By Jennifer Blanchard
Everywhere you look, writers are publishing content that has typos, missing words, double words, etc. It’s happening on popular blogs, in articles, in books, magazines, newspapers…
It’s inevitable for an error to sneak in every now and then. If you take the time to edit your writing, however, it can happen less often.
But sometimes editing isn’t enough. Sometimes proofreading [...]

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Battering Procrastination with a Big Club

courtesy of foshie

by jblan on November 4, 2009

By Emma Newman
There once was a writer.
She worked hard, earning enough silver from her words to keep a roof over her head and food on her family table. She spun long ribbons of words for the merchants of the land, words that made the merchants lots of gold.
But the writer had a secret. She preferred [...]

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Get Rid of “Should” Once and For All

courtesy of Pink Sherbet Photography

by jblan on November 3, 2009

By Jennifer Blanchard
Over and over again, procrastinating writers tell themselves, “I should be writing” or “I should find time to write.”
The problem with telling yourself you “should” do something, however, is that you are forcing the task on yourself, which is the main reason why you procrastinate on it.
The word “should” has a very specific [...]

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Read This eBook BEFORE You Attempt NaNoWriMo

October 29, 2009

By Jennifer Blanchard
So it’s three days before the start of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge. You have a plot in mind. You have characters in mind. You have your schedule all set to go on Sunday.
But before you take the next three days to rest, you need to read this:
Yesterday, best-selling author, Larry [...]

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Good Luck, NaNoWriMo-ers: A Final Word

October 29, 2009
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By Jennifer Blanchard
Three days and counting, writers! NaNoWriMo is slowly creeping in.
As my final post for the week, I thought I’d take a moment to wish you all good luck.
NaNoWriMo will probably be one of the biggest writing challenges you ever take on. And I commend you for even wanting to attempt it.
The fact that [...]

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Get It Written First, Right Second

October 28, 2009
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By Jennifer Blanchard
Back in July, I quoted the great James Thurber, who said: “Don’t get it right, get it written.”
If you’re attempting NaNoWriMo, this should be your mantra for the month.
The whole idea behind NaNoWriMo is output.
Yes, it’s a good idea to have a plan in mind, that way you’re outputting something that works. But [...]

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Don’t Forget to Register for NaNoWriMo

October 27, 2009
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By Jennifer Blanchard
Five days until the start of NaNoWriMo. It’s getting close, writers! Are you ready?
Regardless of how prepared you are, there’s still one very important thing you need to do: REGISTER.
You may not realize it, but in order for your 50,000 words to count (publicly), you need to sign up for a (free) account [...]

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Put Together A NaNoWriMo Survival Kit

October 22, 2009
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By Jennifer Blanchard
By now you’re in the process of plotting your novel, meeting your characters and getting your November schedule cleared for writing time.
But before November 1 gets here, you may want to also think about putting together a NaNoWriMo “survival” kit.
Here are some ideas for what to include:

A notebook–You’ll definitely want a notebook while you’re [...]

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Ideas for Finding More Time to Write

October 21, 2009
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By Jennifer Blanchard
Eleven days until the start of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
You’ve already plotted your novel. You’ve been introduced to your main characters. You’ve started to work on your schedule.
And if that wasn’t enough, here’s a list of suggestions to help you find even more room in your schedule for writing:

Hire a babysitter a couple [...]

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Prepare Your Schedule For NaNoWriMo

October 20, 2009
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By Jennifer Blanchard
It’s two weeks until the start of NaNoWriMo.
You’ve prepared your plot. You’ve met your characters. Now it’s time to prepare your schedule for the 30 days ahead.
Writing 50,000 words in 30 days is quite a challenge. But if you work out your schedule so you always have at least an hour or so [...]

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