“Life in the Seven Kingdoms is never dull . . .” –Jen McConnel, School Library Journal

Preparing for NaNoWriMo? Thrive with Step 5: Plan now to chill

Stitching up the middle of the story at the Frankfurt Book Fair. This is the fifth post in a short series on preparing for (and thriving during) National Novel Writing Month. The NaNoWriMo site is no longer live, but you can sign up for similar writing torture 😉 at Novel November. The first post collects […]

Thrive during NaNoWriMo. Step 4: Story Soup

Lentil soup with a slice of hot dog that looks like a smiley face with a mustard smile and two lentil eyes.

You can turn your story soup into comfort food. © Laurel Decher, 2016 This is the fourth post in a short series on preparing for (and thriving during) National Novel Writing Month.  The NaNoWriMo site no longer exists, but you can sign up for Novel November. Or build your own challenge with some writer friends.  […]

Preparing for NaNoWriMo? Step 3: Cutting your story into squares

If you can’t see which way your story is pointing, maybe you need some building blocks. Byzantine brick paving. Ravenna, Italy. © Laurel Decher, 2016. This is the third post in a short series on preparing for National Novel Writing Month. The NaNoWriMo site no longer exists, but you can sign up for Novel November. […]

Preparing for NaNoWriMo? Step 2: A pinch of story structure

Let your story ripen and sweeten. Ahr valley vineyard. © Laurel Decher, 2016. Here’s the second post in a short series on preparing for National Novel Writing Month. The NaNoWriMo site no longer exists, but you can sign up for Novel November. Or build your own challenge with some writer friends.  Find the whole series: […]

Preparing for NaNoWriMo? Step 1: Clear the Decks and Collect Ingredients

Ingredients set out to be transformed into imaginative cakes and tortes. Poppelsdorfer Schloss café, Bonn, Germany. © Laurel Decher, 2016. A friend (waving to Jane!) asked me how to prepare for National Novel Writing Month and after I sent her the third e-mail, suggested I write a blog post since November 1st is coming right […]