Filed under: Being Awesome, Giveaway | Tags: book giveaway, giveaway winners, giveaways
It’s time to announce the two lucky winners of the Book Lover’s Paradise and the Reading & Writing Treasure Trove prize packs! I used Rafflecopter‘s random winner selection tool to choose the following winners.
Drumroll, please.
The Book Lover’s Paradise giveaway winner is Flavia! Flavia, I have emailed you asking for your mailing address so I can send out your goodies.
The Reading & Writing Treasure Trove giveaway winner is Hilary! Hilary, you should have an email in your inbox requesting your address so I know where to send your prizes!
*If a winner does not respond with his/her mailing address by December 14 at 11:59 EST, or if a winner is otherwise disqualified from the contest (e.g., is not a United States resident), another random winner will be picked.
Filed under: Books, Giveaway, nanowrimo, writing | Tags: beta readers, book giveaways, editing, giveaways, nanowrimo, National Novel Writing Month, revising, rewriting
All you WriMos are aware: it’s November 30th, the last day of National Novel Writing Month. This means two things (if you’re in Eastern time):
- You have 9 hours and 59 minutes to reach your 50,000 words and declare yourself a NaNoWriMo 2016 winner (if you haven’t already).
- You have 9 hours and 59 minutes to enter the two giveaways I’m sponsoring in honor of NaNoWriMo!
Let’s Discuss Those Giveaways
The Writing & Reading Treasure Trove has everything a lover of books and writing could need.
To enter this giveaway, visit this link and follow the instructions.
The Book Lover’s Paradise prize pack is full of what avid readers love: BOOKS!
And guess what?! Each prize pack will include one extra item not listed in this post!!
What are you waiting for? The giveaways end tonight at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
NaNoWriMo Is Almost Over…
Now what?
Here are a few tips to help you get through the post-NaNoWriMo blues – and to help turn your first draft into a kickass book.
- First off, if you haven’t reached that coveted 50,000th word, keep writing.
- Once your first draft is completed, set it aside for at least two weeks. In my personal and editorial experiences, I’ve found it essential for writers to get some distance from a project before jumping into revisions. This will allow you to view the book with a fresh pair of eyes when you pick it back up weeks or months later – and be better able to spot plotholes or other issues. Not sure how to put your first draft down? Catharine Bramkamp has some great tips in her article “Go Ahead – Ignore Your Novel!“
- Focus on the big stuff: character or timeline inconsistencies, plotholes, improbabilities, lack of tension/conflict, pacing problems, voice/tone inconsistency, etc. Make a list of the concerns you have with your current draft. Then go to work revising and rewriting to correct those problems. You may find that you create several drafts during this stage – that’s okay! In fact, that’s better than okay – it means you’re doing all you can to make your book as awesome as it can be.
- Once you have a book that feels complete, enlist the help of beta readers. No, I’m not talking about relatives, friends, or even acquaintances. To learn more about the importance of beta readers, check out Aislinn Lavoie’s blog post “Are You Ready to Take the Publishing Plunge?“
- After you’ve received criticism from your group of beta readers, have assessed it, and have made necessary changes, it’s time to hire a professional editor. I, of course, highly recommend my editing services (learn more about them here). But if you opt for shopping around, know that an editor shouldn’t have a problem doing a sample edit on the first several pages of your manuscript. This and a phone call to discuss your goals will ensure that you find the ideal editor for you and your book.
- Now you have a polished, completed manuscript. If you’re interested in publishing, take a look at my post “Vanity Presses, Self-Publishing, and Traditional Publishing: Oh My!” over at Palmetto Publishing Group’s blog for further info.
And that’s it for now, folks! I hope your NaNoWriMo is/was a successful one.
As always, write on.
P.S.: I’ll see you soon to announce the giveaway winners!
Filed under: Books, Giveaway, inspiration, nanowrimo, writing | Tags: book giveaway, nanowrimo, National Novel Writing Month, reading, resources, writing
It’s officially the midpoint of National Novel Writing Month: November 15.
By the end of today, you “should” have 25,000 words plastered on paper or screen. That sounds a little overwhelming to me – and I know I’m not alone.
Successfully Getting Over the Midway Hump
To help you get over the hump that often pops up for NaNoWriMo participants around this time, I’ve compiled a list of articles with invaluable info.
- “5 Ways to Stay on Track During NaNoWriMo”
- “How to Overcome Writer’s Block: 14 Tricks That Work” – Jeff Goins’s “How to not overcome writer’s block” list is brilliant…and something I need to remind myself of more often.
- “NaNoWriMo 2016: Tips and Tricks to Make It Through (and Keep Your Sanity)”
- “7 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block”
- “You Don’t Have to Write That Novel” – If you’ve reached the point where NaNoWriMo is stressing you out and it’s simply not fun anymore…give this article a read.
Virtual Event – Don’t forget to respond!

Two Awesome NaNoWriMo-Inspired Giveaways
Need Some Inspiration?
It’s been a rough week, especially for those of us in the USA.
The following short film, Prophet, is both timely and thought-provoking. Give it a watch and be sure to share it if you dig it. You can also follow Prophet on Instagram and Facebook.
Filed under: Books, Giveaway, Literature, nanowrimo, Reading, writing | Tags: book giveaway, giveaways, nanowrimo, NaNoWriMo 2016, writing
As you surely know, NaNoWriMo 2016 is well underway. Participants who are meeting their daily writing goals have jotted down over 11,000 words – amazing!!!
And then there’s me: the prototypical Libra who let her indecision get the best of her. I got sidetracked and unenamoured with my story around November 3 and am now working on outlines for two separate projects. I use the word “working” loosely. Because those outlines are currently very, very sparse.
So, while I still plan on celebrating NaNoWriMo and encouraging and supporting those who are taking part, my personal goal for the month has changed: I just want to create two incredibly detailed outlines by November 30.
Send me all the good vibes and juju you have.
Now for the rockin’ news…
I’m Giving Away Kickass Stuff
In honor of NaNoWriMo and its goal (encouraging creativity and writing), I’m hosting two giveaways, both of which will run through November 30 and both of which will include a note from yours truly talking about how flipping awesome you are.*
Book Lover’s Paradise Giveaway
This prize pack contains the following:
- The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (read about it here)
- Middle Passage, Charles R. Johnson (read about it here)
- Plague of the Dead, Z.A. Recht (read about it here)
- The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All, Laird Barron (read about it here)
- The Seren Cenacles, Warren Norwood – AUTOGRAPHED! (read about it here)
- You can get sci-fi novels like this one from Science Fiction Collectibles. Follow them on Instagram.
- A one-of-a-kind book journal from Ex Libris Anonymous – Winner’s choice!
For a chance to win the goodies listed above, enter the giveaway here.
Writing & Reading Treasure Trove Giveaway
This prize pack contains the following:
- The cute and useful Sprout bookmark by Fred & Friends
- Jonathan Adler Sticky Note Set
- The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
- An old-school black-and-white composition notebook
- Bloodsongs, Robin W. Bailey – AUTOGRAPHED! (read about it here)
- You can get sci-fi novels like this one from Science Fiction Collectibles. Follow them on Instagram.
- A one-of-a-kind book journal from Ex Libris Anonymous – Winner’s choice!
For the opportunity to win the treasure trove described above, enter the giveaway here.
What are you waiting for? Get those entries in! (Hint: You can come back every day to enter.)
*Giveaways are limited to United States residents, due to the cost of international postage and the contents of my bank account. The two lucky winners will be announced December 1. More details about that announcement to come.