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  • How to Write a Memoir: 7 Ways to Tell a Powerful Story

    How to Write a Memoir: 7 Ways to Tell a Powerful Story

    Whether you curl up with memoirs on a frequent basis or pick one up every now and again, you know powerful memoirs have the capacity to take readers for an exhilarating ride.

    While all memoirs are different, the best ones have certain elements in common. Knowing what makes a memoir compelling and riveting is key when sitting down to craft your own.

    When I teach people how to write a memoir, we talk about how to tell a compelling story.

    In this article, we’ll review some common memoir elements so you can weave them into your own work. Before we start, let’s define memoir.

    What is Memoir?

    Memoir is not an autobiography. In other words, it is not the story of your whole life. Memoir is a slice of life, a story of part of your life or a story from your life.

    The scope of memoir will vary depending on the subject matter, but more often than not, aspiring memoirists come to the page with too much story that needs to be pared down. One way to do that is to get clear about your themes. Memoir is often reined in by the writer knowing what her themes are and writing each scene while holding two questions in mind:

    1. How does this scene relate to my theme?
    2. What sense am I trying to make of my story through writing this scene?

    Memoir is about creating understanding, making sense of your story so that others can relate. Memoir is not “what happened,” because unless you’re famous, what happened to you in your life is not what will draw readers to the page. What draws readers is the subject matter (surviving a trauma, trying to live by the tenets of self-help books, living in prison) or the theme (addiction, parent-child relationships, repeating family patterns, identity). 

    A memoir that lacks an author’s effort to extract meaning from their story is usually a slow read. A reader may find themselves wondering what’s the point? If there’s nothing in the story for the reader, the memoir is lacking reflection and takeaway, which are two key elements that are unique to memoir.  

    The Write Life has teamed up with Self-Publishing School to create a training called, Writing and Publishing Your Life Story. In it, you’ll learn the three core elements of memorable memoirs. Click here to sign up for this free workshop.

    How to Write a Memoir

    If you’re planning to write a memoir, your goal should be to take your readers on a journey they won’t forget. Here are seven tips for how to write a memoir.

    1. Narrow Your Focus

    Your memoir should be written as if the entire book is a snapshot of a theme or two from your lived experience. Consider a pie, where your life represents the whole pie, and you are writing a book about a teeny-tiny sliver.

    Since your memoir is not an autobiography, you can figure out your themes by making a timeline of your life. In the classes I teach, we call these “turning points” and it’s a valuable exercise to discover where the juice is, to sort out where to focus and where you might have the most to extract from your story. You want your readers to walk away knowing you, and a particular experience you lived through, on a much deeper level, but also to apply their own understanding of their own experiences to your story.

    Perhaps you are familiar with Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. This memoir focuses on Frank’s life as a child growing up in Ireland. Angela is his mother, and much of the storyline focuses on the mother-son relationship, and how Frank saw her, as well as the role of outside forces like alcoholism, loss, and trauma on their entire family.

    2. Include More than Just Your Story

    Even as you narrow your focus, we also need to think bigger in our writing pursuits.

    For example, if Kamala Harris wrote a memoir about being a wife and stepmother while pursuing her career, she would pull in tidbits about how she juggled these roles when she had such a big job and big ambitions. She would let us into the intimate moments, including fights she might have had with her husband over the impossible kind of balance women in power who also have families face.  

    Likewise, if Madonna was writing a memoir about reinventing herself after 20 years away from the public spotlight, she most likely would include what it felt like to return to the music scene and how she continued to travel and perform while raising her children.

    How does this apply to you? Imagine you are writing a memoir about your three-week trek through the Himalayan Mountains. While the focus would be on your trip, as well as what you learned about yourself along the way, you would be wise to also include other details about the place, the people your experience, and what you learned not only about yourself, but about human nature and the wider world.

    You could describe the geography and history of the area, share interesting snippets about the people and animals you interacted with, and discuss your exploration of the meaning of it all as you progressed along your arduous journey.

    Your readers want to know about you, but also about what got you to this place to begin with. What prompted the trek? What is your backstory? What did you learn about yourself along the way? It’s these kinds of vivid details and astute observations that make for a powerful memoir.

    3. Tell the Truth

    One of the best tips for how to write a powerful memoir is to be honest and genuine. This is often tricky because we don’t want to hurt or upset the people (our family and friends!) we’ve written into our books. But it’s important that you mine for the truth of your story—even if it makes your journey as an author more difficult.

    When Shannon Hernandez wrote her memoir, Breaking the Silence: My Final Forty Days as a Public School Teacher, she knew she had a major dilemma: “If I opted to tell the whole truth, I would pretty much ensure I would never get a job with New York City Public Schools again.”

    But she also knew teachers, parents and administrators needed to hear why great teachers are leaving education in droves and why the current educational system is not doing what’s best for our nation’s kids.

    “I wrote my book with brutal honesty and it has paid off with my readers. It’s bringing national attention to what is happening behind closed school doors.”

    Shannon Hernandez

    One more note on honesty: Memoirs explore the concept of truth as seen through your eyes. Never write in a snarky manner or with a bitter tone. The motivation for writing a memoir shouldn’t be to exact revenge, whine, or seek forgiveness; it should simply be to share an experience that readers can relate to.

    Don’t exaggerate or bend the truth in your memoir. If you find you can’t remember, that’s alright. You can write composite scenes. You can lean into what “would have been true,” insofar as the details—your mother would have worn a particular style of dress, your best friend would have been chewing her favorite gum, your brother would have yelled something like the insult you decide to write.

    You don’t need to fabricate or embellish, but you also didn’t live your life with a tape recorder strapped to your belt, so memoir is all about recreating what happened while honoring the emotional truth of your story.

    4. Put Your Readers in Your Shoes

    Powerful writers show, not tell. And for a memoir writer, this is essential to your success, because you must invite your reader into your perspective so she can draw her own conclusions.

    The best way to do this is to unfold the story before your reader’s eyes by using vivid language that helps your reader visualize each scene. Mary Karr, author of three memoirs and the book, The Art of Memoir, writes that you must zip the reader into your skin. Another way to think of it is to imagine you’re carrying an old-school camcorder on your shoulder as you guide your reader through the scenes of your life. You want to place your reader right there next to you, or better yet, inside of your experiences. 

    Perhaps you want to explain that your aunt was a “raging alcoholic.” If you say this directly, your description will likely come across as judgmental and critical.

    Instead, paint a picture for your audience so they come to this conclusion on their own. You might write something like this:

    “Vodka bottles littered her bedroom, and I had learned the hard way not to knock on her door until well after noon. Most days she didn’t emerge into our living quarters until closer to sunset, and I would read her facial expression to gauge whether or not I should inquire about money—just so I could eat one meal before bedtime.”

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    5. Employ Elements of Fiction to Bring Your Story to Life

    Think of the people in memoirs as characters. A great memoir pulls you into their lives: what they struggle with, what they are successful at, and what they wonder about.

    Many of the best memoir writers focus on a few key characteristics of their characters, allowing the reader to get to know each one in depth. Your readers must be able to feel emotions about your characters—love or hate or something in between.  

    To bring your characters alive, bring details like the characters’ tone of voice, how they talk, their body language and movements, and their style of speech. Read other memoirs to get a sense of how writers introduce place and setting into their stories through their characters—their accents, their behaviors, their shared values.  

    While your memoir is a true story, employing elements of fiction can make it far more powerful and enjoyable for your readers, and one point of craft is learning how to create strong characters your readers will feel like they know.

    6. Create an Emotional Journey

    Don’t aim to knock your readers’ socks off. Knock off their pants, shirt, shoes, and underwear too! Leave your readers with their mouths open in awe, or laughing hysterically, or crying tears of sympathy and sadness—or all three.

    Take them on an emotional journey that motivates them to read the next chapter, wonder about you well after they finish the last page, and tell their friends and colleagues about your book. The best way to evoke these feelings in your readers is to connect your emotions, as the protagonist, with pivotal reflections and takeaways about the happening throughout your narrative arc.

    Most of us are familiar with the narrative arc. In school, our teachers used to draw a “mountain” and once we reached the precipice, we were to fill in the climatic point of the book or story. Your memoir is no different: You need to create enough tension to shape your overall story, as well as each individual chapter, with that narrative arc.

    In Children of the Land by Marcelo Hernandez Garcia, we witness a boy growing up undocumented in the United States, the child of parents who crossed him over the US-Mexico border when he was just five years old. You’ll never find Marcelo telling us he was sad, angry, or devastated. 

    Instead, he writes of his disappointment after his mother didn’t get her green card:

    “It’s okay, mijo, we tried,” Ama said to me as I drove her to church one day.

    “Yeah, Amá, we tried, I said, hoping that between each of our admissions, at least one of us would actually believe it was worth it.

    Marcelo Hernandez Garcia

    Or of his fear when ICE raids his childhood home: 

    We stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do. The inner urge to flee was replaced with paralyzed submission—we were cemented in place. In that moment, if anyone wished to do so, they could have walked through the door, commanded us to cut ourselves open, and we would have probably listened. 

    Macelo Hernandez Garcia

    7. Showcase Your Personal Growth

    By the end of your memoir, you need to have shown growth or change or transformation of yourself, the protagonist of your story.  

    Whatever experiences you had throughout your book will carry more weight when you show how they affected you along your journey, and how you grew and changed as a result of what you lived through, or what you survived. How did what you went through change your approach to life? Change how you thought about others or yourself? Help you become a better or wiser person in some way?

    This is often the hardest part of writing a memoir because it requires introspection—sometimes in the form of hindsight, certainly in the form of self-reflection. It requires you sometimes to write with an understanding that your character might not have known then—at the age you were. This is why it’s so important to learn how to weave in reflections that don’t break the fictive dream.

    You don’t want to constantly interrupt your narrative with asides, like:

    • “Now I understand… ”
    • “I still wish my mother had treated me better … ”

    Instead, allow for the reflection to exist almost as if it’s an omniscient knowing, because in many ways it is. No one knows your story better than you—and you’re allowed, throughout your story—to extract meaning and apply understanding. Not only are you allowed, the genre demands it.  

    If you make meaning from your story, your readers will find meaning in your story too.

    Memoir Examples as Inspiration

    Let’s look at a few memoir examples.

    We broke these into three categories of memoirs, those that can help us learn about structure, theme and takeaway. Each of these are essential elements of the genre.

    Examples of Memoirs that Use an Effective Structure

    Although you’ll hear from memoirists who didn’t use an outline, or who prefer a process over a structured experience, most memoirists can benefit from having a structure in place before they start writing.

    The most straightforward memoirs are those that start at point A and end at point B, moving the reader along in linear time.

    Some examples include coming-of-age memoirs, like Kiese Laymon’s Heavy or Daisy Hernandez’s A Cup of Water Under My Bed, or memoirs that are narrowly focused, like Lori Gottleib’s Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, or Jennifer Pastiloff’s On Being Human.

    Then there are framed memoirs, like Dani Shapiro’s Inheritance which chronicles the A to B linear journey of finding out that the father who raised her was not her biological father, making use of flashback and memory to piece together the front story of what’s happening as she figures out the truth of who she really is. Wild by Cheryl Strayed, is another famous framed memoir, because the A to B story is her trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, but the use of flashback and memory has her constantly leaving the front story and entering into the backstory to give context for why she’s on this journey in the first place. 

    There are also thematic memoirs, like Terese Marie Mailhot’s Heart Berries, which focuses on themes of identity and trauma and its impact on her and her family, but reaches more broadly into the experience of being Native American. 

    Examples of Thematic Memoirs

    Thematic memoirs abound typically sell better than other memoirs because they’re what the industry calls “high-concept,” meaning that they’re easy for buyers and readers to wrap their minds around.

    Countless categories of memoir point to big-picture themes: addiction and recovery; parenting; travel; cooking; coming-of-age; dysfunctional family; religious experience; death and dying; divorce; and more.

    Your theme (or sometimes themes) infuses every chapter you write, and it/they can be quite nuanced. For instance, a theme might be healing through running.

    Once you identify your theme, you must always keep sight of it. I liken this to wearing a pair of tinted glasses. If you put on glasses with purple lenses, you can still see the entirety of the world around you, but you will never forget that you’re wearing the glasses because everything you look at is tinted purple.

    The same should be true with good memoir: introduce the reader to your world, but keep your memoir contained and on point by keeping your principal (and sometimes secondary) themes front and center.

    Single-issue memoirs about things like addiction, body image, or illness — including books like Hunger: A Memoir of (My Body) by Roxane Gay;  Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas; Sick: A Memoir by Porochista Khakpour; or Laura M. Flynn’s Swallow the Ocean: A Memoir, about growing up with a mentally unwell parent are all great examples. 

    For travel memoirs, or food memoirs, or memoirs of leaving home, check out books like The Expedition by Chris Fagan; or A Tiger in the Kitchen by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan; or Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton.

    Examples of Memoirs with Strong Takeaways

    Takeaway is your gift to the reader. It’s a message, reflection, or truism.

    Sometimes these fall at the end of scenes or the end of chapters, but that’s not always necessary. Takeaway can happen at any moment, when the author shares something heartfelt, universal, and true.

    It’s those moments in reading memoir that hit you hard because you can relate—even if you haven’t had the exact experience the author is describing.

    quote about a memoir's takeaway being a gift to the reader

    Understanding takeaway is a long process, and some authors, when they first start thinking about takeaway, make the mistake of being too overt or trying too hard.

    These are subtle moments of observation about the world around you, a wrapping up of an experience through a lesson learned or the sharing of the way something impacted you. The idea is to sprinkle these moments into your chapters, without overwhelming or spoon-feeding your reader.

    Good writers do this so seamlessly you don’t even realize it happened, except that you feel like he or she has burst your heart, or crushed you with the weight of their insight. You feel like you know the author because it’s as if she’s speaking directly to you.

    Good takeaway is, in fact, mirroring. It’s a way of relaying that we are not alone and the world is a crazy place, isn’t it?

    As an example, here’s a reflective passage from Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia:

    But is it such a bad thing to live like this for just a little while? Just for a few months of one’s life, is it so awful to travel through time with no greater ambition than to find the next lovely meal? Or to learn how to speak a language for no higher purpose than that it pleases your ear to hear it? Or to nap in a garden, in a patch of sunlight, in the middle of the day, right next to your favorite foundation? And then to do it again the next day? Of course, no one can live like this forever.

    Elizabeth Gilbert

    Not all reflective passages have to be questions, but you can see that this technique is effective. Gilbert is ruminating over the life she’s living, but which she cannot maintain; in her experience—through the vantage point of her American understanding of the world—it’s not possible, and undoubtedly 99% of her readers agree.

    We all know what it feels like to be saddled by the burdens of everyday life. Gilbert’s readers would feel this passage on a visceral level, even if they’d never before been to Italy, because everyone understands the longing that’s wrapped up in allowing yourself to just let down. And that’s what makes this a takeaway; it’s a universal connection to the reader.

    Now get out there and write!

    When you follow these examples and these seven guidelines for writing your memoir, you will captivate your audience and leave them begging for more.

    But more importantly, you will share your own authentic story with the world.

    Ready to learn more about sharing your story with the world?

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    This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

  • Accusative Case: 2 Great Ways To Quickly Upgrade Writing

    Accusative Case: 2 Great Ways To Quickly Upgrade Writing

    When you sit down to brainstorm your next book, you may not ponder the accusative case and how it could influence your story. However, the accusative case is a hidden gem for great writing. Who knew English class could help you up your chances at hitting that bestseller list? 

    In this article, we’ll review what accusative case is as well as when you should use it and when you shouldn’t. Examples are included especially for visual learners. 

    What is Accusative Case?

    Accusative case is used to indicate direct receivers of an action. If you were to label the following sentence, ask yourself which word is receiving the action: I wrote a novel. 

    I is the subject. Wrote is the verb. A novel is the direct object, or the part of the sentence receiving the action.

    A tip for finding direct objects is to ask “what?” after the verb. 

    • I made scones for a snack
    • She ran five miles
    • He studied history.

    Can you find the direct objects? Alright, now that our brief review is over, let’s discuss when to use the accusative case in your writing. 

    When to Use Accusative Case

    Whether you write fiction or nonfiction books, chances are high that you use the accusative case throughout your chapters. In fact, you are bound to include the following in your work-in-progress:

    • Active voice
    • Passive writing
    • Fragments
    • Run-on sentences 
    • Accusative case 
    • Various points of view 

    Each of the above points is an important part of the English language. As students, we learned how to define each part. Now that we are writers, it’s crucial to learn how to apply these foundational principles to our writing.

    When used with purpose, the various elements of the English language (such as the accusative case, can greatly influence your writing). So when should you use it? 

    Let’s say that you want to specify what’s going on in a particular scene of your novel. Consider our tip—asking “what?”—when trying to find the accusative case. 

    Now write your scene. After you finish your first draft, read through it once more. Can you answer the question with clarity? Could your readers? If the answer is yes, you’ve likely used the accusative case just as it’s intended to be! 

    When Not to Use Accusative Case

    What if you write thrillers or are sharing your memoir? Maybe you don’t want to directly answer the question. Perhaps you want to leave your readers hanging just enough so they turn the page to find out for themselves. 

    If you find yourself in this situation, you should pay close attention to the accusative case in your writing. For instance, consider the following sentence: After so long, I truly hoped that… 

    This sentence is a fragment and does not answer the “what” question. This style should be used sparingly, but it does have its place in modern writing. 

    Now that you have a grasp of the accusative case and a few ideas on when to use it versus when not to use it, let’s get into some concrete examples. 

    Examples of Accusative Case: Used and Cut Out

    For these examples, we’ll look at some published works. The originals will be noted and the changes I make for sake of example will also be clear. 

    We Were Liars

    E. Lockhart’s New York Times bestseller includes the following on page one: “It doesn’t matter if one of us is desperately, desperately in love. So much in love that equally desperate measures must be taken. We are Sinclairs. No one is needy. No one is wrong. We live, at least in the summertime, on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts.” 

    This first page includes great scene setting, backstory, and a fantastic set-up to the rest of the story. However, what if I changed it, cutting out:

    • Some of the description 
    • Some of the answers to “why” 
    • Some of the scene-setting

    With my edits in place, look at the following (my version):

    “It doesn’t matter if one of us is desperately, well… We are Sinclairs. No one is needy. No one is wrong. We live, at least in the summertime, on a private island off the coast of—actually, nevermind where we live.” 

    Notice how the tone changes, and the narrator takes on completely different characteristics. Suddenly, whoever is speaking seems a bit secretive, even untrustworthy. Pay attention to how you can cut the accusative case from your writing when you need a certain level of ambiguity. 

    The One Thing

    “After these experiences, I looked back at my success and failures and discovered an interesting pattern. Where I’d had huge success, I had narrowed my concentration to one thing, and where my success varied, my focus had too.” 

    Gary Keller (with Jay Papasan) wrote this Wall Street Journal bestseller. One reason I believe the book did so well, and continues to sell today, is due to Keller’s straightforward answers. 

    Rather than state that he had experiences, discovered a pattern, and then moving on, he shares his secret. He answers the question “what” with precise, researched, simple yet extraordinary results. Let’s break these few sentences down.

    • “After (what?)
    • these experiences, 
    • I looked back at (what?)
    • my success and failures 
    • and discovered (what?)
    • an interesting pattern. 
    • Where I’d had (what?)
    • huge success, 
    • I had narrowed (what?)
    • my concentration to (what?)
    • one thing” 

    Notice just how clear he is in two simple sentences. Six times he answers his readers’ potential questions with a straightforward answer. 

    In today’s age of clickbait and need for views, followers, and likes, it’s easy to walk around the answer or to literally cut the accusative case from our answers. For nonfiction especially, it’s vital to provide your readers with the answers they opened your book looking for. 

    One Parting Tip

    Have you ever clicked a video on YouTube and had to wait for an ad that goes for several minutes? You have the Skip Ahead button, but their opening got you hooked. Oftentimes, these ads target a need of their ideal customer (likely you, a creative writer or freelance writer) and draw you into a narrative. 

    By the end of the video, they’ve stated your need, or pain point, in a variety of ways but they never provided you with the answer. This is frequently because they want you to respond to their call to action at the end. For ads, this is the norm and acceptable.

    In writing, this leaves readers hanging. As a writer, your call to action is to keep readers turning pages. As you tread the line between asking enough questions and providing the sufficient amount of answers, remember the accusative case.

    If your readers can’t answer their questions at different points throughout your story, they will likely close your book. Yes, include setups and leave them hanging, but don’t forget to include payoffs too. And at the end of your book, fiction or nonfiction, include a resounding, satisfying, question-answering ending. 

    This will leave your readers satisfied and eager for more—two factors important for writing success! 

    TWL. CTA. Book Outline Template
  • Satire Examples: 21 Options To Inspire Your Next Writing Session

    Satire Examples: 21 Options To Inspire Your Next Writing Session

    Have you ever laughed at a scene in a book, movie, or play and wondered why it hit you so well? Satire is a unique form of communicating, often via the written word, but it isn’t just about getting laughs.

    While you’ve likely seen comedians use it in their jokes or satire used on talk shows, writers can use this form of writing to prove a point—often at another person’s expense.

    Used well, this is a powerful form of communication. Comedy can break down barriers that otherwise could not be breached. If you want to communicate a truth that may not be easy for your audience to receive, satire may be a great way to approach the situation.

    In this article, I discuss the definition, when to use it, and I provide many examples for your convenience. Ready to get started?

    What Is Satire?

    Satire is a genre unto itself, spanning the visual and performing arts as well as literature. The purpose of satire is often to teach a difficult truth or give constructive criticism, and use humor to do so. If you’ve ever found yourself laughing through a movie but walking away contemplative, you’ve likely experienced the effects of satire.

    Today, the use of sarcasm could be considered a lower form of satire. Oftentimes, there is a bit of truth in every sarcastic comment. Just as we must be careful with our use of sarcasm, satire is a powerful genre that must be wielded with caution.

    So, how do you know when it’s time to use this powerful form of writing? What are some questions to consider before employing satire into your next writing project?

    When To Write With It?

    Grammarly says to “use satire when you feel strongly about a particular situation, especially one you believe is being mishandled.” 

    They go on to say that “since satire makes use of literary devices like humor, hyperbole, and irony, it is read in a less serious way than a formal complaint or manifesto.” Let’s look at the following two instances.

    Use It To Write An Opinion Piece 

    Let’s imagine for a moment that you are a well-known blogger. You have a good following, people respect what you have to say, and you want to share your opinion on a certain aspect of the publishing industry.

    However, you want to present your opinion in a way that is received well. With so many views on publishing, this could be difficult. This is where satire could come in handy. 

    Write a short story presenting your opinion, publish it to your blog, and give subscribers a good laugh while also sharing your opinion.


    Use It To Share Your Perspective  

    A second way to use satire is to share your perspective on a particular topic. While satire is often used to prove a point at the expense of the opposite party, it is possible to write your satire piece in a way that shares your perspective in a funny, yet pointed, manner.

    Never underestimate the power of getting a laugh while also instilling a truth. Used with thoughtfulness, this genre can allow you to share your perspective in a way that can be well received. 

    Examples 

    Here is a list of twenty-one examples of this sub-genre:

    #1 – The Onion

    A newspaper based on satire, The Onion provides both satirical stories and headlines, all with a focus on humor.

    #2 – Hard Times, Charles Dickens

    Known as one of the best of his satirical works, Dickens’ book looks at English society, economy, and social inequality. 

    #3 – Catch-22, Joseph Heller

    If you’ve ever used the phrase “It’s just a catch-22,” you have Joseph Heller to thank. This book takes a look at war, what it takes to serve, and how absurd it is when you look at it through the this genre. 

    #4 – The Catcher In The Rye, J. D. Salinger

    This 1951 work was originally published over the course of a year, and serialized, but later published as a complete novel that addresses the shallowness of society. 

    #5 – The Lorax, Dr. Seuss

    Leave it to a children’s book to discuss topics such as the state of the planet! 

    #6 – War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy

    Also originally published serially, this book takes a satirical look at historical figures. Tolstoy employs satire to help him reveal the faults of others, especially well-known names.

    #7 – A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

    Leave it to Dickens to take a satirical form to criticizing the justice system. 

    #8 – “Charles,” Shirley Jackson

    If you’re a parent, this one may hit home. It’s easy to overlook our family’s issues and criticize others. Jackson reveals this truth with a satirical art.

    #9 – “The Toxic Donut,” Terry Bisson

    Bisson pulls back the curtain on consumerism, something most of us likely struggle with. Thankfully, the use of humor can help us take in the lesson.

    #10 – “Happy Endings,” Margaret Atwood

    We see you, Atwood. Fallen in love with fairy tales yet? Well, Atwood presents different aspects of life’s reality through satire. 

    #11 – “Partying Is Such Sweet Sorrow,” Lori Romero

    The title itself makes you laugh. Just keep reading!

    #12 – Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes

    Seventeenth century Old Spain…add a satirical spin, and you have Don Quixote.

    #13 – The House of God, Samuel Shem

    A great book for medical students just starting out. Dive into the worst of situations with amazing, underlying satire. 

    #14 – Animal Farm, George Orwell

    An “Aesopian masterpiece,” according to Publishers Weekly, and a satirical publishing journey to back it up, this short book is well-known for a reason.

    #15 – Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll 

    It may have been written for kids but look deeper for a satirical take on the political and judicial landscape of Victorian England.

    #16 – “Excerpts from Roughing It,” Mark Twain

    The narrator of this piece takes you through his career choices and why he made them—with some necessary satire! 

    #17 – “The Nose,” Nikolai Gogol

    Gogol’s short story uses satire to reveal others’ vices, which is never an easy task.

    #18 – A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift 

    Swift covers the heavy topics of famine and oppression, both experienced by the Irish.

    #19 – “Dragon, Dragon,” John Gardner

    This short story, aimed at middle school students, uses satire to teach the importance of wisdom.

    #20 – “Southpaw,” Judith Viorst

    An ever more ridiculous communication chain between two friends teaches lessons about equality. 

    #21 – “Us and Them,” David Sedaris 

    Have you ever noticed that judgemental people show their worst side? Sedaris teaches this lesson through his essay about neighbors. 

    Satire: The Old, New Communication Tactic 

    Satire has been in existence since around 430 BC. Playwright Aristophanes used his storytelling talent to mock the popular convents, and leaders, of Athens. Satire is now a sub-genre of Aristophanes’ work. 

    This sub-genre is a popular way to teach lessons and communicate opinions without starting arguments. If you want to work satire into your next writing project, take a few hours over the next week to really look through the above examples.

    Learn what you love about satire, what you don’t love, and how to employ what you’ve learned to better communicate to your readers. Enjoy trying your hand at this genre! 

    TWL. CTA. Book Outline Template
  • How to Write True Crime In 4 Essential Steps

    How to Write True Crime In 4 Essential Steps

    Since more people than ever before are interested in true crime stories, you might have wondered how to write true crime and what it takes to be successful.

    Out of all the book genres in the world, true crime requires a lot of research and a committed writer who is ready to tell the story behind a gruesome or other type of crime.

    It is certainly not a genre for the faint of heart, but for many writers it is certainly worth it. It will take considerable amount of research skills and time dedicated to talking to people involved in the case, attending trials when you can, and understanding how cases are solved.

    If you have wondered about the true crime book genre, how to write true crime, and wondered what it takes for you to get your foot in the door, we will cover that and more.

    What Defines True Crime Writing

    True crime is an arm off of journalist-style writing. Meaning, it should be objective and focus as much on the facts as possible.

    Of course, not all true crime stories are about murder since there are many other types of crimes out there in the world that are done every day, but murders are the most well-known type of true crime story.

    This is not like crime fiction writing where you want to tell dramatic stories and have some shocking twists. It will be essential for you to stick to the facts as much as possible.

    Yes, there will be sometimes where you have to make assumptions on how dialogue went and what people talked about in specific scenarios, but you want to remain as close as possible to the facts as you see them.

    How True Crime Articles and Nonfiction Books Grip Readers

    People do have a morbid curiosity in general, but for many writers, they love to help try and solve a crime that has plagued an area. Or maybe the crime has already been solved but you are determined to put some of the pieces together.

    As a writer, you can also help bring light to forgotten crimes and help bring closure. Not every writer and written piece helps solve crimes, but every now and then that can be the case.

    As a writer, you will need to take your work seriously to help tell the story to the best of your ability.

    How to Write True Crime

    If you are ready to write true crime, let’s talk about how you can start to put together your first story.

    #1 – Research

    While you will spend a lot of time writing, you are going to be spending more time researching than you ever imagined. It is essential for you to get your facts right for true crime books.

    If you put something untrue in your books, people will now view the whole book with a skeptical lens, and possibly your future work as well.

    This means you not only will Google and research, but you will possibly need to interview people as well and attend trials, just to double-check your facts.

    Always keep in mind that you are writing about real people and real stories, so it is essential to do the best you can to tell the correct story. Not everyone will agree or like everything you say, that’s a given, but you need to get as close to the truth as you can.

    #2 – #1 -Figure out your goal

    Before you start formatting all of your research into a book, you will want to spend some time thinking about your goal for writing your book or article.

    Do you want people to understand the killer? Do you want the crime to speak to a larger crime trend? Do you want to warn others about what killers do so people can stay vigilant? Do you just to tell a story of one crime so people know the truth?

    Above all, you need to give people a reason to pick up your book. You should quickly be able to answer, “Why should someone read this book?”

    This will also help you focus what you are going to include in the overall book. It would be great if you could include everything, but you will often have to make hard choices about which facts and personal accounts go into your book.

    #3 – Decide how much of your own story will be in the book

    Some books, such as I’ll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara, include personal stories from the author. Hers story is about how she became obsessed with this case and her journey of putting the clues together.

    Another example includes The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule, where she tells the story of her personal friendship with Ted Bundy while people are also trying to find a killer in her local area (spoilers: it’s him).

    It will be up to you as the author what you choose to include. Sometimes adding in your personal narrative makes the story stronger, and sometimes it makes it weaker.

    #4 – Put the story together

    Now is the time to commit and do the hard work of actually putting your story together.

    You might need to create one of those true crime type of boards you see in tv shows where you need to lay out everyone involved and all of the stories that tie everyone together.

    Know that you will probably have to go through a ton of drafts just to make sure you get everything right and accurate.

    Successful True Crime Writer Example

    While there are many, many successful true crime writers, Ann Rule was one of the most well-known.

    As the writer of 37 true crime books, Ann Rule knows a thing or two about publishing true crime books.

    She understood that it was a hard field to break into, but she said, “You can’t let the naysayers make think you can’t make it, because you can.”

    One of her top recommendations for true crime writers (besides writing often) is to attend as many of the trials as you can fit into your schedule. You will want to take the time to not only go over the facts, but deeply analyze everyone involved. Watch how the killer moves in his chair, watch how the jury reacts to certain facts, observe how witnesses talk.

    The trial can teach you so much about the whole crime.

    Mistakes True Crime Writers Make

    If you want to succeed as a true crime writer, you will need to make sure you know how to analyze and organize research.

    Some of the biggest mistakes true crime writers make it not double checking their facts or rushing through chapters just to get them done so they can move onto other parts.

    Many writers also let their own views interfere with their writing and taint how they present the facts because they are trying to persuade readers to go with their point of view.

    There are a few common mistakes true crime writers make.

    The first one, is becoming so obsessed with the case that it steals your sanity.

    Ready to Write Your Book?

    Ready to start writing your book and getting it ready for publication?

    You do not want to miss out on the nonfiction webinar with all of the tools you need to start putting your book together:

  • Book Clubs: 5 Important Benefits To Inspire Your Writing

    Book Clubs: 5 Important Benefits To Inspire Your Writing

    You have probably heard of Reese Witherspoon’s book club at some point over the years. In fact, recently you may have noticed that the mega popular, novel-turned-major-motion-picture, Where The Crawdads Sing, is not only a New York Times bestseller, but stamped with an important sticker: Part of Reese’s Book Club. 

    So what exactly is this type of club? Why do they matter? Are they just for avid readers or can authors take advantage of these clubs as well? In this article, we get into the following:

    • What Is A Book Club?
    • Benefits Of A Book Club
    • List Of Book Clubs

    If you’ve never been part of a club like, or simply want to learn more details about their benefits and how you can take advantage of them as an author, keep right on reading!

    What Is A Book Club?

    A book discussion club is simply a group of individuals who come together for the sole purpose of discussing books. You will commonly find clubs discussing topics such as:

    • What they liked about a book
    • What they disliked 
    • Their opinions
    • Book takeaways 

    While not every club follows the same format, typically, they are laid back with a deep focus on a particular book. Everyone in the club is tasked with reading the same nonfiction or fiction work, and at a specific, recurring time, they all come together for discussion. 

    Think of this form of club as an in-person forum where you can share your thoughts with other readers, hear their insights, and share the commonality of a love for reading. 

    Benefits Of A Book Club

    Joining a club is a great way to engage with fellow readers, gain more insights into plot and characterization, and hear what’s selling well and why. If you are an aspiring author, joining one such club could be the perfect opportunity for you. 

    Not only will a club surround you with fellow-readers but it will enable you to interact with your potential target audience in person. Below is a list of benefits you may find when joining as a writer.

    #1 – Immerse Yourself In Literature 

    While we may all want to read the classics, it can be difficult to find the time and motivation to do so. Depending on what type of book club you join, you may discover that reading a classic with a group is much more fun than you once imagined. Of course, not every book club reads the classics, but knowing famous stories that stood the test of time can help you grow as a writer.

    #2 – Broaden Your Insights

    The more you surround yourself with other writers and readers, the more you will discover about the world of books. It’s easy to get stuck in a one-track mindset and walk away from a story with one set of takeaways. When you join a book club, the opposite happens. Yes, you experience your own insights, but you also get the privilege of hearing what others discover through the story. 

    #3 – Get A Feel For Audiences Across Genres 

    As a writer, your job is to connect with your target audience in such a way that they read your book and desperately want to read your next one. Book clubs study a myriad of genres, and your target audience is bound to exist in one of them. Joining a book club will help you understand your audience at a more personal level, and ultimately, write better books. 

    #4 – Learn From Genres You Don’t Naturally Read

    While writers read, not all writers enjoy genres outside their own. That said, it’s extremely beneficial to open yourself up to new writing opportunities through familiarizing yourself across genres. Imagine how well you could write historical fiction if you immersed yourself for a month or so in biographies of historical figures? 

    #5 – Discover Feedback Without Sharing Your Work

    One of the larger benefits of joining a book club is taking note of what other readers say about genres similar to yours. It can be intimidating to share your work-in-progress with beta readers, let alone your final draft with an audience. Book clubs allow you the inside scoop on what types of plots and characters work well in specific genres, and which ones do not. 

    Now that you know several reasons why you could benefit from joining a book club, let’s discuss some actual book clubs you could join or even submit your own book to. 

    A List To Get You Started

    Check out the below list to help you get started in your search today!

    #1 – Reese’s Book Club

    Popular for a reason, Reese Witherspoon is known for her book-to-screen adaptations. If you want to read up to twenty-four books a year, join Reese’s club! Join 2 million other readers and keep up with both YA and adult reads on social media. 

    #2 – Between Two Books

    Did you read The Goldfinch or love the movie? This book club began in 2012 and was established by fans of Florence Welch. This is an online club with over 100,000 members. A community that always seems to be involved in books somehow (video readings, discussions, etc.) this is a great club to join if you want a more intimate feel. 

    #3 – Silent Book Club

    What if you are an introvert but you want to get out more and interact with other readers? Join one of Silent Book Club’s more than 240 chapters, spread across over 30 countries. This club focuses on readers coming together, not to talk, but to read books in the presence of other readers. 

    Book Club Steps For Authors 

    What if you are an author and want to submit your book to a particular book club? You may want to try looking into the Greenleaf Book Club, which has been in existence since 1997. When pursuing how to submit a book club, a crucial step is to learn all you can about what readers love.

    Unique individuals fill every book club, so while you may want to pitch your book to famous celebrity clubs, it’s crucial to submit your book to the correct audience. 

    A second way to create an in with a book club is simply by engaging as a proactive member. Invest in the other readers, share your thoughts on books you loved, books you want to read, and authors you aspire to be like. 

    The more you engage as a member, the more likely other members will respect what you have to say and want to hear your opinion. Once you establish yourself as a contributing member of a group, consider talking with the person who runs the book club and pitching your book as a potential read. 

    Just as you need to understand your target audience and comparative works when writing your book, these details are vital to getting your book in for a book club as well. Before submitting your work, ask yourself the following questions: 

    • What types of books has this book club read?
    • What books did the members gravitate to?
    • How is my book similar?
    • How does my book stand out?

    Best wishes as you pursue both engaging with a book club as a reader and submitting your own book! 

    TWL. CTA. Book Outline Template
  • Top Cozy Mystery Authors (+3 New Authors to Read)

    Top Cozy Mystery Authors (+3 New Authors to Read)

    Mystery books are always fun to read and finding new authors can give you a ton of new books to read in the future. If you like this genre of books, you’re most likely on the hunt for the top cozy mystery authors.

    Cozy mystery is its own genre of books that spark memories of watching old Murder, She Wrote shows. They’re under the umbrella of true crime but without any of the violence that comes with typical mysteries.

    These books are often also part of whole series so people can really get into a character and a world that the author has built.

    If you’re a fan of true crime but find the cases too gory or overwhelming at times, cozy mysteries might be a great alternative for you. The killer is almost always caught, too, giving some closure to each story and book.

    We’ve put together a list of top cozy mystery authors. Some were from the past and paved the way for this genre to thrive. Some are current writers and stories for you to dive into. Either way, it will give you a whole new list of books to add to your reading piles.

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    What are cozy mystery books?

    Cozy mystery are books that are a sub-genre of crime fiction. While they still are mysteries, they don’t usually contain much (or any) sex, profanity, or violence.

    In lots of crime fiction books, sex and violence are key to the plot or overall story of the book. There are few violent police chase scenes, if any at all. They rarely revolve around serial killers or any kind of related crimes.

    Essentially, you could never make them into the type of movie where there are tons of chase scenes, guns, and blood.

    Cozy mystery books are often modeled after the Golden Age of detective fiction.

    You’ll find that most of these books take place in small towns and often with detectives who are amateur sleuths. Instead of using complicated detective techniques or forensics, they often solve crimes through intuition and talking to people in the town.

    Because they’re not usually law enforcement, people are more likely to talk to them with their guard down, getting insights others could not.

    They also almost always are based in a small town or village, giving more of an intimate atmosphere. It’s important the town is interesting and the main character is likable, since that will prompt readers to come back and read more of their books in the series.

    While it’s not a book, the famous Murder, She Wrote starring Angela Lansbury is one of the most well-known shows of all time that embody the type of feel of cozy mysteries. Most of us can imagine what that show was like and how it was a calm show about solving mysteries with likable characters.

    Throughout the years, we have seen the genre begin to grow and start to push some boundaries on the topics that they cover, which is adding more to the ongoing debate of which books are still considered cozy mysteries or not.

    Top Cozy Mystery Authors

    Let’s take a look at some of the top cozy mystery authors of all time for you to check out. Then, we’ll dive into some of the top cozy mystery series so you can find a new story to hook you in. From there, we’ll go over some new series for you to check out from newer authors.

    Agatha Christie

    No list would ever be complete without mentioning the top cozy mystery author of all time, Agatha Christie. She is the one who lead the way for this genre to thrive and all of the authors who came after her to have a new genre to write books for.

    One of her most well-known characters is Miss Marple who starred in a ton of her books. The first book she makes an appearance in is The Murder at the Vicarage. It’s a character that evolves over time but her stories and role stay the same through all of the novels.

    There are twelve books in total with Miss Marple as the main star. That gives you more than enough books to dive into, fill your reading bucket, and revisit the classics that started the trend.

    Lilian Jackson Braun

    Lilian Jackson Braun wrote the famous The Cat Who series which spans over 29 different books featuring a reporter named Jim Qwilleran and his two cats.

    It’s a wonderful series that gives you more than enough stories to read.

    Dorothy L. Sayers

    As the writer of the Lord Peter Wimsey book series, she is considered one of the original four “Queens of Crime” book authors. She has quite a few other books as well, but the 14 books about Lord Peter Wimsey are her longest cozy mysteries.

    It should be noted that a lot of the women who were the leaders of this genre were criticized for almost writing books that were “too fluffy” instead of being what they called “serious crime novels”.

    Cozy Mystery Series

    If you’re looking for a series or book to dive into and become obsessed with, let’s look at some of the options out there.

    Keep in mind, there are so many mystery series that this list is only scratching the surface of the ones out there.

    Gethsemane Brown Series by Alexa Gordon

    Starting with the first book, Murder in G Major, we meet Gethsemane Brown, who is an African-American classical musician and expatriate to an Irish village. Travel through southwestern Ireland in this 4-part paranormal series.

    The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris

    The Southern Vampire Mysteries is a series that spans over 13 books and is most well-known for being the series behind the show, True Blood.

    Cat in the Stacks Series by Dean James

    The Cat in the Stacks mystery series is a 15-part series set in the South. We meet Charlie Harris, who is a local librarian, and his cat named Diesel. It’s up to Charlie and Diesel to solve the local murder mysteries in the town and figure out the age old “Who done it?” question.

    New Cozy Books and Authors

    Now that we’ve covered some of the most famous authors and the biggest series, let’s go over some of the newer cozy mystery authors and their books.

    Killer Content by Olivia Blacke

    Set in New York, we meet Odessa who is trying to solve the murder of a fellow. Cops have declared this case just a simple accident but she knows there’s something more to it.

    Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

    What happens when your mom and your meddling aunts help you get rid of a body after a terrible blind date? Well, if you read this book, you’ll find out exactly how this unfolds. It’s both a comedy and a mystery, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

    A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber

    In this book, we meet Courtney. She lost her mother when she was young and stopped believing in magic. As an adult, she is thrust into a mystery when the neighboring business owner ends up dead. She must now find her way back to her magic roots and solve the crime before her life falls apart.

    What to do next

    Are you looking to write your own book or start your writing career?

    Get the book template outline!

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  • How to Write Creepy Books for Adults

    How to Write Creepy Books for Adults

    Halloween has come and gone, but readers of all ages love to cozy up with a good horror book throughout the fall and winter. So why not try your hand at writing a creepy book

    People have been fascinated by creepy subject matter since… well, forever. Ghost stories have been around since people have, and it’s not hard to see why. Horror is a way for us to explore one of our most primal emotions—fear—and it’s a way for us to talk about subjects that are often taboo in regular conversation, like death.

    If you’re in the mood to write something scary this season, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll talk about what makes a book creepy, then we’ll walk you through the process of how to write creepy books.

    What makes a book creepy? (Things to consider)

    First and foremost, let’s clear something up: you don’t have to write a horror story to write a creepy story.

    Horror is a genre that intends to disgust or frighten the reader. The entire goal is to make the reader feel unpleasant. If you’re writing a horror novel, you want that at the forefront of your mind.

    However, not every book with scary elements is horror. Paranormal romance, for example, often includes frightening creatures or spooky settings, but the objective isn’t to scare the reader—it’s to tell a love story. The reader is meant to feel all the feelings they might get from a romance, just with a side of creepiness. For more on romance tropes, read this article.

    This is all to say that you can use these tips even if you’re not writing a straightforward horror novel. Got a fantasy adventure with a scene in which your characters have to crawl through a haunted dungeon? You’ll want to know how to write that haunted dungeon to its full creepy potential. Got an action thriller with a torture sequence? If you want it to land, you’ll need to know how to use suspense and how to write violent scenes.

    So, what makes a book creepy?

    Dark atmosphere and tone

    The atmosphere in your book is the mood you’re creating for the reader. You could say it’s the book’s ‘vibe.’ Atmosphere varies from chapter to chapter or scene to scene (this comes with emotional variance—some scenes will be happy, some will be sad, etc), but there’s still an overarching sense of atmosphere throughout a given novel.

    In order to manipulate your novel’s atmosphere, you have to manipulate your tone. Grammarly defines tone as “the attitude your words employ.” To explain this, let’s take a look at two examples.

    Example A: “Mike’s totally crazy. He totaled Dad’s car doing donuts in the Hobby Lobby parking lot last weekend, and honestly, it’ll be a surprise if Dad lets him off the hook this time.”

    This feels like someone telling you a story. The words here aren’t very formal, the sentences aren’t super complicated, and overall it reads casually. This is a conversational tone.

    Example B: “Mike’s madness settled. In the dim light of the Hobby Lobby parking lot, his tires squealed, circling like the crows dumpster-diving behind the adjacent Olive Garden. He should go home. He knows he should go home. But his father will be there, and this time, Mike’s not getting off the hook.”

    Okay, so the Hobby Lobby thing aside, this is a different vibe. Words like ‘madness’ and phrases like ‘dim light’ give this telling a more serious, creepy flavor. This is a sinister tone.

    To create a creepy atmosphere by using tone in your story, focus on sensory details and use figurative language to create associations with spooky stuff. Vary your sentence structure to add tension or drama. ‘Leaves crunched under their feet’ is okay, but ‘leaves crunched under their feet like broken teeth’ makes me think of chewing leaves or chewing broken teeth, and both are gross! Which is what we want.

    There are all kinds of literary devices that will help you develop your creative writing.

    Uncomfortable setting

    Another way to make your book creepy is to put your characters in an uncomfortable setting. You can do this the obvious way by putting your characters in a cold, damp, dark, generally claustrophobic environment, but they don’t have to be in a creepy cave or scary dungeon to have a terrible time.

    The setting should pose a problem for the characters. Maybe this is a beautiful home, but the people in it are kind of evil and scary. Maybe it’s a decent hotel room, but there’s no smoking allowed, and our protagonist is starting to yearn for a cigarette.

    Use the setting and the characters’ circumstances to layer discomfort until they’re swaddled in a thick, itchy blanket of misery.

    Paranormal activity

    Paranormal activity includes monsters, ghosts, the undead, spirits, demons, fairies, that kind of thing. The paranormal doesn’t have to be scary, but it definitely can be. If you’re including paranormal activity in your book, decide on the creature’s limitations and abilities and stick to them while you’re writing. This will keep your reader from getting confused and pulled out of the story by seemingly random, unexplained events or new powers coming out of nowhere.

    Nail-biting suspense

    Suspense is necessary for any storytelling—you’ll find a little suspense in most children’s books as well as books for adults. Suspense is what makes readers anticipate what’s coming up next, and if they don’t care, then they’re probably going to put the book down.

    Adding a ton of suspense, though, takes the reader past anticipation and into discomfort. It puts them on the edge of their seat and, ideally, they’re afraid of what’s going to happen next, but too invested to quit.

    How do you create this experience in the reader? It might seem difficult, but it’s a trick as old as time: setup and payoff.

    You want to establish the threat early on—in a horror story, this might be the opening scene where some unnamed character is murdered so we can see and fear the monster. Once you’ve set up the threat, you’ve done most of the work. The audience will be waiting for that threat to show up, and when it does, they’ll be both horrified and satisfied to see the setup paid off.

    You can play with suspense (and with setup and payoff) in other ways to unsettle the reader. Having things go not quite the way the reader expects them to will, in general, make them uncomfortable and eager to see the problem resolved. You just want to make sure that problem is resolved.

    Say your main character, Sarah, checks into a hotel. The staff all greet her warmly as “Paige.” When Sarah corrects them, the staff seem confused, and they don’t actually listen to her—they just keep calling her Paige.

    That’s kind of creepy—it’s definitely intriguing. Who’s Paige? Why are the staff so vehement about all this? We’re unsettled, and we want to know what’s going on. If we keep reading and the novelist never gives us any kind of a reason for why this is going on—in other words, it’s dropped—this immediately becomes frustrating because it’s a waste of time. There was no need for it—it didn’t matter to the story.

    How to write a creepy book

    Now that you know how writing creepy books works, you’re ready to get started on your own. We’re going to talk about the process from brainstorming all the way to revisions, so buckle up!

    Mindmap

    First, you’ll want to brainstorm—I suggest a mindmap. Mind Maps are word-association tools used to generate new ideas quickly, and they’re great for visual learners.

    To make one, find a mind-mapping software. Or, do it the old-fashioned way and write a word down in the center of a page. Write a line coming out from that word, and write something you might associate with it. We’re writing a creepy book, so we want things to stay on theme. If your first word is ‘nighttime,’ your associated words might be ‘haunting,’ ‘nightmare,’ ‘sleep paralysis demon,’ or ‘storm.’

    Do the same thing with those associated words until you’re all out of ideas. You should end up with what looks like a big web of ideas, images, characters, and plot points.

    Outline

    Take all the ideas, images, characters, and plot points you generated using your mind map and turn them into an outline.

    There are a few ways to go about this, none of them wrong: you might make a bullet-point list of the beats in your story, and you might include images or bits of dialogue as notes off to the side. An outline could be index cards taped to a piece of posterboard or to your wall, with each index card containing a nugget from your mind map.

    This is basically a guide for you to use while you’re drafting so that if you get stuck, lost, or scared, you’ve got a way to keep going instead of giving up. Do whatever works for you. Some people (myself included) like to do a combination brainstorm, outline, and rough draft—others find that separating these into different processes saves them time.

    Rough Draft

    With your outline handy to serve as your guide, you’re ready to start the drafting process. When you’re writing the rough draft of your novel, your objective is to complete the story as quickly as possible. 

    Pause as little as you can—if you hit a plot hole or unforeseen snag that threatens to stall the draft for days, if not weeks, make a note, accept that you’ll have to fix it later, and just move on to the next thing (that’s what your outline is for, remember?). If you think of a new idea, make a note (try a separate document or notebook if that helps to keep things sorted) and keep moving.

    Rough drafts do not need to be good—in fact, they’re not going to be. Any given rough draft is going to be almost entirely rewritten during revisions anyway. (I’m talking to myself a little bit, here, as someone who tends to let perfectionism hinder the actual completion of a draft.) Jane Smiley said that “every first draft is perfect because all the first draft has to do is exist,” and she’s perfectly right.

    Revise

    Almost all of the writing process takes place in revisions. You’re going to rewrite almost everything you wrote in your rough draft several times. I don’t say this to overwhelm you, but rather to help you set reasonable expectations—this is going to take a while, and that’s normal.

    But how do you avoid endlessly rewriting, creating new problems, and working in circles?

    Keep your story top of mind. Your first few passes at revision should be about things like character’s motives, pacing, fixing plot holes—structural stuff. Are you setting up a good satisfying scare for your audience, and if so, are you paying it off later? Once you’ve got the structure down, you’ll start looking at word choice. Are you using tone to set a creepy atmosphere when you want to?

    While much of the drafting process is up to you, it is really recommended that you do structural edits before line edits. Otherwise, you could labor over sentences, paragraphs, pages, or even chapters that end up just getting deleted.

    Next Step

    Now that you know what makes a book creepy, and have an overview of how to write one, it’s time to get started. Check out this resource to help you take the next step.

    twl-fiction-prompts
  • 5 Tips for Writing Horror (+3 Things to Avoid)

    5 Tips for Writing Horror (+3 Things to Avoid)

    The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, published in 1764, is widely considered to be the first official horror novel. But horror stories, or at least ghost stories, go back as far as people do—scary folklore, folklore around death and the afterlife, and myths about horrible beasts, curses, and so on have been part of human storytelling from the start.

    That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s gotten any easier to write, though. Horror, in particular, can be extremely difficult to get just right. It’s often a fine line between scary and corny, and even if you’ve nailed it for one reader, you might have crossed it for others. How do you craft a story that’s guaranteed to be scary without making it cheesy? How do you make a horror story scary while keeping it believable?

    How do you write good horror?

    In this article, we’ll give you five tips for writing horror. We’re going to talk about what horror is, cover some subgenres of horror, talk about what to avoid when you’re writing horror, and give you some tools you can use to make your next horror story great.

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    What is Horror?

    Before we can really dig into writing horror, we need to understand what it is and how it functions as a genre. So what is horror, exactly?

    Wikipedia aptly sums horror up as “a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust.” It is “often divided into the subgenres of psychological horror and supernatural horror,” with the latter subgenre falling under the ‘speculative fiction’ umbrella.

    You may have a story that includes elements of horror, like suspense or supernatural happenings—take Twilight, for example. But these elements on their own don’t necessarily make a story horror if the story isn’t intended to scare the reader. Horror makes you (or is meant to make you) feel uneasy, disgusted, repulsed, and generally bad.

    Because horror draws on fear, which is a very primal human emotion, it can be a fascinating place to explore people’s opinions. You can learn a lot about a certain society or facet of society based on what they were publishing as horror at any given time.

    Dracula of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, for example, was actually inspired by criminal anthropologists—he was meant to “look like” a criminal since they thought they could create a physical profile of common criminals. This tells us a lot about the society Dracula came out of, what they thought of crime, and how they approached solving it.

    Horror Subgenres

    When you set out to write horror, it’s important to know what subgenre you’re working in. Not only will this give you a place to start reading other horror novels (which you should definitely be doing—that’s the first unofficial tip), but it’ll give you a sense of what kinds of tropes and plot points readers will expect when they’re reading your work. Seeking out different subgenres will also help you find the perfect niche in which to work. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it covers the basics:

    1. Gothic fiction

    Gothic fiction is kind of the foundation for much of what we know as horror. This covers Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelley, and, of course, Bram Stoker. Gothic fiction includes many elements from romantic literature, so you’ll see a lot of people venturing into the foggy mist and happening upon something awful. Nature is meant to be a revealing force which makes people confront themselves—gothic literature is also generally very focused on the plights of the individual.

    2. Psychological horror

    Psychological horror is one of the two big subgenres we listed earlier. It doesn’t include supernatural elements, and it aims to uncover the disturbing depths of the human psyche. You’ll often see things like unreliable narrators in a psychological horror—an unreliable narrator is meant to make you question the events you’re witnessing, which puts you in an inherently uncomfortable and untrusting headspace where reality is constantly questioned.

    3. Supernatural/paranormal horror

    Supernatural/paranormal horror was the second big subgenre of horror, and, as you may have guessed, it’s horror that uses supernatural elements. Anything with ghosts, monsters, demons, magic, cryptids, or spirits is going to fall under this umbrella.

    4. Body horror

    BookRiot describes body horror as a subgenre focused on the mutilation or violation of the human body—you’ll see this combined with slashers, monster stories, zombie stories, and things of that sort. Frankenstein is a classic example.

    5. Splatterpunk

    Splatterpunk is a horror genre focused on extreme depictions of extreme violence. There’s often a ton of abuse, sexual violence, and things of that nature—nothing is off limits, and everything is intended to be as horrifically violent and gruesome as possible.

    6. Erotic horror

    Erotic horror is exactly what it sounds like. Where most horror aims to scare you, erotic horror also aims to, you know, excite the reader. Most erotica will do these through pretty conventional means, but erotic horror uses elements of horror combined with the regular stuff to get its readers going.

    What to Avoid When Writing Horror

    Now that we have a baseline understanding of what horror is and what kinds of horror there are to work with, let’s cover some general “don’ts” when it comes to writing horror.

    1. Violence for violence’s sake

    New horror writers sometimes have a tendency to confuse ‘intense’ with ‘scary.’ When writing in a subgenre like splatterpunk, you can definitely expect to see more taboo acts of violence written in more graphic detail than you might see elsewhere—unless you’re working in splatterpunk, though, you don’t necessarily always want to reach for the most disgusting thing to happen at all possible times.

    This isn’t for prudish reasons, either. It’s because while you want to scare your reader, you still want to tell a good story. If you’re trying to be as edgy as possible without thinking about what motivates these plot points, you’re probably losing track of your story, and that’s going to be frustrating for your reader. If the reader isn’t following along with the story, they’re not settled enough to be scared by your extreme violence—they’re probably just frustrated and trying to figure out how it fits into the narrative.

    2. Bad pacing

    Similarly, you want to avoid keeping your scariness level at a constant eleven out of ten. Again, intense doesn’t mean scary, and you can’t maintain a super high level of tension for very long without hitting the ceiling. You definitely want to keep the suspense at a constant simmer, but you also want dramatic contrast in your stories. Failing to provide this contrast will often mess with a reader’s suspension of disbelief, and instead of being stressed out, they’ll be bored.

    3. Lawless paranormal activity

    If there are paranormal elements in the story, you want to avoid having them be completely random and overpowered. If a ghost can do anything at any time with seemingly no limitations or motives, it might feel cheap to the reader. Similarly, if random paranormal events are happening without a clear motive other than ‘wouldn’t this be crazy/scary,’ readers might get confused or, again, bored, because they’re unclear what’s driving the action in the story.

    Tips for Writing Horror

    If you’ve found yourself doing some of the things we just talked about, don’t worry! We’re going to talk about how to correct these issues (and give a few extra tips for good measure).

    Be intentional with scary moments

    Instead of having scary things happen out of nowhere, or just because it seems shocking, ask yourself what’s motivating these moments. If you want to have your character stumble upon a dead body, that’s all well and good, but there should be some kind of reason for it. That dead body should matter to the story as a whole—nothing in a novel should happen once and then never matter at all for the rest of the read.

    Ask yourself these questions: how do your characters arrive at this moment? How do they deal with it? How does this moment affect the rest of the plot, or how does it set the characters up for their next move?

    Have rules for paranormal happenings

    You don’t need to explain the paranormal activity in your book to the reader, but you should understand how it works. Are there places a ghost can’t or won’t go? Why or why not? How do werewolves work in your book? Having these paranormal creatures act in a consistent way will make it easier to build suspense—it’s hard to get worried about your characters if it seems like they’re in the same amount of trouble all the time, and if there’s no way to tell what a ghost or monster is capable of, that trouble is hard to gauge.

    Use suspense

    Speaking of which!

    Suspense is your absolute best friend when you’re writing horror. Using it correctly means letting the reader know enough that they’re afraid, but not so much that they can tell what’s going to happen. It also means smart readers will probably be able to put it together before you want them to, but ideally, you’ll have written it so well that they don’t care if they can guess what happens next.

    Have rules for what everyone can do and set them up. Let’s say you’ve got a ghost who can walk through walls, and let’s say you’ve got a climax where the main characters are barricaded in a basement, thinking themselves safe at last. If you haven’t shown us that the ghost can walk through walls before now, it’ll kind of feel like it’s coming out of nowhere. It might still be scary, but it won’t feel earned.

    If, however, you’ve shown us early on that the ghost can walk through walls, the reader will be nervous the whole time those characters are in the basement. When is the ghost going to show up? We don’t know! This adds an immediate layer of tension.

    Use your characters

    Remember how I said that scary moments should be motivated? In most stories, characters drive the plot, not the other way around. Your characters, their specific fears, and their specific personalities should be at the center of your novel. Even if you have a horror story about an average guy dealing with a horrible situation, their averageness should matter. You also want the events of the story to be particularly frightening for your characters—it should draw on their fears.

    Ask yourself these questions when developing your characters: how would this specific character deal with this situation? How is this particularly scary for this particular character? What does this character learn about themselves as a result of this plot point?

    Don’t forget atmosphere and sensory detail

    Last, but certainly not least, don’t skip out on the setting. Horror relies on not just uncomfortable happenings, but an uncomfortable atmosphere—even in the lulls, we shouldn’t feel safe. Lean into this by describing the setting. Put your characters in crowded environments, smelly basements, dank corridors, etc. Describe these things using sense details that make the reader feel like they’re in it, too. This will amp up the overall sense of discomfort, and it’ll prime your reader to be startled by the next big scare you’ve got in store for them.

    Next step

    Now that you know what to do to write a good horror story (and you know what to avoid), it’s time to start writing your horror book.

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  • Camp NaNoWriMo – Guide For Writers

    Camp NaNoWriMo – Guide For Writers

    If you’ve spent any amount of time in online writing circles, you’ve probably already heard of NaNoWriMo, an annual contest which challenges its participants to write fifty-thousand words during the month of November. The contest is designed specifically for novelists, but it attracts writers from all corners of the web looking to push their word count to its limit.

    But NaNoWriMo isn’t the only writing contest the organization runs. Have you heard of Camp NaNoWriMo?

    In this article, we’re going to talk about what Camp NaNoWriMo is, why you might be interested, how to enter, and what you can do to make the most of your Camp NaNoWriMo experience.

    What Is Camp NaNoWriMo?

    Camp NaNoWriMo is a writing event which takes place during the months of April and July. Like NaNoWriMo, the event lasts for the entire month. Unlike NaNoWriMo, the event does not involve writing fifty-thousand words! Also, as the name implies, Camp NaNo is more of an event than a contest—you can still win, but there isn’t as much of a competitive edge.

    Let’s break down the rules for Camp NaNoWriMo:

    1. The event begins at the start of the month (either April or July) and ends at the end of the month.

    2. Participants can set their own word goal. This can be fifty-thousand words, but it could also be literally any other number.

    3.  Participants are invited to write anything. Where NaNoWriMo asks its participants to put fifty-thousand words towards, specifically, a fiction novel, Camp NaNo does not. Nonfiction, fan-fiction, memoir, poetry, grocery lists, and break-up texts are all fair game.

    And that’s really all there is to it! This event is more lax compared to NaNoWriMo, and to me, that’s what makes it feel less competitive. Of course, you can technically write whatever you want for NaNoWriMo itself, and there’s no one forcing you to personally decide to write fifty-thousand words (NaNoWriMo is a self-challenge, which means you’re holding yourself accountable for meeting the goal or not).

    However, the lowered expectations around Camp NaNoWriMo create a more relaxed atmosphere. It feels more like a camp, where everyone’s taking a break from their regular stuff to hang out and talk about their projects, meet other writers, and hear from published authors. Camp NaNoWriMo also boasts a host of resources for writers to learn from as they work on their projects.

    Why do Camp NaNoWriMo?

    Maybe you hated NaNoWriMo, and the thought of voluntarily subjecting yourself to another month of similar torture sounds asinine. First, that’s a little dramatic, but second, I think Camp NaNo is worth a shot even if NaNoWriMo didn’t work out for you. Here’s a brief list of reasons why.

    1. It’s easy to participate… and to win

    We’ve already talked about Camp NaNo’s comparatively lax criteria to NaNoWriMo and how that lax criteria gives the whole event a calmer feel, but I’d like to elaborate a little bit here.

    First, even though participants technically can do whatever they want for NaNoWriMo, Camp NaNo means you can set your own goals without feeling left out or anything like that. There’s literally no ideal word count, and that means it’s pretty hard to rib yourself for not getting fifty-thousand words, even if you told yourself you couldn’t.

    Second, participants get two different chances to participate in Camp NaNo—April and July—and that makes it more likely that you’ll be able to do it. November is a busy time of year, especially for students and teachers, and especially with the holiday season right around the corner, so it’s not always possible to drop everything and commit to a project at that time.

    2. Camp NaNoWriMo’s resources can be helpful

    Camp NaNo also boasts resources for writers to take advantage of while they’re working on their projects. Let’s go over two of the biggest features as listed on Camp NaNo’s website.

    First, NaNoWriMo (the organization which hosts both National Novel Writing Month and Camp NaNo—don’t be confused!) hosts regular local writing events like write-ins, author q+a’s, and workshops around specific topics. Check what they’ve got going on in your area, not just during Camp NaNo, but year-round!

    Here’s the Google Calendar for NaNoWriMo’s events in July, for reference:

    And here’s that same month in agenda form, so you can see the specific events a little more clearly:

    In addition to these local events, Camp NaNo also has Camp Counselors—these are published authors who offer support, advice, and guidance throughout the month. This was the Camp Counselor lineup for July:

    3. Camp NaNoWriMo offers community

    The resources that Camp NaNo has to offer are great for keeping you grounded and supported throughout the process. It’s great to feel like someone’s rooting for you, and it’s awesome to have professionals to turn to for mentorship!

    It’s also great to have a community surrounding your writing and the writing of other authors in your area. You might not know any other writers in your day-to-day life—this is pretty normal! It’s an oft-isolating industry, usually done alone, and usually not involving a ton of connection to other people.

    And if you don’t love the idea of in-person events, guess what? Camp NaNo also has a ton of chances for online connection—their forums allow you to get in touch with local writers online and support one another as you work. You might even make some lifelong friends!

    How to Make the Most of Camp NaNoWriMo

    Now that you know what Camp NaNoWriMo is and why you should definitely try it out, let’s talk about how to make the most of your experience. Even if you prefer not to connect with other writers and instead do Camp NaNo totally solo, some of these tips will help you out!

    1. Pick a project you’re excited about

    Ultimately, you can choose to work on anything, but in my opinion, these kinds of events are best when you’re working on something that excites you. If you’ve got an idea for a book, but you just haven’t found the time to get started, guess what? The time is now! If you’ve got a weird idea for a poetry collection, bam—Camp NaNo material.

    You can also use Camp NaNo to knock out a project that’s been stewing on the back burner for a while. Maybe there’s work to be done, maybe there are essays for college to be written—if it’s not something that you’re super stoked about, at least pick something that you’ll be glad you worked on.

    Is there anything you shouldn’t bring to Camp NaNo, you might ask?

    This is absolutely one-hundred-percent just my opinion, but I don’t like to bring established, deep-in-the-works projects to events like this. Usually I’ve already got a clear idea of where I want to go with the project, so I’m not looking for a ton of feedback, and it’s usually developed enough that there’s not a lot of exciting new stuff happening with it. I’m talking about novels that I’ve already drafted a few times, short stories that just need polishing—stuff like that.

    Camp NaNo creates a ton of energy, and in that way, at least to me, it’s like rocket fuel. Some of your projects or ideas might need rocket fuel to take off and get going—some of your projects might not. You’ll be the best judge of that.

    2. Use Camp NaNoWriMo to establish good writing habits

    Unless you’re already writing for a living, you probably don’t write super regularly. Events like Camp NaNo might be the only months out of the year that you’re consistently returning to the keyboard for regular writing time. And that’s completely fine!

    However, if you want to be a pro, you’re going to have to develop discipline. This doesn’t mean drafting everyday (in fact, it definitely does not mean drafting every day), but it does mean coming to your keyboard as consistently as you can to keep your skills honed and your story fresh.

    Try finding a consistent time to work on your Camp NaNo project. You might find that you work better in the evening, or that you prefer outlining by hand, or that you prefer ten-minute writing sprints to twenty-minute writing sprints. Maybe you envisioned writing during your lunch break, but it turns out the break room at work is way too distracting—that’s good to know! Take note of what works and what doesn’t and bring that knowledge with you beyond Camp NaNo.

    3. Try getting involved with the community around Camp NaNoWriMo

    Of course, the option to do Camp NaNo solo is available to you. It’s a self-challenge, and as such, you’re free to keep to yourself, work on your project, and pat yourself on the back at the end of the month when you’ve completed your goals.

    However, consider this: Camp NaNo is putting you in touch with other writers. Likely, some of these other writers are also readers who might be interested in reading your book when it’s published. And to be clear, I am not saying you should get close to people under the guise of friendship with the ultimate intent of selling them something—in fact, don’t.

    What I am saying is that if you are self-publishing, you’re going to want to build a platform. Platforms require readers, yes, but they also require connections to other authors. Who else is publishing in your genre? What kind of stuff are they writing? Connecting to these other authors means building up your platform a little bit, and that’s going to be absolutely vital when it comes time to publish.

    Additionally, working with other self-published authors is a great opportunity to compare resources. Someone might know a great editor for your genre, and someone else might have already tried the cover designer you have in mind. You can combine knowledge in this way to save yourself some time and make the best decisions possible for yourself and your work.

    4. Have some fun

    Here’s the thing: ultimately, Camp NaNo is meant to be fun. Going in with some kind of plan will help you optimize your experience, but if you don’t have one, I absolutely encourage you to log in on July or April 1st, set up an account, and announce a project, even if you literally just thought of it on the spot. In fact, that might be the most wholesome way to participate.

    However you choose to play, have fun out there!

    Have you ever done Camp NaNo? How did it compare to NaNoWriMo? Let us know in the comments! 

    TWL. CTA. Book Outline Template
  • NaNoWriMo Rules You Need to Know

    NaNoWriMo Rules You Need to Know

    As soon as the seasons start to shift from summer to fall, it seems like every writerly corner of the Internet becomes consumed with one question and one question only:

    Are you going to do NaNoWriMo this year?

    If you’re asking yourself that question, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll talk about what NaNoWriMo is, the NaNoWriMo rules (official and unofficial), and some tips I’ve personally compiled to help you make the most of your NaNoWriMo experience.

    What is NaNoWriMo?

    Let’s consult the 2009 vlogbrothers video titled “NaNoWriMo!!!” In it, John Green defines NaNoWriMo like this: “In case you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it’s National Novel Writing Month, an annual event in which people try to write a fifty-thousand word novel in a single month.”

    That sums it up nicely! NaNoWriMo takes place during the month of November, and its goal is to get its participants to write a novel of fifty-thousand words by the end of the month. Participants make accounts on the contest’s site and enter their daily word counts there. The site also uses daily word counts to project how long it will take the participant to finish their novel (even if they don’t win NaNoWriMo), how a participant’s word count compares to others in the area, and, of course, how close they are to completing their goal.

    Often, online communities sort of drop everything to focus on NaNoWriMo. It’s nearly inescapable, and it’s not hard to understand why. Writing is often an intensely solitary activity, and while some writers might have in-person writer friends, a lot don’t. Events like NaNoWriMo give writers a real sense of community as they work towards their common goal, and this is the real magic of NaNoWriMo.

    The First Three Rules for NaNoWriMo

    We’ve talked about how to formally enter NaNoWriMo (setting up an account on the site linked above), but what are the rules? Surely it can’t be as simple as ‘write fifty-thousand words in a month.’

    When NaNoWriMo was first founded, there was a set of rules governing how the contest would play out and what participation counted towards the end goal. Kelsey McKinney, writing for Vox, outlines these foundational rules, which were put in place by Chris Baty in 2000:

    1. The writing project must be new
    2. It must be written by a single person
    3. It has to be finished by midnight on November 30th

    This is all straightforward, and the rules for NaNo haven’t changed much in the years since. Now, if you look on the Wikipedia page for current rules, they’re mostly just an expansion on the existing criteria. The contest begins at the start of the month and ends at the end of the month, the goal is fifty-thousand words, et cetera.

    Do I have to follow these rules to participate?

    What if you’re working with another writer or with a group of writers on a novel, or what if you’re working on a novel that’s going to exceed fifty-thousand words (almost all of them do)? What if you’ve got a project you’ve started, and you want to use NaNoWriMo to really focus on it?

    That’s fine!

    As the Wikipedia page points out, NaNoWriMo is a “self-challenge,” which means it’s mostly set up for participants to push themselves toward the goal. There’s not someone from the NaNoWriMo organization standing over your shoulder and going “uh, that’s not a brand-new idea. You already had that file on your computer. Pack up your pens and go!”

    As long as you have put fifty-thousand words in, you’ve won the contest.

    Does this cheapen the deal? Not really. The biggest reward participants get for completing NaNo is the achievement itself: writing fifty-thousand words in a month. Sometimes NaNo will offer to print a copy of the participant’s draft or something like that, but usually, you get a certificate and a pat on the back. Most of the reward is in the work itself.

    So if you want to follow the rules, follow them! If not, cool! It’s your life.

    My (very unofficial) NaNoWriMo Rules: Tips for Having a Good Time

    The existing rules for NaNoWriMo are just fine, but as someone who’s been a participant every year for a while, here are a few tips to making the most of your NaNoWriMo experience.

    1. Don’t set out to write a novel

    I know, I know, this is kind of the whole point of NaNoWriMo, but hear me out.

    You’re almost definitely not going to write a great novel in a month. First drafts are rarely any good, and the first draft of something you manically typed over the course of a month is probably also not going to be very good.

    John Green points this out in “NaNoWriMo!!!,” saying “as a rule, no great book can be written in a month.”

    This isn’t to say you shouldn’t try to do your best or you shouldn’t try to write a book. It’s just to say that you should keep your expectations reasonable. What you’re going to end up with is fifty-thousand words—that’s all you can be sure of. It probably will not be a complete draft, since most novels are much more than fifty thousand words, and it will definitely be rough.

    I like to approach NaNoWriMo as a giant word sprint. For anyone who doesn’t know: a word sprint is where you set a timer for a short amount of time, usually five to twenty minutes, and write as much as you can without stopping until the timer goes off. The objective of a word sprint is just to get something on the page—you can work with something, but not with nothing.

    And as someone who has a really difficult time getting an imperfect something on the page (preferring the always-perfect-but-not-actually-real-and-therefore-unsellable-nothing), this makes NaNoWriMo a great opportunity for some actual trying. You’re going to have to revise your first draft no matter what you do.

    As John Green goes on to say in the video, “No great book can be written in a first draft no matter how long it takes you to write it…NaNoWriMo gives us discipline and it gives us permission to suck, which are the two things you most need if you’re going to be a novelist.”

    2. Use NaNoWriMo for stuck projects

    Speaking of getting an imperfect something on the page: I like to use NaNoWriMo strategically as a way to work on existing projects. This is in direct violation of the rules, but it works out nicely for me.

    Like I said before, NaNoWriMo is a self-challenge. There’s not a NaNoWriMo police and there’s not a NaNoWriMo judge coming to live with you for the next month to keep you in line. You can pretty much use this contest for whatever project you’ve got that needs to be worked on. I personally like to use it to get lots of words written—sometimes these words go towards one draft, but sometimes they go towards work, short stories, poems, or whatever I need to do that month.

    This might sound kind of antithetical to the spirit of the challenge. Couldn’t I do that any other month? Why use NaNoWriMo just to knock out my to-do list?

    Glad you asked!

    3. Get involved with the NaNoWriMo community

    Again, in my opinion, the biggest appeal to NaNoWriMo is in the community that comes up around it. People post their word count goals and share their works-in-progress (#wip) on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, probably also TikTok (somehow, I’m not on WriterTok, but I assume it exists since BookTok does), probably also everywhere else. It’s free to join and it invites writers to try and do an impossible task, which is something that just kind of appeals to most writers.

    NaNoWriMo also offers the ability to add friends on their website. This allows you to check on your friends’ progress, take a look at their projects, and generally connect with other people participating in the contest.

    When I look back on the years that I’ve done NaNoWriMo, I remember a little of the projects I worked on—the Pinterest boards, the character templates, PrepTober events, stuff like that.

    But mostly I remember the glow of my computer screen at one o’clock in the morning, my heavy eyelids and tired retinas, my hands steadily developing a cramp which would go on to haunt my mid-twenties with a passion (seriously, take care of your wrists, fellow typists). I remember telling my friends the moment I hit my word count goal and the moments my friends hit theirs.

    Like I said before, writing is often lonely. There aren’t a ton of opportunities to connect with other authors working on their own projects with a ferocity like people bring to NaNoWriMo. Take advantage of the community, and some of the friendships you find might last well past NaNoWriMo.

    Now, to my last unofficial rule…

    4. Use NaNoWriMo to develop some writerly discipline

    Before you get mad at me: I definitely am not saying that you should be writing fifty-thousand words every month. In fact, I would argue that you definitely shouldn’t be. Drafting is only one small part of the writing process, and not every day is going to be a drafting day. Fifty-thousand words is, respectfully, a crap-ton of words, and if you’re writing that many that often, they’re probably not great words (and I say this as a once-ghostwriter who used to crank out thirty-thousand words a week on the regular).

    That being said, writing does require a ton of work, mostly in revision. Being a capital N Novelist is going to involve writing when you do not feel like it and making writing a regular, structured part of your life. It might not be every day, but it’s going to have to be regular.

    So, use NaNoWriMo to develop habits that work for you. Take note of what time of day you prefer to write, or what sorts of drinks you like to sip while you work, or whether you like to write outdoors or inside.

    Does freewriting suit you best? What about typing? Maybe you love Microsoft Word, or maybe you’re really into Scrivener. Keep track of these kinds of things and make an effort to form some kind of schedule or regiment—this can be edited or changed as your needs fluctuate, but just as you can’t write a perfect first draft, you can’t become a disciplined author without at least a little effort.

    Bottom Line

    Use NaNoWriMo to ask yourself what it takes to get you to sit down and work on your novel regularly. Set monthly writing goals. Then, take these habits you built during NaNoWriMo into your future writing projects, and you’ll be well on your way to success.

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