#NaNoWriMo: Writer Necessities

#NaNoWriMo is upon us again! Writers around the world are determined to write 50,000 words in 30 days! Of course, it's at the beginning of NaNoWriMo that The Crown comes out and now all I want to do is watch Netflix. Damn you, Netflix, and you're irresistible shows! Despite the temptation of Netflix, I've done very well so far. I'm almost at 15k words, which means I'm two days ahead of where I should be. Let's hope the inspiration keeps coming!

I've started a little ritual to get me into the writing mood: lighting a candle. If my room smells good then it helps transport me into the world of my novel. I'm no longer just sitting at my computer, I'm walking the corridors of the castle where my novel takes place. Maybe that sounds stupid, but I swear it helps. Also, putting on one of my two writing playlists on Spotify and eating chocolate.

When I need a bit of inspiration, I've been turning to Quotefancy. It's an entire website of quotes on stunning pictures. I would recommend taking a look. 

Writer Necessities:
♥ Kirklands Dream Pillow
♥ Kate Spade Polka Dot Notebook
♥ Nikki Strange Constellations Notebooks
♥ Wilfred Wax Steamed & Froth Candle
♥ Ikonolexi "Create Your Own Magic" Print
♥ Whittard White Hot Chocolate
♥ Kate Spade Thermal Travel Mug
♥ The Scribble Studio "You're Just My Type" Mug
♥ Godinger Water Lily Candle Holder
♥ Kirklands Plush Sherpa Blanket
♥ Marvy 12 Color Pen Set

Be sure to check out this writer's wishlist, 6 ways to support an author, and the inspiration behind my NaNoWriMo novel!

P.S. -- Want that Steamed & Frothed candle that smells like mocha and coffee (or any other Wilfred Wax candle)? Use my 10% off code: SINCERELYSARA10.

Do you have a writing ritual?

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#NaNoWriMo: Inspiration For My Fairytale Retelling Novel

I know, I know, it's only October and NaNoWriMo (aka the month in which all participating writers sacrifice sleep and sanity to write 50,000 words) happens during November, but I like to get a jumpstart. In fact, I got the idea for my current novel way back in December and have been writing it very slowly ever since. With NaNoWriMo looming ever closer, I've started picking up my writing pace and now I'm more than halfway through it. 

I'm hoping to be almost done with it by start of November, so that I can use NaNoWriMo to help me finish the first draft and get a jump on editing. You see, the whole novel is handwritten in two notebooks, so I have no idea how many words I've written. Plus, I need to add a lot of descriptions and details to make the story come alive. 

There are a million and one Beauty and the Beast retellings out there. I know because I like reading them, but when you get an idea that you can't stop thinking about you just have to go for it and this novel has been SO FUN to write. It's the one I've enjoyed writing the most so far. 

So here's some stuff in this novel:

• A curse that seems impossible to break
• An angry young woman who can never leave her castle, but it's fine because she gets a lot of reading done
• An awkward, endearing young man who just wants to go on adventures until he has to go on an adventure (it doesn't happen at all how he thought it would)
• A tough beast hunter who comes to town
• A poison that can kill any magical creature
• Roses that never wilt or die
• Scary wolves
• Sadly no talking household objects
• And a library I wish I had

Is this something you think you'd want to read? Once I finish the first draft and edit the hell out of it, I might be looking for some beta readers to help me fine tune it. 

Without further ado, here's some beautiful inspiration from Pinterest... 

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#WritersLife Tag

I saw this #WritersLife Tag on The Quiet People and had to participate. A tag about being a writer? Count me in! So I interviewed myself about writing since it's NaNoWriMo time. So without further ado...

Write Fuel: What Do You Eat/Drink While Writing?

I'm not sure why, but writing makes me really thirsty. It shouldn't because I'm sitting in one place and the only part of me that's moving are my fingers, but I tend to keep a large tumbler of ice cold water next to me. Or sometimes iced tea or soda if I feel like something different. 

Write Sounds: What Do You Listen to While Writing?

I usually create a Spotify playlist of songs whose mood or lyrics remind me in some way of the novel I'm currently working on. It helps me really immerse myself in the scene and not get distracted by outside occurrences (aka my brothers watching TV or noisy people at Panera, which is a place I like to write sometimes). 

Write Vice: What’s Your Most Debilitating Distraction?

TV. Instagram. The WHOLE ENTIRE INTERNET. But mostly TV; I tend to write on the couch while my family is watching a show and I'll get distracted by what's on the screen and then realize that I haven't been writing for ten minutes. 

Write Horror: What’s The WORST Thing That’s Ever Happened To You While Writing?

Two things: 1. I spilled some water on my keyboard and freaked out, but luckily nothing was damaged (still using that computer now). 2. My computer went black from overheating and freaked out that my computer had died, but again luckily it was nothing. I wasn't worried about my work because I keep it all on Dropbox. 

Write Joy: What’s the Best Thing That’s Ever Happened To You Whilst Writing?

The best thing is when I really get into a scene and the rest of the world completely melts away and it's like I'm in the story instead of just jotting it down on paper. BLISS!

Write Crew: Who Do You Communicate With (OR NOT) While Writing?

Um, the Gods of Writing? I communicate with the story inside my head, I guess. 

Writing Secret: What’s Your Secret To Success (Or Hidden Flaw?)

Outline your story ahead of time! Even if you don't follow it exactly, use it as a guide while you're writing. I'm currently using an outline for my NaNoWriMo novel and even though it's not detailed it really helps to know what you're going to write next. I guess my hidden flaw is that I HATE the idea of writing and don't look forward to it until I'm actually writing and then I LOVE it. 

Write-spiration: What Always Makes You Productive?

When I'm super excited to write a scene! Then I'm all like, When can I write?! When I can I write?! The idea of having a finished product makes me productive (but also scares the hell out of me because then I'll have to edit it!). Talking to people about the fact that I'm writing a novel makes me want to write it more. 

Write Peeve: What’s One Thing That Writers Do (or You Do!) That’s annoying?

Right now? Talk incessantly about NaNoWrimo! (I know, I've been walking it about too much lately.) It's annoying when writers talk about how amazing their work is. Just from experience (years of creative writing classes), it's usually the writers that are too into their own work that write horribly. 

Write Words: Share One Sentence From A Project:

This is a cool sentence: "The sound of sniffling was replaced by the soothing but solemn noise of raindrops hitting the tops of black umbrellas." 

I TAG:

Jess of Bookworms in Dresses, Sonya of Sonya Cheney, Kristin of Super Space Chick, 
Allison of bookloversnest, and anyone else who’d like to join in!

Your turn: Answer one of the questions in the comments section!

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NaNoWriMo {Inspiration + Snippets}

I know I've been talking on and on about NaNoWriMo for the past thirteen days, but I haven't mentioned what I'm actually working on. So if you're curious what I'm been using all of my available brain cells and free time on, well here you go:

It's a young adult novel about a young woman named Melaina who discovers that time travel is possible when you have one of seven magical devices. The first problem is that someone is going back in time and killing the owners of the time traveling devices out of revenge, and that person is Melaina from two years in the future. The second problem is that Melaina doesn't have a device of her own and she has to find a way to stop the future Melaina from killing more people. So how do you stop yourself?

It's all about making your own fate vs. what's been chosen for you, friendship, love, and doing what's right rather than what's easy. There's time travel, a cute glasses-wearing guy, lots of coffee and cookies, and of course murder. 

{created via PinCo}

I'm doing really well at reaching the daily goal and most days write a little bit extra. So I hope *fingers crossed* that I get to 50,000 words by November 30th. I want that sweet relief in knowing I hit the goal! 

Because I love you guys, here are two small snippets from my novel:

And another:

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo this year?

What's your novel about?

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