Novel Fridays

Novel Fridays: The Contest Approach

January 16, 2015

Greetings, novelists! I hope you’ve had a productive week. Today we’re going to talk about one of novel writing’s more practical considerations, namely: I’ve written this thing, rewritten it, revised it…now what do I with it? It might be that you’ve decided to [...]

Novel Fridays: Protagonist Icebreakers

January 9, 2015

Happy Friday, novelists! I hope you’ve had productive weeks. Today we’re going to talk about character. Imagine sitting in an otherwise empty room with a stranger. The lighting in the room is bad–you can’t really see the other person, but you do know she’s there. [...]

Novel Fridays: Research, Research, Research

January 2, 2015

Happy New Year and congratulations, writers! You have officially navigated the holiday season. Whether you wrote a lot, a little, or not at all in December, it’s time to pursue those big projects you’ve resolved to start–or even finish–in 2015. Get ready to apply some [...]

Novel Fridays: Writing and the Holidays

December 19, 2014

If you’ve participated in NaNoWriMo, you know writing during the holidays isn’t so easy. November seems like the perfect month for such a project–it’s cold, it’s dreary, and it’s not busy. Until, at least, you get to Thanksgiving. Between the traveling, the [...]

Novel Fridays: Space vs. Outlines

December 12, 2014

Greetings, writers! As I alluded to last week, just because November has ended doesn’t mean our discussions about novel writing must. We hope you will join the conversation in the comments below. Whether you’re continuing your NaNoWriMo project or starting another work entirely, you [...]

NaNoWriMo: Now What?

December 5, 2014

It’s over, NaNos! One way or another, you survived. Maybe you sauntered to the finish line. Maybe you dragged your half-conscious body. Yes, sadly, some of you didn’t make it. Doesn’t matter. You wrote a novel or part of a novel. That is a huge accomplishment. Congratulations! [...]

NaNoWriMo: Endings and Pseudo-endings

November 21, 2014

Well, NaNos, you’re almost there. Nine more days to go in your monthlong flurry of creativity. At this point, it doesn’t matter if you’re behind or ahead–although hopefully it’s the latter–you’re probably just about ready for this all to be over. But as [...]

NaNoWriMo: Overcoming the Slump

November 14, 2014

Happy Week Two, novelists! You’re nearly halfway there–16 more days to go. Alas, the deeper we get into November, the more likely it is many writers will find themselves in the dreaded NaNo slump. You’re just a little behind at first. You miss a day or two. Something may have come [...]

NaNoWriMo: Five Tools for Week One

November 5, 2014

As you probably know, we’re on day five of the international craze known as National Novel Writing Month. Maybe you’ve been planning your project for months and have a neat accordion folder of outlines, research, and character profiles. Or perhaps you decided yesterday to sign up for [...]

November Novel Madness! With 100% more math!

November 13, 2012

We at TSHS have mentioned the international craze that is National Novel Writing Month (colloquially known as NaNoWriMo) as a potential writing utensil before. But let’s look at in a little more depth, shall we? If you’re unfamiliar, every November, hundreds of thousands of aspiring [...]