SPEEDBO Update & New Resource for Writers

Life sure gets crazy, doesn't it? I was all set to charge into SPEEDBO and hammer out a novel during the month of March. Then we had to take my brother to Urgent Care with terrible stomach/back pains. From there we rushed him to the Emergency Room and he's been there for 15 days, now. He has acute pancreatitis.

I've been spending about 10 hours a day at the hospital with him. Haven't been able to work very much on my novel, because I don't want the clickety-clack of the keyboard to wake him when he's trying to get some rest and I want to be available for him when he's awake. I have gotten a few thousand words written in the hospital cafeteria during lunch, but that's all.

The novel is set in Emberwood Hall - here's a picture of my imaginary setting...

Don't you just love it?

 I'm enjoying the story concept, but really need some time alone to hash it all out in my mind.

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On another note - this morning I discovered an new resource for writers, thanks to a great article on writing fiction by Julie Lessman on Seekerville.  It's OneLook's Reverse Dictionary.

OneLook's reverse dictionary lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be a few words, a sentence, a question, or even just a single word. You'll get back a list of related terms with the best matches shown first.

I typed in the word "desire" (since that's the running theme in romance novels) and got back 100 terms that you could use in your writing to convey that theme. How cool is that? You know, we're always searching for just the right word or for new words that help us communicate with our readers without being repetitive, so check out OneLook's Reverse Dictionary the next time you're stuck for the perfect word to use.

And while you're on the OneLook site, check out all the ways you can search...

Example searches

bluebird	Find definitions of bluebird
blue*	Find words and phrases that start with blue
*bird	Find words and phrases that end with bird
bl????rd	Find words that start with bl, end with rd, and have 4 letters in between
bl*:snow	Find words that start with bl and have a meaning related to snow
*:snow or :snow	Find any words related to snow
*:winter sport	Find words related to the concept winter sport
**winter**	Find phrases that contain the word winter
expand:nasa	Find phrases that spell out n.a.s.a.

Okay, I know your writer mind is going into spasms about right now with all the possibilities, so don't worry, I won't be offended if you run off to play at OneLook. In fact, I will probably be there exploring, too. Maybe we'll run into each other.

Happy Writing!
Jan

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From NaNoWriMo to Speedbo

I've been participating in NaNoWriMo (writing a 50,000 word novel during the month of November) for several years, only successfully completing it once, but enjoying every minute of it even if I don't finish. So now I'm excited to be participating in SpeedBo - writing a novel during the month of March.  This time I'll be working on an Inspirational Western Romance.

SpeedBo is sponsored by Seekerville and free, so why not give it a try

Need some help plotting your novel? Check out these free worksheets...

Story Tracker (Act I, Act II, Act III)
These worksheets help you outline before you start writing, and/or keep track of your story’s progression as you go.

Story Idea Map
This worksheet is especially critical for writers who will be working without any kind of outline. During the first few days of your 30-day effort, you should complete this worksheet.

Scene Card
Scene cards can be used as an outlining tool before you begin your 30-day effort, or as a daily writing and brainstorming technique. Scene cards can also play a critical role in revision. Index cards can be used instead of the worksheet if preferred.

At-A-Glance Outline
The At-A-Glance Outline offers a quick way to fill in the blanks of your story. It guides you to answer the right questions for each area of your story, the questions that will come up fast when writing.

Character Sketch
Keep track of the qualities of each major character using these sketches. As you become more experienced as a writer, you may want to create your own character profile worksheets. 

Character-Revealing Scenes
This more advanced outlining worksheet helps you identify where and how you will reveal important aspects of each major character.

Climax
This worksheet helps you consider your novel’s climax, the point where the protagonist faces the conflict directly, with his goal on the line.  

Closing & Denouement
Questions on this worksheet analyze the novel’s post-climax scenes with an eye toward tying up unresolved arcs and the novel as a whole. 

Reversal Brainstorm
Plan ahead for characters’ changes of heart, new situations, unexpected betrayals and more.

All Worksheets can be downloaded from HERE

 Happy Writing!

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