Merlene Paynter

Written by Chris Baty, creator of National Novel Writing Month, No Plot? No Problem! guides you through the process of writing a novel in 30 days. Whether you choose to use it to write during NaNoWriMo or during a different month you’ll find lots of useful tips to get you in gear to write that novel you’ve always talked about writing someday.

The book includes useful tips including how to cope with family and friends who don’t understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, how to find the time to write every day, how to find the perfect writing place for you and much more. I pull this book off the shelf and re-read it every October as I prepare for NaNoWriMo.

It’s that time of year again. National Novel Writing Month!

This is time of year when tens of thousands of people around the globe, who have clearly lost all touch with common sense, attempt to write a novel of 50,000 words in 30 days.

The agony of writing. The ecstasy of typing word number 50,001. The emotional gamut is explored during 30 days for those who dare.

Actually, it’s not as crazy or as impossible as it seems. Broken down into bite sized pieces writing 50k words in 30 days isn’t crazy at all.

If you write daily it’s only 1667 words per day.

The average writer working at average typing speed can write 50k words in 55 hours. That’s less than 2 hours a day. Think about that. How many hours a day do you spend watching television or on the internet? A half hour in the morning. A half hour at lunch. An hour in the evening. That’s not so bad.

If you’ve ever told yourself that someday you’d write a novel why not make today that day.

Over the next 30 days I’ll be updating daily with writing tips, motivational speeches (I’m a great cheerleader) as well as some excerpts from my own 2007 NaNo Novel.

I have no plot. No outline. I tried to outline off and on for the last week but nothing really felt right. I woke up today with the opening lines in my head. No idea who she is or what her story is but here’s what my main character said:

“I am the other woman. The mistress. The adulterous. Don’t hate me until you’ve walked a mile in my heels.”

I’m not sure even what her name is but she’s demanding to be heard.

Those of you who have been following me on Twitter will recall I’ve been raving about a Pumpkin Ale I’ve discovered.

This is a gorgeous reddish amber beer. When you pour it the scent of cloves & cinnamon reminds you of freshly baked pumpkin pie. The flavour of pumpkin and spice is present but not overwhelming with a slightly sweet finish. Definitely a dessert beer rather than something to drink with a meal.

The Pumpkin Ale I’ve been drinking is brewed by Great Lakes Brewery in Toronto and has limited availabilty but if you happen to live in Ontario I highly recommend you seek this out before it’s gone.

Those of you living outside of Ontario I know there are many other micro brewed Pumpkin Ales available at this time of year so it’s worth asking at your local liquor store. You can also login to Beer Advocate and do a search for Pumpkin Ale.