A Year with @4thewords! #amwriting #WritingCommunity #4thewords #DustWarriors

I've got beautiful angel wings for writing 365 days in a row!

This time last year, still reeling from the toilet paper shortage brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, I found myself struggling with writer's block. Amidst the uncertainty of the virus, I placed myself in self-imposed quarantine with my four children. Not knowing what to expect, I wanted my family safe above all else.

Surviving in such perilous times, I suddenly found myself struggling to write. I suffer from anxiety and depression. Like others, I found myself spiraling downward.

To make matters worse, I lost my desire to write.

How could I write happily-ever-after romance with so much sadness and fear permeating the world?

It was a terrible feeling. I knew I had to fight it. This was my career, after all. While other people were trying to find a way to work from home, I was already doing it.

Tricia's Writing Cabin Retreat

Just by luck, I stumbled upon a writer's group on Facebook that has quite literally changed my life forever. A group of writers came together to organize multi-author projects forming a place where writers could find calls for submissions and other open writing projects.

Interacting with such like-minded individuals, I realized I wasn't alone in this feeling of not being able to write. These writers were feeling it, too. They were working to push out of this writing funk, to get back to work to create stories for their readers. Readers were relying on authors to keep creating content for the time so many people were looking for a way to escape the world.

This group inspired me, sparking my desire to write again.

One of those authors mentioned 4thewords.

I'd heard of it before, picking it up somewhere from some other writer. I hadn't really explored it. I'm not much of a gamer girl to the chagrin of my children. But, this author told me 4thewords was what kept her writing. And it was fun!

I just had to check it out!

I am so glad that I did!

What is 4thewords?

Basically, it's an online writing game. You battle cute little monsters with word counts. There are all kinds of word counts from large to small. There are also timed battles. After defeating the monsters, you earn rewards. You get items to dress your avatar and now they have a house for you to decorate, too.

It is rather addicting. The site is designed to create a consistent writing habit for writers. You have to log in to write at least 444 words every day. The more you write, the more rewards you earn.

There is a main storyline, a quest, for you to follow. Your job is to defeat the monsters along the way. There are also side quests for you to gain more items. There's a map of the world and you unlock the different areas. It's both complicated and simple. But fun!

I joined 4thewords last year in June right in the middle of the Pride Festival. I had no idea what I was doing, but I soon figured it out. There's also a forum which makes it easy to find the answers to any questions. The community of writers there seem friendly and willing to help.

Throughout the year, 4thewords has festivals and events that encourage more writing by offering new quests and creatures to defeat. The developers work hard to keep the game fun, entertaining and inspiring!

My daughter likes to dress my Dust Warrior!

I've never tracked my writing like this before and I found it interesting to see the numbers add up. Yesterday marked my first year of writing with 4thewords. I've earned pretty new wings to prove it as you can see in the image at the top of this post!

If you're a writer and you haven't given it a try, I urge you to check out 4thewords. It is fun! And it keeps you writing! Even when you don't want to write, you know you'll lose that nice writing streak if you don't at least put in 444 words. And really, that's like 2 pages. Right? You can write 2 pages every day. Just about fifteen or twenty minutes work, right? Something like that. I know, we're all different. 

Check out my profile here. There's a free trial to give you time to check out the game and see if it's a fit for you. If you want to join, you can use my referral code - JBDWX52209 - that gets you a few free crystals to help you get started. I get crystals from it, too. So, it helps us both! You can add me as a friend on there, too, if you want!

This online writing game has helped me. A lot. I highly recommend it.

I hope it helps you, too!

Happy Writing!

~Tricia

Write the Story Until It's Done! #writingadvice #wordcount #IWSG

The first Wednesday of every month is officially 

Insecure Writer's Support Group day.

The Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It's a safe have for insecure writers of all kinds!

IWSG Asks: Quote: "Although I have written a short story collection, the form found me and not the other way around. Don't write short stories, novels or poems. Just write your truth and your stories will mold into the shapes they need to be." 

Have you ever written a piece that became a form, or even a genre, you hadn't planned on writing in? Or do you choose a form/genre in advance?

 

This is an excellent question and one I struggle to find the answer to years ago.

When I first began writing, I wrote stories to fit the guidelines of the New York Big Book Publishers. Most of the guidelines for romances were around 70k - 80k words (if I remember correctly). There were some exceptions, but definitely none below 50k words.  

At that time, 50k - 80k felt like huge tomes for me to write. I'd been writing short stories just for fun and stretching a story to fit those kinds of word counts felt intimidating. Not to mention, with my busy life and work schedule, it would take me years to finish a full-length novel. 

I did it. And it did take years!

But then something strange happened. E-books became a thing. And with them came more variety with lengths and heat levels.

Suddenly, I wasn't grappling with how to stretch a story to fit such lengthy categories, now I was writing the story that felt right to me.

Some stories don't need to be told in epic lengths. Sometimes, 10k is enough. There's flash fiction that can be told in a hundred words! 

To me, the word counts don't matter and your story shouldn't be shoved to fit inside a box that it wasn't meant for. Write your stories until they're done.

That's it.

When your characters are finished telling their stories, then you know your job as a writer is done. Word counts, page lengths... None of that matters. 

The story matters.

Don't worry about not finding an audience for your work. Some readers like longer novels. Some readers just want a short story. I'm a former Waldenbooks bookseller, trust me, I know there is a reader for everything out there!

Strangely enough, 20 years later, the short story and novella-sized stories that I wrote so easily when I was starting out are now lengthening. My stories are growing with complexity and depth which make them longer to write. 

I joined an alien abduction romance boxed set, Stolen and Seduced, with a 5k - 20k word count limit. My personal goal was 10k, but the story took off and settled into a little over 20k. Thankfully, the co-ordinator is flexible with word counts.

I hadn't planned on writing a longer short story (I even outlined... a bit.). But at 10k, the characters weren't finished telling their story, so I simply followed along. 

As it stands, these characters touched me so much with their story, that I have a series planned now because of them. Those stories will probably be longer than 20k, but that's okay. It needs to be done.

As I said, my advice to writers is to write until the story is done. Don't worry about the word count. There's a reader out there for everything.

Be safe! Stay healthy! And keep writing!

~ Tricia 

Be sure to visit the other writers in the 

Insecure Writer's Support Group!

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Become a VIP Reader by signing-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

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New Goals for 2017 - Author Update #newyear #resolutions

With the start of a New Year, comes a time of reflection and planning. We often look back over the last year to evaluate what we've achieved or didn't achieve. Then we look forward to the coming year and the infinite possibilities that it brings.

Good-bye 2016

From what I understand, 2016 has been an extremely tough year for many of us for different reasons. Aside from the long list of celebrity deaths that seemed to occur on a clockwork basis, I've talked to many people who've had a rough year, too. From losing jobs to failing health, there are many of my friends who needed some extra prayers and positive thoughts sent their way to help them cope. 

In the Schneider household, we had our share of difficulties. My husband was in a motorcycle accident and had 2 separate surgeries, all of which put him out of work with no pay. Not such an easy thing for a growing family. I won't even begin to discuss the most recent discovery of the theft of royalties from the ARe debacle. You can read about that here and here. That hit many authors, publishers and readers quite severely. To add to the struggle of having a reduced income was the string of bad luck concerning our appliances. The list of broken down appliances is almost amusing. Two air conditioners, a dehumidifier for an overly damp basement and the washing machine broke down exactly a week prior to the dryer as if they had conspired together to make life as challenging as possible for us. I've been spending a small fortune at the local laundromat for several months. I'm there with my kids several hours each week to clean clothes for 6 people. If I had the chance to save that money instead, I might've been able to buy 3 or 4 washers and dryers by now. 

C'est la vie. 

On the bright side, I've managed to keep a positive outlook on every negative thing that happened using my talent of viewing the world through rose-colored glasses. In addition to that, there were some good things that happened in 2016, too. I dipped my toes into a new romance genre this year. The Pirate's Lady was published in November, my first historical romance with nary a hint of a paranormal element present. It was quite an accomplishment for me and it was educational to work with a new-to-me editor.

Also, I completed NaNoWriMo for the first time. Well, actually the second time. I completed it with a 65,000 word gothic novel the first year I joined the challenge, but never had the chance to verify the word count since my computer crashed on the last day of November. This year, I managed 52,209 words for Loving Boone, my newest WIP and it was verified.

Reviewing the lovely word count tracker that I obtained from the talented Svenja Gosen last year, I wrote a total of 97,485 words during 2016. Just a little shy of my goal of 100,000 words, but I'll take it. Besides writing most of Loving Boone, I'm in the midst of writing an untitled alien romance which is where most of the other words came from and I edited and revised an untitled paranormal romance featuring zombies.

Not too bad.

Goals for 2017

Looking forward to a new year brings with it a list of new goals. I have some personal goals such as finish incomplete projects around the house, get better organized and try to teach my kids better organization (I can hear parents laughing as you read this!), as well as some goals I didn't finish last year. I want to further my study of the German language and my guitar lessons sort of got set aside. I'm teaching myself to play and my 20 month-old son loves music and thinks my guitar is a toy for him to play with. Trying to find the right notes at the same time as keeping his little paws off the instrument presents a unique challenge.

As for my writing... 

I found my writing groove during NaNo this last November. I write during my son's afternoon nap time. That gives me about an hour or two each day to work in relative peace and quiet (at least on the days the rest of my brood is in school). I write new words in the afternoon and work on edits in the morning or at night.

If I plan it correctly, I have the opportunity for a productive year.

• Edit and/or revise Loving Boone
• Finish writing the first draft of the Untitled Alien Romance
• Complete edits for the Untitled Paranormal Romance with Zombies
• Write a new novella for Camp NaNo 2017
• Write a new novel for NaNoWriMo 2017
• And, of course, I have a long list of books that I'd like to read and review 

I have a few other WIP's that might join this list later in the year. I'm also considering joining the self-published author community this year. The wonderfully successful spec-fic author and my dear friend, Ash Krafton, has offered to help me through this big step in my career once I was ready. I'm thinking this year I might take the plunge. 

Here's hoping everyone enjoys a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous 2017!

Happy New Year!

Tricia

Can I Give Up Writing? #IWSG #novelist #aspiringwriter

#IWSG Asks: What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?

I wrote my first completed novel when I was 15 years-old. It was summer vacation. One morning, I woke up from a particularly vivid dream. As per usual, I grabbed a notebook and scribbled down the details of my dream. Throughout the day, the dream kept growing in my imagination. Later, I sat at the desk with my dad's Tandy computer, opened a file and began typing the monster that would become my gateway into the writing world.

I finished that sucker in a week!

An entire week that I barely ate nor slept. I was hooked on this incredible high that I never felt before, this addiction to get the images in my head onto printed paper. There was a movie in my brain filled with quirky characters, lush settings and a complicated plot along with amazing twists. 

Of course, at the time, I barely knew what the word plot meant. I knew nothing...absolutely nothing...about the writing craft. I was an avid reader, however, and I let the storytelling part of my brain guide me. This book was written with gut instinct, nothing more.

Suffice it to say, I keep this novel buried deep in the catacombs of my hard-drive. 

Every so often, I come across the file during some obscure search and I open it to gaze lovingly at the adventurous fantasy that I wrote during my writing infancy.

The story was a 80,000 word novel about a young woman who went camping with her friends one summer. During their hike through the woods, they were sucked into a portal leading them to an alternate dimension. In that world of kings and queens, healers and sorcerers, warriors and heroes, this group of friends was plunged into a war against an evil mage and his mistress. Although the villains had gained control of the kingdom, there was a group of warriors who continued to fight to free their captured land and bring the rightful rulers back to the throne. The young woman played a key role in a prophecy that was foretold about the days of reuniting the kingdom and bringing peace to the land.   

I have ventured to re-write it only once. Maybe I will again some day. For now, it remains the unseen novel that awoke the desire in my soul to create with the written word.

This particular question from #IWSG comes at an opportune moment for me. At times (like this year!), life gets tough, money is scarce and I think that in order to feed my family I need to give up writing and get a real job. After all, as many people know there is no guarantee of financial success for writers. Very few make it to where they can quit their day job.  And I have bills to pay just like any other person. My family relies on me to take care of them. Tough times like those happening recently make me wonder about my life's choices. Maybe I should quit writing and go back into retail management. Maybe I should go to college or trade school to get a degree for something with a guaranteed paycheck.

After all, do I really have what it takes to make it to financial success with my writing?

During these times of doubt and despair, I try to remember one thing...

How many other people finished an 80,000 word novel in a week when they were 15?
 
I've learned so much about writing since then. Twenty years worth of knowledge from attending workshops and conferences, reading books about the writing craft, asking authors for advice, reading published novels and dissecting them one chapter at a time to see how the author worked at piecing it together, and researching, researching, researching...

Countless hours of my life I've devoted to something that for many years I just considered a hobby. Now, that I've finally breached that invisible wall, becoming a published author

Photo courtesy of Ash Krafton

myself, I believe it would be such as waste to let it all go when life gets tough.

This too shall pass. Life goes on. And I'll keep writing. 

Because, truly, my soul craves it. I love writing. I need it. Honestly, after all these years, I really don't know how to live without writing in my life.

If I have to get a day job, I'll still write. If I never publish another book ever again, I'll still write.

And that is why, I'll never give up. 

Thank you, #IWSG, for reminding me how I began this writing journey.  

Be sure to check out other writers in the Insecure Writers' Support Group!

Time for a Change #IWSG

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Visit others in this group here or find the hashtag #IWSG on Twitter.

This is my first post in the Insecure Writer's Support Group. I discovered this blog hop about a year ago and while I read many of the posts I've never written one of my own.

Time for a change.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm beyond insecure. Okay, well, maybe only my close friends know it. I don't advertise it. Except today! Ha! Seriously, I know I'm not the only one and that's okay.

Writers, as well as other artists, are known to be self-conscious and insecure, doubting their abilities.

I'm included in a great group of people!

Here we are in the first month of a brand new year! Hello, 2016! I'm always eager for these new starts. I want to try new things, accomplish the goals that I strive for and continue my resolutions. The trouble is that there are many times when I start something but I don't finish it. NaNoWriMo is counted among them. And I get easily discouraged by this.

And for some reason, I neglect to remember those times that I have finished stories. Many stories. So why should I be discouraged because I can't finish 50,000 words in one month?

For the beginning of 2016, I've made goals and resolutions. I have plans that I wish to accomplish. My fear is that I'll stop. That the motivation that stirs me along the first few days might dwindle.





So, for the start of the new year, I'm giving myself a total of 100,000 words to write. And I have the whole year to do it. It's not a race. I can finish it anytime I want. And not only that, but I'm including all words written in this goal, as in words written for journal entries and blog posts as well as any articles or stories that I write.

There have been too many days where I haven't written a word. Not a single word. Too many days that have gone by and I tell myself that I'll get that word count in and double tomorrow. But with those extra words stacked against me, its like climbing a steep mountain with heavy gear weighing me down. I'm not inclined to do it.

Sometimes I'm so easily discouraged.

Also, I'm not focusing on word count for my stories. I'm going to write it until the story gets done, not until the word count is reached. That way, I'm focusing on how much time I'm spending on my stories, whether its brainstorming, writing or editing. I'm doing something to move forward.

And if I include all of my writing to reach that 100,000 words, then I don't have the word count goal hovering over me.

It's been six days and I've written every day. Just the act of writing, no matter the content, feels good.

Tricia

New Year, New Goals #writinggoals

Happy New Year, dear readers!

It's that time of year again. Time to look back at the old year to see what worked and what didn’t and re-evaluate for the new year. I'm the type of person who likes to set goals, but often things run amok and sometimes I don't complete them. Not all the time, but I'll admit to some time.

This is sort of what happened in 2015.

I had a list of goals and I did well during the first few months. Then my son was born in April and my life again turned upside down. This time with the added stress of some health issues that sprang up over the summer. My mind was not on writing. Also, I had some technical difficulty with my blog. So much so, that I was prepared to close this one and open a new one since I couldn't figure out why it wasn't posting. That, hopefully, has been resolved.

Not only that, but my social calendar quickly filled with events for my children in 2015. They are very sociable and eager to join groups and events, so as their mother I'm obliged to encourage and assist them. Plus, I have to drive them!

I'm hoping this year will turn out differently. I'm keeping a positive mindset. I'm all about juggling my family and my life and making things work, but I'm eager to jump back into my writing world. Writing is my passion. I love it! And I want to make a prosperous career out of it. As in, I'd like to be able to promise my husband that I'll contribute to paying some of the bills for the house and our family so he doesn't have to keep working overtime just to make ends meet.

Even though I had some major life events occurring this year, I did manage to get two stories written and sent to my editor and publisher. I'm working on re-writes for one and waiting to see if they'd like to contract for the other. And I have additions to the lists of possible future books. My idea file is overflowing!

Also, February marked the release of my 4th Merriweather Witches book, The Witch's Kiss. This one

is my favorite so far and I was excited to share it with my readers!

• With that said, I'm not going to give myself a list of projects to complete as I did last year. I'm just going to focus on writing every day, whether it's for a story, an article or blog post, or even an entry in my personal journal. As long as I'm writing, getting words down on paper or text, I'm using my brain and exercising those creative muscles. I'll be happy with that. My goal is a page a day. I'm going easy on myself since some of my health issues are not yet resolved and my son is still waking up multiple times during the night, so there are days when I feel like a zombie. I usually write 1,000-2,000 words a day, on those days that I'm writing. I'd like to see 100,000 words by the end of the year. I even downloaded a beautiful word tracker program to keep count.

• I want to complete the many unfinished projects I have hanging around the house. Such as scanning in the family photos into the computer and labeling them, finishing the baby records and journals I have for my kids, and working on the genealogy projects that I do in my spare time. And maybe some of those unfinished craft projects. I have a doll house that needs decorating, too.

• My husband bought an electric guitar for me as a gift this year. I used to play guitar many years ago. This year, I want to relearn those songs I've forgotten and teach myself some new songs as well. I have a very musical family with both musicians and singers. My grandmother sang on the radio back in the day and always lamented over not pursuing her music career. My great-grandfather and my uncle played the guitar in different bands. My brother plays guitar, too. I even married into music. My husband is a bass player and singer with an album to his name. And now my eldest son is learning to play the trombone. So, I feel compelled to plunge myself back into the music world. And as I'm always practicing singing, my husband and I are talking about recording a duet. That is exciting!
  

• Last, but not least, I want to become more fluent in the German language. I've become rusty over the years of disuse, so I want to practice reading and speaking it daily. I have a few novels written in German that I've been putting aside thinking it too complicated for me, but why should I not challenge myself? I'm not going to become fluent waiting to save up money to buy the Rosetta Stone (although that would be a nice addition to my language collection). Others have learned without the benefit of such programs and I have many books on the subject. I have no excuse. So, I'll practice a new word a day to ease myself back into the language. Over the next few weeks, I'd like to intensify that, but I'm starting out slow.

So there's my list of goals. What about you? Do you have any resolutions that you'd like to share?

Tricia

2015 Writing Goals

It's that time of year again! The time when we take stock of last year's accomplishments and plan ahead for the new year's goals.

Last year I planned to write 1000 words a day. Unfortunately, I fell short of my goal since I failed to write every day. However, I still managed to get a lot done with which I was pleased. This year, I'm going to renew my writing goal with 250 words a day. This is roughly about 15 minutes of writing time every day. I can't think of enough excuses to get out of this one. And these can be the crappiest 250 words I've ever written, just as long as I write them!

For me its all about keeping the habit of writing every day whether I feel like it, whether I think I have time for it, or not. My writing is mostly sporadic. I can write religiously every day for weeks. And then suddenly, for weeks I don't write a single word.

I have all sorts of excuses. Dirty dishes, dirty laundry, well, dirty house in general. Usually, this is the one that gets me. I can't stand seeing my house in such a messy state! But now that my children are getting older, I'm giving them chores to alleviate some of the burden from my shoulders. During the last 2 weeks (our trial run!), it seems to have helped a lot. Instead of picking up after everyone, putting stuff away, and constantly cleaning, I have a little more free time to work on those projects that have been sitting on my shelf for months/years. And with a husband who works long hours (and doesn't offer much in help at home) and 3 children (with another on the way), its an incredible relief to have help. My children are wonderful helpers! As long as they keep up with it!

Anyway, back to my goals. I've joined a group of like-minded writers on Facebook who are also committed to writing every day. I'm hoping that if I have to check in with them everyday, it will also help keep me motivated to get the writing done.

In addition to writing new words, I also have a list of manuscripts that I've been hopping to and from. This is typically how I work, as frustrating as it is. I work on one manuscript, then bounce to another. Eventually, they all get done, but it takes longer than if I just stuck with one at a time. Some need a bit of polish, some need more work, but I want to get them finished and sent off to my editor's desk. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll have another contract or two by the end of the year.

Here's my list:

• Write at least 250 words a day

• Edit at least 5 pages a day 

• Contemporary holiday romance	8000	3rd draft
  Urban Fantasy	9000	3rd draft
  Contemporary Paranormal Romance w/ghosts	15,000	Revisions needed
  Historical Pirate Romance	15,000	Revisions needed
  Historical Paranormal Romance w/witches	25,000	Finish 1st draft
  Paranormal Romance w/zombies	65,000	2nd draft
  Historical Paranormal Romance w/ghosts	65,000	Revisions needed
  Historical Paranormal Romance w/ghosts	65,000	2nd draft
  Romance	65,000	New Story
  Romance	20,000	New Story

So, there it is! Possibly a bit ambitious. I think the editing and the revisions are far easier than the actual writing itself, so I know if I work a little every day this can be accomplished. Wish me luck!

Do you make a list of goals for the New Year? What are some of your goals for 2015?

What Stops You from doing NaNoWriMo?

There's a lot of division among writers whether it's being a panster or a plotter to whether or not to participate in NaNoWriMo.

I'm a supporter of NaNoWriMo. I love the shared community. I love knowing that other people are suffering just as I am. Er, that doesn't sound very nice. Sorry. I meant to say that writing is a very solitary activity. During the month of NaNo, I see dozens of posts on my social media every day by other writers sharing their joys at achieving their daily word count or sharing their woes at getting stuck on a scene or a stubborn character.

What it comes down to is this: I am not alone.

But what stops you from NaNo-ing?

I've done my best to participate every year, but I admit I'm not exactly successful every year. Some years I barely made it half-way to the 50k word count goal. I don't like to say I gave up, but I did have to postpone my novel writing for a while. And sometimes there are several reasons for this.

Work: Having a full-time job is a difficult challenge for a person wanting to make a career out of writing, or for that person who just wants to commit a month for this personal challenge. Unfortunately, you can't call in sick to your day job just so you can stay home and write the day away. Nor can you call in sick because you spent the entire night writing instead of getting the sleep that you need. You have commitments to your day job, especially if that's what pays the bills. I remember that was a great struggle for me when I was working at my job as Assistant Manager at Waldenbooks.

Solution: I can only offer tips that worked for me. I'm sure there are lots of different ways to tackle this obstacle. There were three different times I found that I could squeeze in some writing. If I woke early in the morning, I could get an hour or so of writing time in. If I was too lazy or too tired to wake early (I am not a morning person!), I'd take my notebook to work and I'd write during my lunch break. I'd only get a half-hour of writing, but I might be able to squeeze in 300-500 words. Maybe more if I wrote fast. And if my co-workers decided on that day to interrupt my lunch break with help on the sales floor (and that did happen frequently), then I'd leave my writing for night. Typically (before I had kids) my favorite time to write was at night anyway. I could easily get a good 2 hours of writing time every night.

“What do you want? What are you willing to give up to get it? Writing requires you make sacrifices. Be prepared to work hard to be a writer.”~Sandra Brown

Family: Family members can either be the best supporters of a writer or the worst obstacles. My family is both. My husband encourages me to write. However, he hates the month of November because of NaNo. He's become my arch nemesis when it comes to participating in this challenge. Apparently during the past years, I become very emotional about failing to meet my daily word count goals. I'm sure I've given a thousand excuses for not being able to write for some reason or other (I am creative with my excuses) and he just got tired of hearing about how I couldn't do it. And he's of the opinion that when you write, you should do your best on the first draft so you don't have more work to do later rather than writing crap just to have words on the page that you can edit later. But, he's not a writer, so what does he know anyway? Right?

Solution: Don't bother talking to family about NaNo. If they aren't writers, they won't understand the compulsion to get words on paper to complete this challenge. Instead, chat with other writers about any woes or joys you're feeling about your novel. There are tons of other writers out there going through the exact same things you're going through. Sometimes they can help motivate you better than your loved ones.

“All writers have this vague hope that the elves will come in the night and finish any stories.”~Neil Gaiman

Children: Children deserve a category of their own! As much as I love my kids, they also drive me crazy when I'm trying to write. Just as I sit down at my computer, they are at my knee asking for a drink or something to eat or maybe complaining that one of the others was hitting and I have to stop my writing (before I even began) to settle disputes or negotiate with them for a few minutes of writing time before I need to jump up to see to their needs. Of course, my children are young, I have three between the ages of 4 and 8. The last several years have been significantly challenging when it came time for writing especially NaNo. Sleepless nights with babies, changing diapers, spending time with homework and learning ABC's. There are so many things children need that parents must provide. And my kids have always come before my writing, but I admit now that they're a bit older, I just tell them to get their own drinks if they're thirsty. I couldn't do that a few years ago and I'm enjoying the novelty of self-sufficiency.

Solution: If you have the resources, whether its family, friends or paid services, getting a babysitter for a few hours of writing time is well-deserved. If not, (and I join those ranks!) writing early in the morning before they wake or late at night after they go to sleep is another option. Writing during the day has nearly vanished for me. I used to get in some writing during naptimes. Occasionally, if I see they are immersed in play I might be able to quietly open my laptop without them noticing. It never seems to last long. But remember, these times will change as children grow older. I hear many of my writer friends talk about the hours of free writing time they have now that they're children are teenagers. It won't be long before my kids are grown. I'm happy to keep my writing at morning or night and enjoy my kids during the day. They grow too fast anyway.

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed."~Ernest Hemingway

Self-Doubt: This is the worst! The absolute hands-down worst! I can handle any obstacles a job, family and children can throw my way but when it comes to my own brain I sometimes come out as a pile of poo on the floor. Writers are their own worst critics. No one can criticize my writing like me! And that is the number one thing that stops me from completing NaNo. I'll start out on a buzz thinking my new novel is going to be the greatest thing I ever wrote and usually after the first week I start wondering who would ever want to read this crap!

Solution: I know its tough, but you have to turn off your internal editor! Its hard for me, too! Usually, I like to go back to yesterday's writing to get back into the scene and that's when I notice the inevitable grammar or spelling errors that I cringe at. I'll try to fix a few, but if I don't stop myself, I'll soon be editing the whole piece instead of moving forward to write more words. And I do my best to not to wonder about what readers will think about my work. That just stops me in my tracks! My mind goes completely blank with fear and I have no words left. So when I NaNo, I'm writing only for my own enjoyment. I'm not thinking about readers or sales. I'm not thinking if I can manage to pay any bills with the end result of this month's efforts. I'm thinking only of having fun while I write. That's the only way I can finish.

"This is how you do it: You sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard." --Neil Gaiman