other distractions. I like to crack open my laptop and whatever my current project is and making some tweaks that I’ve been meaning to do. You might need a dictionary app (I have one on my phone that I can use) if that’s your style. Most of my travel editing time is spent with word choice and content, so it’s a good way to pass the time.
- Brush Up Your Query Letter- No one likes doing this, but frankly, it’s an important thing to do. If you got ten minutes in the morning, you can prepare your next Query Letter for your current project.
- Flash Writing- When I’m in a new place, I like taking notes in a notebook throughout the day and then use those notes to recall as much as I can later on. The ability to build scenes is the bread and butter of a writer. I like to describe places that I visit in as many details as possible, make stories for random people that I see and journal things I’ve done and seen throughout a day. It takes a few minutes at the end of the day (or beginning of the next day), but it keeps your writer brain active the entire time you’re out and enjoying new things.
- Rest Your Creative Brain- If you work a day job as your side hustle (like myself), having some time to rest your creative brain is just as important as resting your day job brain. Focus on the details around you, but really take time to experience thing.
- Make A Post For Your Blog- Patting my own back on this one, but writing out a post for your website to post for later is a quick and easy way to get some ‘real work’ done. It’s not the most fun way to spend part of your vacation, but it’s definitely a useful way to spend flights, train rides or road trips (Planes, Trains, and Automobiles…those are the big ones, right?).
At any rate, I’m off and away! Some well earned Rest and Relaxation.
How do you keep your writing brain a little active during times when you’re on vacation? Let me know your strategies for writing on the go!
Writing, Twitter and the Intersections
There’s arguing that social media is a very powerful tool, whether it’s individuals communicating to one another or a business trying to stand out through the digital marshes, social media like Facebook and Twitter have become cornerstones for our increasingly digital world. And there are so many ways to use it as a writer.
“But, Nick!” You say, “I heard social media was making us more distant. No one talks to each other anymore!”
This is only as true as the idea that newspapers no longer make us social. For anyone who is trying to make a name for themselves, especially as a small business, social media could make a huge difference! And what business is smaller than trying to make a career writing? So in the spirit of that, here are a few of the most popular ways I’ve seen writers use their 140 Characters on Twitter.
Updates: Whether it’s a tour, a new book or a word count, I always like seeing progress being made by my fellow wordsmiths. Hearing an author is going to be in town always gets me to check my schedule really quick, just to see if I can make their event. It’s also fun hearing about new projects or even chatting with other writers about their current progress. It’s important to celebrate little victories!
Give Aways: Everyone loves these. Well-established authors have the opportunity to do promotions, giveaways, and other prize opportunities! Usually, they ask for likes/retweets or something along those lines so that people can very easily enter drawings for special prizes!
Interacting: At the end of the day, this is what social media is all about. Tweeting other writers about projects, answering questions, replying to responses, these are all crucial elements to building a name. An author with fifty thousand followers doesn’t have any advantage over an author with fifty if they don’t interact with their followers in any way. Writing can be isolating and lonely, even if you love it. That’s why it’s important to interact (when you’re not writing) and build a respectful relationship with followers, friends, and fans! I always try and answer questions in the #WritersTellMe and #authorconfessions tags to get conversations going there.
Those are my three most regular uses for twitter as a writer. You can always follow me on twitter @NickWWriting if you aren’t already for regular blog updates (and occasional surprise interactions). If you’re a writer or some other self-promoting artist, how do you use your social media to boost yourself?
Burnout Recovery
Man this month, I tell ya.
After a thorough (counts on hands) three weeks of being understaffed and overworked, the day job really starts getting to you. When I’m not on my feet, most of my time is going to writing or errands (with the occasional bout of D&D mixed in for flavor). I’ll be very glad when this month is over and things make sense again. But I’m still trying to keep dedicated to my writing work.
Writing while combatting burnout is, to say the least, stressful. But I find myself doing a lot of plotting/planning while riding the bus or during my almost daily run. Sometimes though, I need to step away from the keyboard and lay on my couch, letting my mind wander.
Tea helps a lot. I find a great deal of relaxation in the actual tea making process. It’s a very sensory process: the smell of tea, the milk spiraling in as it mixes or honey dripping down into the mug, the sound of the boiling water, the warmth that fills the cup and (of course) the taste. It gives me a break to stop focusing on what I’m working on a difficult scene because I focus on the process. And then, once it’s finished, I have a nice cup of something hot to regain my focus.
Burnout happens. A lot. Writing is a very solitary profession and it’s not like you can pass it off to someone else and take a break. So, it’s important to say “Five Minute Break” when you’re fighting a scene. But it’s even more important to come back recharged for round two when you’ve finished making your tea. Just don’t forget it’s there. Nothing worse than cold tea.
Getting Motivated!
I hate alarm clocks. I hate the sounds they make. I hate the “Is it snoozed or is it off?” uncertainty. I hate how they always seem to go off right as you’re getting to a good part in your dream. But, I’ve recently decided to embrace my alarm clock and let it be my ally in my writing (so far, it’s an uneasy alliance but has promise for strong relations).
These last few days/weeks have been kind of rough. Work has been extra stressful and things have been kind of tricky to work out in other areas. My writing, sadly, has suffered because of this. So, I’ve decided to try a new approach. Screw inspiration, embrace the motivation and dedication. There are a few things that I’ve done in the past and will continue to do to make this a reality.
Firstly, I need a schedule again. This has been an issue for me in the past. I get flustered through out the week with a sporadic work schedule and weird morning shifts. So, I’m going to start using my time more efficiently. The blue is the time that I set aside for writing task: Querying Agents, working on a new project and writing blog posts (like this one here). It’s mostly and an attempt to stay in the mode of writing. Doing it first thing in the morning means I won’t be out of energy to do it when I come home at 6:30 or 8:00 at night. By making this schedule and keeping it, I’ll be able to establish a better sense of dedication to my work by sectioning off time at the beginning of the day to write something. I’m using iCal, but Google Calendars and other free apps are also good options.
The next big struggle is motivation. I find that seeing my progress is really helpful. Part of what makes Nanowrimo work really well for me is the accountability and daily goals that make is so much easier. A friend recently recommended the site Pacemaker (pacemaker.press) for developing and keeping a Writing Plan. You put in your goal, your timeframe, your pace preferences and it helps develop daily goals for you to aim for with writing (or any other goal). You can upload these goals directly into your calendar and update the site as you go along. As you can see, it’s pretty hit and miss for me (last month in particular, but yesterday was a great day).
Any art is a matter of habit. The more you do it, the better you get, the easier it is. The problem is waiting for inspiration, for those beautiful moments when the words come pouring out in a string of eloquence and elegance. But that only happens about 10% of the time you sit down to write. If you’re lucky. So, screw inspiration. If it comes it comes, but it’s up to the artist to be waiting for it when it arrives.
The Art of the Start
One of the parts I struggle with when writing is how to begin. Whether it’s the first line of a book, a chapter or a paragraph, it’s your first opportunity to reel in the reader and it doesn’t last long. Some writers are very specific about the details and ideas in their work before they ever sit to set pen to paper. I am much more of an organic writer, or a Gardening Writer accord to George R.R. Martin (though, in fairness, I’m also a writer who enjoys a bit of gardening). The problem with this is sometimes in the beginning. Personally, I have a few methods of going about my writing process in terms of where I want to story to begin. So, here are a few suggestions for those of you who don’t know where to begin your story.
- An Event- “It was autumn when the murders started.”
Kicking right off into the action is especially helpful if you have a high octane thriller or a mystery on your hands! Why wait to jump right into the action if that’s what you know is going to be your point of focus? It doesn’t have to be something driven by action either. A festival at an old market, a coronation of the new king, the launch of a space ship or the grand opening of a new power plant. Events can be a good opportunity to show the setting in action. Not just as a backdrop, but as a living thing. - A Character- “Agatha was the last witch that Jennifer wanted as her tutor.”
Let’s be honest, characters are the heart of the story. Whether your character is smart, sassy, sarcastic or solemn, you enjoy writing their dialogue, asking yourself what they would do next as their character. Even starting with some snappy dialogue between two characters is a good way to establish a quick report with the reader before they even know these characters very well. Let your characters do the work for you. - A Description- “The torchlight burned slowly, casting elongated shadows against the walls.”
Not always my favorite (and probably not a whole chapter’s worth of material), but sometimes the situation calls for it. If you want your plot to be gradually increased over time, a description as your start can be helpful to set the scene. If your world is complex and unfamiliar to most readers, having this can be a good moment to establish a few “ground rules” for a fantasy or alien world. Use this sparingly though and try to combine it with introducing a character. Readers want action, even if that action is something as simple as a man preparing a cup of coffee. Or a murder. Whichever fits your story best.
What’s your favorite opening line? Dickens? Melville? Rowling? Leave your favorite one below!