3 Ways Teen Writers Can Avoid Burnout
YOU’RE A WRITER. And if you’re participating in NaNoWriMo or are just a highly disciplined writer (what’s that look like I wonder??) that means you have goals to slay. LOTS AND LOTS. Stacks of assignments, goals, ambitions, and daily word counts will bear down on you like a pressure cooker of responsibility. But all that pressure doesn’t turn you into a better writer simmerin’ in a stew of creative juices. Instead, you become a burnt out human seasoned with a dash of sadness and sorrow. And I’m not talkin’ crispy grilled cheese with those crumchy, cheesy edges kinda burnt out. Nah. I’m talkin’ blackened, burnt to a crisp burnt out. You are charred to a crisp thanks to physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and UNENDING stress. You feel overwhelmed, emotionally sapped, and unable to meet constant demands. And as a result, you lose interest and lack the motivation to continue your writing journey. (NO THANKY) Look, kid, If you don’t have your health, you’ve got nothin’. Remember that. I should know, I’ve been battling chronic illness for years now so I know the value of taking my writing journey one day (one step!) at a time and avoiding burnout. What you’ve got to do is put your writing game in perspective. So, here are 3 ways to avoid burnout while maintaining a healthy perspective on writing. 1. Me Time “Hey no offense but between school, homework, chores, writing, and all my extracurriculars, there’s no way I can take one long luxuriant spa day just for me.” Woah, friend. I’m not asking you to do that. Look, new age music...
3 Secret Tips you Need to Help you Slam Dunk NaNoWriMo!
NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) HAS ARRIVED FOLKS. That means it’s time to roll up our sleeves, crack our knuckles and get to writing a 50,000-word novel in JUST 30 days. Easy peasy lemon sneezy, amiright? Not really. Especially if you’re new to the NaNo game. So is this NaNo thang new to you? If yes, then there are a plethora (God I love that word) of ideas out there claiming to help you succeed. But all you really need is three secret tips to make sure you reach your goal. So what in the heck are they already? Be a planner AND a pantser Eat, sleep, breathe Set goals (and treat yo self) What’s the secret sauce stewing behind these three ideas? Let’s dissect them, friend! Be a Planner AND a Pantser According to the official NaNoWriMo guidelines, we can choose to be a planner or a pantser. What are these crazy nouns you ask?: Planner: A writer who carpes the heck out of each diem by sticking to a pre-organized, well-outlined NaNoWriMo routine. Panster: A writer who has fun, flies by the seat of his Spiderman pajama pants, and lets the unique NaNoWrimo experience namaste him to the finish line. See, you tackle NaNo as either a planner or a pantser- it all depends on your personality and mindset as a writer. But here’s the secret no one’s telling you: YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHOOSE (and quite frankly you shouldn’t). Yes, don’t just be a duck or a beaver- be a platypus. (AKA be a li’l of both!) From the planner’s perspective, you could benefit from just a smidge...
3 Ways to Authentically Write Characters Who are Not your Age
What’s more painfully obvious to us than an unauthentic or poorly represented character? NADA, BROMIGO. What if you’re a teen writer who has a character that’s forty years your senior? Say he’s a war veteran with PTSD? Or what if you’re leaps and bounds from your teen years but you’ve decided your main character is an angsty teen who’s just trying to survive high school? The prob is this, bob: you’re a kid who doesn’t have enough life experience to know what struggles an older character genuinely faces. Or you’re an adult who feels out of touch with what the kids are into these days. So how do you bridge that gap? How do you write characters of a different age that are authentic and believable? How do you write characters of a different age that readers of the same age bracket will celebrate? You use these three methods guaranteed to get you acquainted with an unfamiliar age group (and therefore help you create spot-on characters!): Study the real deal Interview friends and family Read great example works So what do these three methods entail? Let’s break it down and apply it ASAP! Study The Real Deal You need to study your target age group. Now, I don’t mean study humans like rats in a maze for the sake of your craft. Nah, that’s just weird. I mean this: place yourself in a public setting like Starbucks– a place where young and old alike gather for their legal hit of venti pumpkin spice uppers and do your research. Be where your target age group likes to gather and simply listen. Be aware. Without creeping on people, listen to how...
How to Write Culturally Diverse Characters (the Right Way!)
We. Want. Great. Cultural. Representation. In. Fiction. Plain and simple. But, as a writer, it can be intimidating to write culturally diverse characters organically. We may know very little about the culture we want to represent in our fiction. So this means we may make the characters feel cardboard-ish, cartoonish or unrealistic. And the absolute LAST thing we ever want to be is unintentionally offensive, inaccurate or just plain ignorant. So how do we do it? How do we create culturally diverse characters in our novels that are well-represented? We focus on three areas where cultural diversity influences human life and how it influences each culture: Interaction and behavior Speech and relationships Beliefs and arts Interaction and Behavior In Oman, Bedouin men greet each other by gently pressing or rubbing their noses together. Tibetan monks stick their tongue out to greet people. They also press the hands together and place them in front of their chest to show that they “come in peace”. They started doing this to prove that they’re not the reincarnation of a cruel king from the 9th century that had a black tongue. There are twelve different Shona ethnic groups spread across Southern Africa, many of which perform rhythmic clapping as a greeting. In fact, shaking hands has a unique history of its own. Hundreds of years ago, it was common to go into a meeting with a pretty little weapon hiding up your sleeve. So, shaking someone’s hand was the quick way to find out if your new friend had an ulterior motive. What’s the point? Across the world, interactions are a fascinating...
Why your Story’s Message Matters Way More Than you Think
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” “Not all that glitters is gold.” So why the list of wise proverbs? These timeless sayings are just a few examples of what is found in every story since the beginning of time: a message. When a story lacks a strong message, readers can sense it. Even if they can’t put their finger on it, readers can tell when a story feels weak, when it’s meandering or lacking focus. So what is a great message for your story and why does it matter so much? Because your message is your story’s north star. So let’s dissect what that means right now, friend. What IS a Message? A story’s message is an age-old adage (wise proverb) that you prove through your hero’s journey. So for instance, “Let your conscience be your guide”, or “Love conquers all” are all good examples of age-old adages or messages that have been told over and over in fresh, awesome styles. Having a message helps you narrow in on which character(s) fully embodies this message, at what pivotal point this message is made clear in your story and what obstacles your character(s) will overcome to get there. But now what’s the difference between a message and a theme? (IS there a difference??) Message or Theme- What's the Diff? Now you might be saying “Rae, isn’t theme more important than a message?” Well, first of all, what’s the difference between theme and a message? A theme is a general, slightly unspecific idea. For instance, “The quest...I’m Rae Elliott: Author, Blogger, Geek
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