The Elements of Novel Writing

Hello Fellow Writers!

Yesterday I bought a laptop. I got an Acer notebook, which was ridiculously inexpensive, and it has the new Windows 7 and I added Microsoft Office 2007. Finally, I have Word! Not just Open Office! I'm slowly figuring out how to type on this new keyboard. I'm all thumbs. I feel like I just learned how to type! I have to press the delete key every few seconds as my fingers hit the wrong button. I'm sure after I write for a couple of hours my fingers will learn the new smaller keyboard. I need to get used to this new laptop before NaNoWriMo begins on November 1st. I can't be wasting time on typos!

Today I am going to a NaNoWriMo kick-off at Panera Bread in Poughkeepsie. It will be cool to meet other writers who love challenges. I got no writing done yesterday. I suppose it was because my mother in law is in town, and we went out and DH and ran errands, etc, but ultimately there was a time after everyone was in bed that I could have written and instead, I read. "Shutter Island" by Dennis Lehane is amazing.

I found a video from Andrea Rains Waggener, the author of a novel entitled "Alternate Beauty". She spells out the elements of novel writing. While the concepts are simple, they are not easy - at least not as easy as Ms. Waggener says! Still, her video is worth the 6 1/2 minutes it takes to watch. This is her website: www.writinghelppartnership.com



Today I will write a bit before I head out to Poughkeepsie for the NaNoWriMo kick off. I'm a bit stuck, I think, and that's why I didn't write yesterday. The problem is I feel like I have a finished novel with "The Movie Star's Very Personal Assistant," but I'm coming in at just over 45K words and I need 50K words. What to do?

Wish me luck and good luck to you too!
Yours Truly,
Shoshanna Evers