It’s day thirteen of National Novel Writing Month. Today, Michele Gorman, the author of Single in the City and Christmas Carol, talks about recurring characters…

Hi Laura, thanks for asking me on the blog today, and best of luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo!

Writing recurring characters is a bit like visiting an old friend. Of course you love her, but you also know all about her flaws. And so do your fans.

Plus: You already know the character. This makes it easy to put her into a new situation and know how she’ll behave.

Minus: You already know the character. It can be difficult to sustain your enthusiasm for the book over 80,000-100,000 words.

Plus: Continue reading →

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Freya North

Day twelve of National Novel Writing Month. Freya North gives us her writing advice. 

Write because you want to tell stories, not because you ‘want to be a writer’
Look after your posture – this is ESSENTIAL! 
Don’t spend too long faffing and editing – that’s just a fancy way of procrastinating.

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Matt Dunn is the author of A Day at The Office. On day eleven of National Novel Writing Month, he tells us how we need a good plot…

Whether you’re an author writing a novel, a gardener on an allotment, or an evil genius planning to take over the world, if there’s one thing you need, it’s a good plot. Assuming you’re reading this because you’re doing NaNoWriMo (so we’re talking about novels here), put simply, a plot is the sequence of events that make up a story – and while the order of those events (and of course, the events themselves) are up to you, getting that order (and the events) right is crucial if you’re going to engage the reader. I’m a romantic comedy novelist, and while everyone knows how romantic comedies go (girl meets boy, stuff happens, girl and boy end up together), it’s always helped me to think about my plots (the stuff that happens) not as HOW they get together, but as what STOPS them from getting together. Some writers plot their whole novels before writing a word, others just sit down, start writing, and see how the plot develops. I’ve tried both approaches, and probably prefer the latter. But if you like to plot beforehand and are having trouble, you’ll be pleased to hear seven ready-made ones already exist for you to choose from for FREE (don’t believe me? Just type ‘The Seven Basic Plots’ into Google). Presumably you know the start and end points of your novel – then ‘all’ you need to do is pick the one that applies to your story/setting/characters and get writing!

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Cecelia Ahern

Day Ten of National Novel Writing Month. Today’s advice comes from best selling author, Cecelia Ahern. 

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Day Nine of National Novel Writing Month. Julie Cohen, author of Dear Thing, talks about writing space: 

While I need to have a permanent writing space, somewhere I can spread out and make as much of a mess as I like, I often find that changing where I write can help me be more productive. Last week I spent eight hours writing in a cafe. I was stiff and hyper-caffeinated afterwards, but I got a lot of work done. My local library also has study carrels, which are great because they’re anonymous cubes with no distractions at all…though occasionally I think I startle the person in the next carrel by laughing aloud! Sneakily, against the rules, I smuggle a flask of tea into a carrel and spend hours making that bland space full of my imaginary characters.

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On day seven of our NaNoWriMo advice feature, Adele Parks says that you need to take writing seriously…

‘Write. Seriously, it astonishes me how many people tell me they want to be a writer but then confess they never write anything more elaborate than a shopping list. Write everyday even if it’s only for 20 minutes. Discipline is key. You also need to listen. Be inspired by everything that is going on around you.’

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Day Six of National Novel Writing Month and I hope that everyone is having a great first week. Continuing on with our NaNoWriMo Author Advice, Sue Moorcroft, the author of Want to Know a Secret and All That Mullarkey, tells us about why she thinks social networking is important for writers: 

‘I find social networking useful in all kinds of ways. It makes me visible, it allows readers in interact with me (which is a privilege) and allows me to get news about new books or workshops out into the world. It’s also a great source of research – not so much factual research, but opinions and ideas. For example: Is it OK to use text to ask for a second date? (Answer: yes!) My hero’s going to a fancy dress party. What should he go as that’s hot? (Answer: devil in lycra.) Twitter and Facebook seem to know the answers to any question in the world.’

For more information on Sue and her books, visit her website at www.suemoorcroft.com

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Lucy Clarke

On the fifth day of National Novel Writing Month, Lucy Clarke, author of The Sea Sisters, talks about who you should write for…

Write for yourself. Write the type of book you love reading, or on a subject you’re passionate about. That honesty will feed through your work.

Be open to inspiration. It’s all around us. Start keeping a notepad and pen on your person and make yourself write one thing in it every day, whether it’s a snippet of conversation, an interesting sight, or something you watched on TV that caught your imagination. Inspiration is out there; you just need to tune in.

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Ilana Fox

We’re on day four of National Novel Writing Month. Today, Ilana Fox, the author of Spotlight and All That Glitters talks about the importance of finding the right place to write. 

Everyone says you should write at a desk – and that you should save yourself the agony of a stiff back should you work anywhere else! – but I find it hard to be creative when writing feels like work. I really do suffer for my art! I wrote my first two novels in bed, and my second two on my sofa. Some people feel more inspired if they write in a coffeeshop or in a shared working space, but I find I can’t lose myself to my manuscript unless I’m completely alone. 

Ilana’s website. 

Twitter: @ilana

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Day three of National Novel Writing Month and Lucy Robinson, author of The Greatest Love Story of All Time. talks about getting through the first draft… 

Just write. It doesn’t matter if your idea isn’t yet fully-formed. Mine never are and so far they seem to end up being something that works!

Give yourself time off! Do other things in between writing periods! Take it slowly!

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On day two of National Novel Writing Month, Rowan Coleman, author of Dearest Rose, talks to us about research:

For me, research is an important part of understanding your character and your plot. I will always try to go to a place I set a book in person, take photos, talk to people and if possible write in situ. When it comes to characterisation, if your characters are facing a real life problem, then research can be invaluable. When researching ‘Dearest Rose’ I spoke to many women who had found themselves in a similar situation to Rose. Her character was created out of all of those stories, and as a result she is one of my most powerful heroines.

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Over the month, to coincide with National Novel Writing Month, authors will be offering pieces of advice to help whether you’re taking part in the NaNoWriMo craziness or writing your first draft at your own pace. 

On day one, it seemed only fitting that one of the founders of National Novel Writing Month kick things off… 

“Don’t be discouraged by the quality of your first drafts. They will get better in time. Know that all the books which inspire you to write all started out as craptastic first drafts. Follow your heart and write the book that excites you, not the book you feel you should write.”

Chris Baty.

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