Category Archives: On Writing

The Joys of Writing Romantic Comedy

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For the first time during NaNoWriMo, I am attempting to write a real, honest-to-God romantic comedy. I’ve always written a few funny scenes before (mostly because I can’t help it– they sneak in no matter how dramatic and serious I try to be), but I’ve never tried writing something that’s meant to be funny, pretty much beginning to end.

I am in love.

Questions I ran into while writing tonight:

Is “butt cheek” one word, two words, or a hyphenated word? (I went with two words, mostly for the sake of my word count.)

How about “spandex-clad”? Same hyphen/one word/two word question. (I went with hyphenated. It just didn’t look right any other way.)

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More Best Free Tools for Writers

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I wrote a post a while ago on the Best Free Tools for Writers, so you should check that out. I thought I should add some, though, so here are some more free tools for writers. (Heh, tools.)

Toodledo

Ok, you don’t have to be a writer to appreciate Toodledo. It’s a super powerful task list that works well if you’re using the GTD system. Writers, if you’re not using some kind of system to keep track of your various tasks, you need to start. It will help you to treat your writing like a career, and your writing is a career. Ahem, soapbox moment. Anyway, the beauty of Toodledo is that you can roll it up into your biggest “life goals” and have all of your tasks flow up into those so that you know you’re always doing stuff that matches your Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Or you can use it as a simple list. It’s all up to you.

Google Docs

Google Docs are useful for everything from keeping your docs all in one place for version control, to collaborating with a buddy. I’m a particular fan of spreadsheets for keeping track of my various places on the internet and being able to share that with whoever I want. If you’re a super nerd, you can even use them to populate tables on your website.

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October 30-Day Challenge

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Over at the Impossible League, we’re starting 30-Day Challenges, and the first one begins tomorrow! The idea is to tackle some of your impossible challenges in the 30 days of the month you’re in, and check in on your progress weekly. You still have time to get in on this if you want! Head on over to the Impossible League. This month (October), we’re tackling an endurance challenge, an adventure challenge, and a giving back challenge. I’ll be updating you on my progress each Monday.

Here are mine, and wow, I really had to think hard and look at the calendar for this one. October is BUSY!

ENDURANCE

Find at least 30 minutes a day to work on either my current book or plot the book I’ll be writing in November for NaNoWriMo. This is going to mean my lunch break this month on most days, since I’m in a musical at the end of the month and it’s crunch time on evening rehearsals.

ADVENTURE

Sing a tiny solo. Like, for real, in a musical production, in front of people. I’m in a musical revue of some Gilbert & Sullivan operettas and I have a teensie little two-measure solo in one of the Iolanthe pieces (I’m a fairy) and it will be my first solo since I sang in an a cappella group in college. Nervous! But excited. I get two chances to get it right because there are two shows. Hoping I’ll go 2 for 2. ;) (If you live near Raleigh and want to come see it, please do!)

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