If you’re unfamiliar, this 30-day window to write a book is commonly referred to as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This month-long event challenges writers from all corners of the Earth to write a book in a month.

If you’re up to the challenge, check out our three tips to get started.

Accept the challenge.

Write a book in 30 days? Sounds intimidating, right? Wrong. It’s only intimidating if you allow it to be! Rather than anxiously worrying about whether or not this is feasible, we’re encouraging you to put your fears aside and accept the challenge. As a writer, you’re a creative person and you have the tools – including a strong imagination— working in your favor to complete the task. Use this creativity and tenacity to your advantage and make this a NaNoWriMo to remember!

Reverse engineer the contest.

You know the goal is to write a book in 30 days, but rather than think about it all at once, reverse engineer the goal and attack it piece-by-piece. When you look at a significant task all at once, it can be daunting and can feel like you’ll never get it done. But when you break that goal down into smaller, more digestible pieces, you’ll quickly realize how easy it is to make progress. For NaNoWriMo, we suggest that you set a daily goal for yourself that’ll put you on the fast track to completion. Set yourself up for success by creating smaller goals that you know you can achieve and start adding to them. Before you know it, November will be over and you’ll be sitting there with the first draft of your book in front of you.

Put your fears to the side.

Writing can be scary. And writing a book that we plan to publish and share with the public can be even scarier. But, would you rather take a chance and chase after your dreams than live with the regret of not pursuing your goals and living with the what ifs? The point is that you should never let your fears dictate your life. You only get one, and if a lifelong dream of yours is to become an author, then today is the day to start taking the necessary steps to making it a reality.

November is already underway, so there’s no time like the present to start your NaNoWriMo writing efforts. Good luck!

Copyright Dorrance Publishing, 2017

The post 30 Days to Write a Book appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

An epilogue serves as the conclusion to what has happened within your book. It’s not meant just for tying up loose ends; rather, it’s a chance for you to give the readers the final pieces of information they’re craving, answer their questions and connect the dots.

To avoid adding a chapter of anti-climactic content, take a look at our three tips for writing a powerful epilogue.

1. The epilogue is where you can give your readers closure. For this part, the who and when are the most important pieces of information: Who is speaking and when is this taking place? If your main character was the main narrator of your story, he or she should narrate the epilogue in the same voice in order to keep it cohesive with the rest of your book. Now, you can get creative with the when of your epilogue, because it doesn’t have to fall in the timeline established for the rest of your book.. Is the epilogue happening a few hours later? Days? Months? Even years? As the author, you get to decide; however, you’ll want to make sure that the time frame makes sense with the rest of the details in your book. For example, if a character was 95 in the book, having them still alive in the epilogue set 20 years in the future might not make the most sense.
2. If important information wasn’t covered in the climax of your novel, the epilogue is the place where you can explain your characters’ fate. Perhaps a main character moved away; the epilogue could cover what they’re doing now and how this move changed their life. Readers crave details, so unless you plan on writing a second novel that answers these questions, the epilogue is where your readers can get the closure and the details that they desire.
3. An epilogue is meant to be brief, which means that you’ll want to make every word count. The purpose of the epilogue is to give your readers an idea of what happened to the characters after the book concluded. Do not make the mistake of giving too much information and leading your readers to believe that a brand-new story is about to take place. Address the main characters and the main plot and keep it concise.

As NaNoWriMo is comes to a close tomorrow, we hope that these epilogue writing tips will help you craft an ending to your book that your readers will love!

Copyright Dorrance Publishing, 2016

The post NaNoWriMo: Epilogue Writing Tips appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

NaNoWriMo is meant to stir enthusiasm, ignite desire and create a sense of urgency as writers work against the clock to reach the deadline.

If you’ve ever entertained the idea of writing your own novel, NaNoWriMo might be the opportunity to finally put the wheels in motion.

The clock is ticking; let’s jump right in to our tips to get started.

1. Write about something that you know. Remember that feeling you’d get in school when you had to write a paper on a topic you really weren’t familiar with? That feeling of defeat and confusion plagued you until you finally finished the paper. When it comes to writing your novel, those feelings should be nowhere to be found! Pick a topic that you know and love to begin the writing process. Writing a novel should be an enjoyable experience and not feel like a chore!
2. Before you begin writing, it’s a good idea to identify the type of novel you’ll be writing. Are you planning on writing a romance, mystery or crime novel? Though there are a lot of different genres and sometimes genres tend to mix based on the twists and turns of the plot, it’s important to at least iron out the general type of novel that you’ll be writing. This will help you narrow your focus before you begin.
3. Establish a writing routine. For NaNoWriMo in particular, there’s a deadline that will ignite a sense of urgency around completing your novel. To maximize your chances of reaching your goal, create a writing plan and schedule that you can stick to during the process. In the beginning it might seem difficult to adhere to your plans, but as is with everything in life, practice makes perfect. Stick to the schedule and your schedule will soon become a routine!
4. Remember that you’re in charge! It’s your novel and your idea so do what’s comfortable for you. However, if a person that you trust offers you advice, you might consider taking their ideas under advisement. Receiving feedback from a fresh set of eyes is a great way to enhance your book and make revisions that you might not have realized would benefit the story. But, just because someone has voiced their opinion doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to accept it and change your work. In the end, it’s ultimately your decision as to whether or not you want to heed their advice.

NaNoWriMo is underway! Will you use this month-long celebration to work toward your dream of being a published author?

Copyright Dorrance Publishing, 2016

The post National Novel Writing Month: Tips to Get Started appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.