November 2012

Monthly Archive

Gift Ideas For Writers

Many of you may have tried to jumpstart your Christmas shopping on Black Friday. I hope you had a lot of luck with that. If you didn’t, and are still looking for some unusual gift for that special person or the writer on your list, then this post will help you.

I never thought I would see this, but here’s a stainless steel wallet for men. Yes, you read that right. It’s made of stainless steel, but it’s extremely thin and flexible and feels like silk. It comes packaged in a signature Stewart/Stand box. For optimal maintenance of this product, you are advised to not use more than one card in each slot or pack beyond capacity, and clean the wallet with a jewelry polishing cloth. uncommongoods.com.

This ipad cover, also from uncommongoods.com, will make a great gift for any writer. The hardcover, which looks and feels like a book, features iconic cover art from classical fiction such as The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice.

Rory’s Story Cubes by Gamewright, sold on Amazon is sure to be a favorite with writers. It is a creative story generator for ages 8 and up, but it can spark some creativity for adults as well. Players roll the dice and create a story based on the images, or use it in cooperative play with each person contributing to the story. You will be amazed where this will take you.

Quotable Go Confidently Journal features the quote by Henry David Thoreau on the cover, which is sure to inspire you every time you take up this journal to write your dreams, fears, hopes, aspirations, what-have-you. It will also inspire you when you are going through those difficult times that every writer faces.

Last, but not least, is The Writer’s Idea Book by Jack Heffron from Amazon. This book has over 400 writing prompts to get your creative juices going, plus brainstorming exercises and more. It’s focused on fiction writing and is a great way to get a story idea going, or just get words down on the page.
Think I'll get one for myself.
Do you have any unusual gift ideas that you have stumbled on? Why not leave a comment and share them here?

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The Benefits Of NaNoWriMo

If you’re a writer I’m sure you’ve heard of NaNoWriMo, a catchy little title that stands for National Novel Writing Month. The month happens to be every November. This is the first time I have entered this, what should I call it? Race? It’s not a competition. At least you’re not competing against anyone but yourself. To write at least 50,000 words by the end of the month. That’s a tough call, but doable for those folks who do not have a day job and have the luxury of writing as much as they want to, or as little. I don’t fall into that category. So why am I doing it?

It motivates me. Since I still have a day job, my writing is sporadic, to say the least. Knowing that I have to try to keep up, gives me the push I need to write if only half a page, as I did this morning. The folks at NaNoWriMo say you should not stop to edit. Simply allow your thoughts to flow and get through the first draft. For me that is difficult. I love to ponder over every line, but now I have to train myself to simply put my thoughts down, then think about them later.

Link up with others. Writing can be a lonely business. NaNoWriMo is a good way to link up with other writers. I haven’t done it yet, but there are groups in my city that meet at certain times to give support and assistance. This also helps keep you motivated and you may make lifelong friends.

Free Giveaways. Writer’s Digest is also getting into the act with free giveaways. Check out http://bit.ly/RFgQkA every Monday – Friday in the month of November to access the content. They are also highlighting weekly themes to help you write your novel. So now I’m off to get some more writing done.

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