Today We Are Celebrating!!!
Morning Winners generated by a Random internet tool:
Free Brainstorming Consultation – Jeanne
Free Copy of Idea Sparking: How to Brainstorming Conflict in Your Novel – Latayne
Afternoon Winners generated by a Random internet tool:
Free Brainstorming Consultation – Kimberli
Free Copy of Idea Sparking: How to Brainstorming Conflict in Your Novel – Tonya
THE Winner of the Kindle Paperwhite IS:
Janice G!!!!!
Congratulations, Janice! Visiting several of my blog tour stops upped your chances.
So happy for you!
Those of you who won prizes today, please e-mail me at michelle.linn.lim to claim your prize.
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Prize drawings in the morning and afternoon:
*A free one hour brainstorming phone consultation with Author Michelle Lim.
*A free copy of Idea Sparking: How to Brainstorm Conflict in Your Novel
Available This Week Only For Nonmembers:
Watch the Idea Sparking: How to Brainstorm Conflict in Your Novel My Book Therapy Peptalk Interview and Teaching Session With Author Michelle Lim HERE.
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Five NaNoWriMo Tips To Get You Going
Yesterday I hit a brick wall in my NaNoWriMo writing. I had nothing and I had been struggling for several days. I needed to break out of this dead zone and come up with something brilliant.
Right. Brilliant. With this kind of challenge I was feeling as brilliant as a burned out light bulb.
How about you? Are you feeling NaNoDud?
Five Tips To Get You Going:
1. Do a research boost. Take some time today to review or add to your research on an aspect of your book that inspires you. This can give you new steam to continue on.
2. Do an exercise boost. During a moment where you just can seem to keep going, you are yawning and reaching for your coffee mug get some exercise. It will get your blood pumping again and make you think more clearly.
3. Get Theatrical. Funny as it may sound, acting out a scene or singing a song that the hero would sing to the heroine at this part in your book is a great way to add a creative flare. It will at the very least get you smiling.
4. Get cooking in character. Make yourself the kind of lunch your character would eat. Write down the senses you experience while eating and the feelings you think your character would experience.
5. Give your pesky character a nap. Imagine your character as a child needing a nap. Tell them they can’t keep getting up for a drink of water, they are taking a nap and that is final. Then write a scene in a different character’s point of view. Come back to the pesky character when you are no longer annoyed with them.
Thoughts On Plot 
I like your graphics here, too. I hope you’re having fun and that it is just beginning compared to what is ahead for you.
Thanks so much for your encouragement.
Congratulations on the book, Michelle, and thanks for your time and energy in helping authors!
Thanks, Kimberli. We all stand together in this profession.
I should not have skipped over the Nano section. I missed the question! I wondered what everyone was answering, lol
How do I revive myself? Rest breaks to free my mind. I’ll knit or read, and once the bottleneck begins to break, story returns. Sometimes I’ll journal it freehand. I eat chocolate too, but I like chocolate, so I eat it whether or not I’m writing 😉
Pick me, pick me. Enter me into the drawings!
Sometimes to revive my writing goals I watch a movie and pick it apart. I call it MOVIE BIOLOGY. This will sometimes “unstick” me because I have to analyze what I like, what I don’t like and why it became a movie. I get ideas to keep building my own plot. But I can’t just watch the movie for the sake of watching it. I have to keep my pen and paper ready and really THINK about the plot and identify the three acts.
This week I’m stuck with a vigilante in my novel. I need to watch RAINMAN because my guy is borderline autistic with Asperger’s Syndrome. I can NOT get his dialogue right and I’m frustrated, so I’m hoping this will unstick me.
Thanks for all your do. I’m so excited for you!
The “other” Michelle
I will enter you in the drawings. If you get stuck today, zip me an email I used to work with autism at my job. Thanks for your faithfulness to my blog, Michelle.
I take a nap. lol. Great post!
LOL, Pat. That cracked me up. So true though. A nap works sometimes for me, too.
I have so been there, Pat. A bit of a nap goes a long way.
I’m so with you, Pat! 🙂 Naps are my friend.
I abandon “the plan” and just write a fun scene!
That’s a great idea, Beth! Comic relief is always a way to mix up the mayhem.
Michelle, your ideas are helping me want to get started again on writing fiction. I appreciate very much the “sparks” of encouragement.
Latayne, I’m glad to hear I’ve sparked hope in dreams of becoming a writer.
I was wondering, can I make my life take a nap, so that I can play with my characters? Ha! Thanks for all the encouragement!
HEHE! I feel like that too sometimes, Latayne!
When I need to do anything creative I find the first best thing I can do is to pray for God to give me insight.
Something I have not done but might try sometime is to use a dictionary and turn to random words and jot down any memories associated with the words. What kind of story emerges when the thoughts are all put together? The memories don’t have to be from my life. They could be news stories I have heard.
I love that idea, Janice! I’ll have to try that sometime. Thanks for sharing.
Great ideas, Michelle. A walk through the library does it for me!
Libraries are golden. I agree Anne, that is an inspiration for me too.
I chat with my awesome CP. She keeps me motivated and holds me accountable… 🙂
I also try to remind myself of those times when I actually *did* meet goals and how good it felt. That’s a good motivator. 🙂
We all need an accountability partner. Looking back to our successes is great fuel for moving forward. Thanks, Melissa.
I’m coming late to the party–again, congratulations, Michelle! I can’t think of anyone better to write a book like yours. 🙂
Let’s see to revive myself to reach writing goals, after I’ve set the deadline I want to meet, I like talking about my story or “stuck spots” with a fellow writer. Sometimes I like to read writing blogs or to watch a movie. It gives my mind a break of sorts, but also the possibility of finding a fresh angle for a struggling scene.
Chocolate and coffee are always nice too.
I’m with you on movies, buddies, and chocolate! I might just throw in a Mountain Dew instead of coffee.
Jeanne, You are a winner of the morning free brainstorming consultation. I’ll connect with you by email to schedule it.
Thanks, Michelle!
Since I’m not published yet, all of my deadlines are self-inflicted. I don’t know that I get stuck for too long, but I do get exhausted. Usually a 15-20 minute nap revives me.
I like your idea of eating a lunch like my character would.
Thanks for another great idea, Michelle!
You bet, Jackie. I like naps too. It’s hard to keep it to 15-20 min. LOL!
I read something by an author I know. It inspires me and reminds me of why I do what I do: I want to reach readers just like that reader reached me, to touch something deep inside of them, to remind them of God’s love for them and God’s truth.
I love that too! Especially a friend who I saw become a published author after knowing them during the prepublished years. It reminds me that we all start at the beginning.
Karen Ball’s “Shattered Justice” series really touched me in a deep way! Thanks for the thoughts, Lindsay.
Dark chocolate and good coffee.
Yum!!! I would say hot chocolate instead of coffee, but Yumm!
I skip to a different scene. I might write a couple lines of notes, so I know what I want to accomplish, but I just let it percolate and keep moving ahead. I hope you’re having a GREAT day!
Skipping to another scene is a great strategy, Edie! Hope your day is awesome, too!
Mostly, I look over my list of goals to get motivated and think about the small steps I can take now to get there. Then, I go over my WIP notes or talk to someone about my WIP
Talking to someone about my WIP always helps me, too. So glad you stopped by.
So who do you talk to? I’ve bounced ideas off different people including my husband and sons. But I don’t have a specific writing friend to share back and forth with.
@jackielayton- i have a few friends from an fb writing group “go teens writers”. If you haven’t checked it out its an awesome blog. Goteenwriters.blogspot.com
A few times I’ve used the ACFW loop. Yesterday, I talked to my mom. It was an interesting undertaking but turned out alright. It takes me a lot though to find someone who “gets it” and my writing, tbh I haven’t found my go to person yet but I keep trying 🙂
YAY!! I am thrilled to win a copy of your book!! Yay!!!
Jackie, one thing you can do is go to My Book Therapy forums and try to connect with other writers, or look for a local American Christian Fiction Writer’s group. Finding someone who can be a writing buddy is important, but sometimes it takes a bit of time.
Thrilled for you too, Latayne!
Congrats Kimberli and Tonya!
The closest ACFW group is 3-4 hours away, but I’ll look into the MBT forums. Thanks, Michelle.
You bet, Jackie!
Oh sweet! The one night I log off early lol Thank you!!!!!
So glad you get to be part of the fun, Kimberli!
*sqeals* I won something?! Yay
You sure did, Tonya! Email me at michelle.linn.lim@gmail.com and give me your mailing address and I will send it to you. Congratulations!
Congratulations to the winners today! Woo-hoo!
Congrats to all the winners! What a fun time. Keep writing, Michelle!