Make Time to Write your Book with NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month, affectionately known as NaNoWriMo to its regular participants. NaNoWriMo is a great idea. I joined the organisation in 2011 for my first time, and it was brilliant for me because I got the opportunity to write the sequel to my first Redcliffe novel. Up until that point I was distracted with the arrival of my first child, the upheaval of being a new parent, and the associated confusion and planning about whether or not I should return to work and how our family system should operate.

Anyway, I heard about NaNoWriMo and decided to give it a go. It is called a competition, but there are no financial prizes or rewards. It is free to join, free to attend, and all that is required is that you attempt to write 50,000 words during the month of November. 50,000 words in 30 days. Wow! It seemed like an impossible task, especially since I don’t usually find the time to write every day. In fact at the time I was lucky to write once a week. Now I realise its potential.

NaNoWriMo gave me the opportunity to test myself, and to learn that actually I can write every day when I put my mind to it. I didn’t have to stay up every night writing until the early hours (although I did on the occasions when my Muse took over), and my daughter was not neglected. I still managed to run a household and do all my usual chores and required tasks. Many people are in awe of my achievement. My fellow NaNoWriMo winners simply smile indulgently and we bask in our shared glory.

Some people might say it’s all well and good to write 50,000 words in 30 days, but where do you get your inspiration? For most natural writers, the words are already there just waiting to spill out. Once we set out a quiet time, a personal space, and an open invitation to our Muse, we can write a whole book within a short space of time.  The good people at NaNoWriMo have set up forums and chat rooms where writers can encourage each other. We can share ideas, assist with queries, and generally offer support based on our individual experiences.

There are also regional groups that physically meet up in pubs and cafes, to swap updates and continue the push to succeed in the NaNoWriMo challenge. My local group meets in Chester, and while I was unable to make any of their meetings in 2011, I might have a little more freedom this year, depending on circumstances of course. It doesn’t matter either way, because the option is still there, and we are all connected via email and forums on the website.

Are you a NaNoWriMo winner? Have you participated in the past but not quite reached the golden 50,000 word challenge? Or have you never attempted it? I suggest you go for it. Try it out. Even if you don’t complete the challenge, you will end the month with a fresh new manuscript underway, and you will be in the practice of finding time to write. It might give you the push that you need to shut out all the other hundreds of daily distractions in life, and to write your masterpiece of a bestseller. If you want to know more, their website is http://www.nanowrimo.org/. See you at NaNo!

We Approach the Witching Hour!

Wow, when did it turn into October? I say this every year, but this one really is flying by! October is a popular month for book promotions, especially by Indie authors. That is why I will be flogging my novels for all they are worth in the run up to Halloween. Well, they are paranormal after all! With a dash of horror, a fair bit of romance, and some good old fashioned conflict to sink your fangs into...

 

Aside from selling books, we are now in the run-up to National Novel Writing Month. If you are not familiar with NaNoWriMo (as we regulars fondly call it), this is an opportunity for authors old and new to crack on with their manuscripts. Perhaps you have a new story underway but are just not getting very far with it. Maybe you have one in your head but don't know where to start when it comes to writing it down. Fear not! The crew at NaNoWriMo are on hand to offer help and support, guidance and motivation when you need it.

The whole thing is voluntary, but they will try and sell you merchandise or get you to donate towards running costs. I quite understand why they do this, and I will contribute what I can, as I'm sure everybody else does. You basically register on the website, set your profile details, and start writing. There are lots of forums and you can meet fellow authors, both within your genre and without. NaNoWriMo also arrange regular weekly meetings in person around the UK and US. You simply have to join the relevant forum to your local area, in my case Chester, UK.

I wasn't sure whether to participate in NaNoWriMo this year. It was my first attempt in 2011 and I did succeed, and you can read the finished result in my novel Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel). See, had to get some promotion in there! It was very useful for me because I have a young daughter and struggled to find time to sit down and write. Using NaNoWriMo gives you the oppportunity to dedicate proper time to your writing, without all that fiddly editing nonsense in the middle of your manuscript.

Oh, and incase you were wondering, NaNoWriMo starts in November. The basic task is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. Enjoy, and see you there!

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

Time Flies When You Are Writing Books

A couple of days ago I decided to clear out a rather large accumulation of paperwork from our coffee table. This piece of furniture has proven very useful in a small house, because it is a decent size, with two storage shelves underneath, which are invariably used as a dumping ground for mail, books, newspapers, magazines, and now my daughter's toys and colouring pencils.

 As I dragged out a pile of newspapers and magazines that had been languishing in the dusty recesses, I discovered the North Staffordshire magazine October 2011 edition, which featured me on the front page and gave me a lovely two-page spread promoting my book Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel). See, there's me, "Love bites for Cheadle author." I was so proud!

I am originally from the small market town of Cheadle in North Staffordshire, probably best known as the nearest large town to the Alton Towers theme park in the wilds of the Staffordshire Moorlands. Now I live in South Cheshire, less than fifty miles away but still quite a change.

You might wonder why I chose Cornwall in South West England as the setting for my paranormal romance novels. It simply fits the story.  I used to holiday in a town called Looe on the south coast, near to the Devon border, and it was this place that inspired my fictional town of Redcliffe. I also used a little of the tiny fishing village of Polperro for its traditional setting and general Cornish ambiance.

So there we have it. A simple act of household chores gave me renewed vigour for my work, and reminded me just how far I have come in the short time of twelve months. To all fellow Indie authors, never give up!

Unfinished Business, Short Stories and New Novels

I have been looking through my files of short stories, searching for something to post on my blog. It occurred to me that I have several short stories, but about three of them are variations of the same theme, as yet unfinished. I have a few more still in progress, and the completed ones have already been shared. I have also finished writing a couple of novels and started another one. Oops! I tend to start something, then get distracted, and return to it at a later date. I think it might be time for some file organizing and spring cleaning, so I can figure out where I stand with works in progress.

In the meantime, you can view my edited short stories at Wattpad and a Redcliffe werewolf story on my author website or in the young adult anthology The Mirador Fantasmagoria. You can also find a vampire short story published under my maiden name Catherine Hargreaves in Devils, Demons and Werewolves.

Happy reading!

Catherine Green Author Spotlight

Here is my author spotlight on the blog of Ricki Wilson, thank you very much for having me!

http://www.rickiwilson.com/4/post/2012/09/love-hurts-and-love-kills-books-1-and-2-in-the-redcliffe-series-by-catherine-green-spookymrsgreen.html

The Beauty of Library Books

Much has been discussed recently about the nature of public libraries and their place in a society that is increasingly reliant on computers, tablets and mobile phones for daily activity. We are now able to downlaod digital books for free from hundreds of websites, and can read them on our phones while we are out and about. There is no more need to carry around a heavy hardbacked book, or shove a battered paperback in your pocket or handbag. But I don't believe we have seen the end of real books.

Personally I adore my local library, always have done. It is the place I would find sanctuary as a child, it broadened my horizons as a teenager, it aided my studies as a university student, and now I frequent our library with my young daughter. They hold a weekly toddler and baby group where we sing nursery rhymes and read  books. When we attended yesterday my daughter was far more interested in selecting books to peruse than she was in actually socializing. That's my girl!

The question has been asked recently. Will our libraries survive the digital revolution? My answer to that is most definitely yes they will. I have a Kindle. I read books in PDF format on my computer, but I am far happier curled up on the sofa or stretched out in bed with a real, solid book in my hands. Despite having a TBR list of personal books that will probably take a good 5 years to get through, yesterday I picked up yet another library book that caught my attention. It is a hard-backed novel, called Whitby Vampyrrhic. I never heard of it before, but I spied it while I was gathering my daughter at the end of our library visit. Now I must be going. I have reading to do!

The Redcliffe Novels - *Preview* - Love Redeems

Set in Cornwall, England, the Redcliffe novels follow the adventures of bookshop owner Jessica Stone as she unwittingly falls in love with a vampire, becomes entangled with his identical twin brother's werewolf pack, and then discovers she is a witch. Find out more on my website.

My third book in the series is complete and in pre-publication stages. I will update you on a release date once it is confirmed, but I expect it to be early in 2013. More details to follow...

Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) – Book 3

Life has changed forever in Redcliffe, Cornwall. Jessica Stone used to be a normal, happy human. Now she is an angry, conflicted and confused witch. It all happened when she met Detective Jack Mason and his identical twin brother Danny. Jessica almost died twice, fell into a love triangle, and she became a murderer. Now she faces the ultimate challenge as she continues the fight to save the man she loves, while simultaneously struggling with her lust for his werewolf brother and their vampire friend. Can she survive, or will love finally end her life completely?