NaNoWriMo is here!

So it’s November, which officially means it’s National Novel Writing Month! The generally accepted practice is that you dedicate the month to writing a work consisting of no less than 50,000 words. While it sounds like a lot, it is definitely possible to accomplish if you’re actually willing to put in the effort involved. Still daunted? Well, I’ve done my best to assemble a few resources that will be helpful to any writer interested in participating in NaNoWriMo. Here they are:

NaNoWriMo: This is the official site to sign up and participate in NaNoWriMo. Jump in!

Scrivener: A seriously kick-ass program for writers, and generally considered the best out there. I personally just started using it and I’m falling in love with the chapter note insert options, as I tend to have a lot of rambling thoughts I like to jot down that don’t immediately fit as I write. It really helps scrambled-brained as well as the well organized (I fall somewhere in-between). Scrivener has a free 30-day trial for Macs and is about $45 for the paid version. Personally, I think it’s worth it. There is a Windows version now available, but it’s still in beta testing, and expires at the end of the year.

PageFour: Pretty similar to Scrivener, as it helps making organizing your story elements waaay easier. If you’re using Windows, this is your lover. Embrace him/her now.

And please, try to remember that the point is not to write a perfect story. It is more to just to put aside excuses and write something. No writing is ever wasted; I always compare it to a good workout at the the gym. Don’t spend too much time debating whether or not you’re going to do it, because the month is ticking away! We can always improve as writers, and there’s no time like the present, right?

Stay tuned, as I will be posting PS new feature column this week… as soon as I stop fussing over it.

Where are my Black heroes at in fantasy?

Sazh, I love you but your afro has gotta go bro. It's not helping.

When I sit down and write, I already have an image of what my characters are supposed to look like in my head. I don’t think in color unless I’m describing scenery. I am not an established author, so all I do sometimes is sit and gnaw at ideas that I think a publisher would want to sell. I can’t help it; part of writing a book is creating something people want to read, and the publisher is the linchpin in getting that story out to the masses. So when I have to sit down and be frustrated because I feel like a fantasy novel with a black main character won’t sell, and that I have to whitewash the hero, I don’t feel like I’m crazy. I feel justified. … Continue Reading

The Traveler

he stood on a field so green he could taste it in his pores. the wind created arabesque designs around him. from here he could see everything and beyond. much later, after many lives were lived and miles traveled, he would look back at this moment and realize that this was the place where he found god in himself. if he squinted he could see the end of the world. its snow capped peaks towering even from this distance. thats where she lived.

she stood on the frozen precipice, her breath frosted in the air each tiny particle a different memory of their time together. she didnt feel the cold, the dead cant feel. part of her knew she should feel something but it was a primal memory of life in a time forever ago when her cheeks flushed red with excitement. when her lips knew the taste of others and her fingers knew the face of love.
… Continue Reading