My NaNoWriMo Update: Round 7, Week 2

It’s time for a NaNoWriMo update! Here’s what I’ve been up to since week one of National Novel Writing Month.

My NaNoWriMo Update: Round 7, Week 1

Seven years—let’s do this! Here’s my NaNoWriMo update for this week.

Hosting a Write-In Successfully During NaNoWriMo

Interested in hosting a Write-In this year during NaNoWriMo? Write-Ins are a great way to meet writers in your community and provide a safe space for everyone to reach their word count goals during National Novel Writing Month.

That being said, there’s a lot of planning that goes behind this event. If you want to host a Write-In during NaNoWriMo, follow these steps so that your event is successful.

Single Quotes or Double Quotes: A Grammar Guide

Just because we communicate in English doesn’t always mean we use punctuation the same way. Americans use a colon to denote time (4:30) while the British use a period (4.30). Titles such as Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Dr. all receive a period at the end in American English, while British English leaves off the punctuation mark.

And when it comes to single quotes or double quotes, we face the same problem of not being the same. Should you use single quotes or double quotes for dialogue, for quoting inside a quote, for scare quotes?

That depends on which side of the pond you live.

7 Things You Can Write Before NaNoWriMo

It’s tempting to write before NaNoWriMo, especially if you’re really excited about your next novel. However, writing your novel before November is against the rules—that is, if you want to win the National Novel Writing Month challenge.

Luckily, there’s plenty that you can write before NaNoWriMo begins. You can’t write your novel just yet, but you can write about your novel. Focus on finessing the plot, characters and setting of your story now so that you write with confidence during National Novel Writing Month.

NaNoWriMo Planner or Pantser: Which One Are You?

It’s NaNoWriMo season, so chances are every writer is asking if you are a planner or pantser. And if you’re new to National Novel Writing Month, you have no clue what those words even mean.

Thank goodness you found this blog post!

Do You Need Creativity to be Successful?

Many people believe that you don’t need creativity to be successful. You’re either creative or analytical. You either prefer words or numbers. You either use your right brain or left brain more.

These people couldn’t be more wrong.

If you’re reading this blog post, chances are you want to be successful. And the act of wanting means that you lack that success in your life.

I have a secret: you have the power to be successful.

National Punctuation Day: What It Is

September 24 is National Punctuation Day! Discover what this literary holiday is and how you can celebrate this grammar day in punctuating fashion.

How to Take Chances with Your Writing

If you’re like me, you hesitate to take chances with your writing. What if it screws everything up? What if it goes nowhere? What if it’s a waste of time?

The most triumphant of tales follow a specific story arc that we as writers must replicate in order to be successful in writing our own books. Yet the most memorable of stories are those that take chances, ones that do something so different enough that it stands out as genius among a sea of shelves stocked with hardcover novels.

But how do we get there?

What Happened to StumbleUpon?

In the early years of my blog, I relied on StumbleUpon to spread the news about my latest blog post. Many blog referrals came from StumbleUpon who then continued to stumble upon more of my posts. I enjoyed showcasing that StumbleUpon icon at the bottom of each blog post next to the other social media sharing icons.

But then one day it disappeared.

K.L.Wightman

Let's Talk Content Marketing & Creative Writing