#nano's books

[ramshacklefey]

I've seen increasing buzz around here about Howl's Moving Castle (book). I think you all deserve to know that all of Diana Wynne Jones's books are filled with characters and plots that are absolutely as delightful and unhinged as that one.

Some Actual Plots include:

Dogsbody - The star Sirius is accused of murder and sentenced to exile on Earth in the body of a dog until he finds a magical item called a Zoi. He's adopted by a young Irish girl living with her abusive and neglectful English relatives. He has to balance his desire to find the Zoi with needing to be a Good Dog for the girl who takes care of him. Also the Wild Hunt is there. Hexwood - A girl finds a magical wood behind her house where she meets a wizard who thinks he's a convict of the intergalactic government, a boy created by the man to destroy said government, and a robot found in a junk heap. The magic wood is actually an alternate reality being generated by an AI who has a grudge to settle with the head of said government. The book is about abuse, PTSD, and trauma. The Dark Lord of Derkholm - Magical world is being destroyed by a company using it as an isekai amusement park for people from another dimension. Bio-wizard is appointed Dark Lord for the year, and he and his family (four of whom are bioengineered griffins) have to find a way to survive the season while everything is going wrong. Deep Secret - Interdimensional detective/diplomat/wizard needs to find a replacement for his deceased mentor. He does so at a fantasy convention, while trying to keep an interdimensional empire from collapsing into civil war after the emperor is assassinated along with all of his heirs.

She's an absolute master at weaving fantasy elements into the mundane world and writing from the PoV of kids. Her books are funny, clever, and full of delightful characters. I'm begging you all to check them out.

[treesofgreen]

Did you know nano is one of my favorite authors and they deserve so much money and praise for their immensely enjoyable books

did u know that i write books for money

strange but true. 

HEY THERE, if you’re new around these parts, my name’s Nano

i’m an author 

my books are mostly fantasy, scifi, or romance. 

i’m indie and i sell my stuff on amazon. 

Here are things I have written that you can buy: 

Every Wickedness

a demon goes to war with heaven and hell, is extremely gay in the process

Lovequake

a cosmic horror falls in love with a welsh guy

Crunch

there’s an earthquake in Sacramento and a journalist tries not to get squashed, with middling success

Dough

what if the only way to escape bankruptcy was to make porn with your worst enemy?

Our New King

a gardener becomes king, does not care for it

Bacchanal

a collection of M/M short stories + novellas

Jamboree

a second, longer collection of M/M short stories + novellas 

Hot Air

silly silver age-type supervillain falls in love with gritty 90s superhero

Good as Gold

superhero falls in love with ALL his villains oops

The Tools That Ran Away

robots come to earth and give everyone a very bad day

Eternity’s Sunrise

god goes missing and the angels do not handle it very well

Hopeless Henry

a depressed guy’s village gets destroyed by a mudslide

Oba and the Boat

a mermaid’s unpaid internship goes horribly wrong

[roughdraftmonth]

Here's Everything You Need to Know About RDMO!

The first Rough Draft Month will begin on November 1st, 2024.

Rough Draft is a 30-day creative challenge led by a small group of writers and artists seeking to find joy and community in the creative process.

What is a "Rough Draft"?

Every great piece of art or literature starts as an idea - but it doesn’t stop there. A rough draft is your first attempt at taking on your creative project from start to finish. This process can be very daunting - but that's why we're here. RDMO will help you achieve your goals in a fun and community focused way.

Sharable Information: Instagram | Tumblr

Goal Tiers

Instead of a main challenge, we created 4 tiers (60K, 50K, 30K, and Flex) to create flexibility for your unique project. Examples of a Flex Goal include lines for poetry, scenes for screenplays, panels for graphic novels/cartoonists, and more.

This year we will be tracking our progress together on trackbear.app

Pick the goal that fits your project and join us!

🗻 Mountain Trail (60k)

🌳 Forest Trail (50k)

🌊 Waterfall Trail (30k)

🌙 Moonlight Trail (Flex Goal)

We've created challenge maps to guide you along your trail.

You can also use these graphics we created to tell others that you plan to participate. Get the word out!

Community Events

One of the best parts about November creative challenges is the mutual support and encouragement during such a big project. Join our Discord to participate with the RDMO community!

Current Event: Blueprint Your Rough Draft • October 2024

Plan your project with us throughout the month of October!

Other Features:

🎶 Listen to & save our curated writing playlists

✉ Sign up for our email newsletter for updates, advice, and resources to help you meet your goal - like how to find inspiration for your next project!

🏅 A unique way to collect achievements - coming soon 👀

We are working hard to create a space that promotes creativity and originality while being fun and supportive. Thank you for your interest and we hope to see you on the trails! ✏

[impishtubist]

Me telling all my fanfic ideas to fuck off.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES by T. Kingfisher.

Entering my Haunted House Era™, as part of my NaNo prep reading ignore how deep into October we are rn. I've really enjoyed Kingfisher's other horror (HOLLOW PLACES, my beloved!!), and I've heard good things about this one, so I'm excited to dive in!

[writingwithfolklore]

5 Tips for Winning Nanowrimo

Plan to write 25 days in a row, not 30. Give yourself wiggle room in case anything happens in the month and you can't write for a day or two.

Grab an accountabili-buddy, someone you can bounce ideas and get through writing blocks with. Share your progress with them as you go.

If you don't have a buddy, still track and celebrate your progress as you make it. Buy an early advent calendar, or draw a design to slowly fill out throughout the month.

If you need to noodle or plan halfway through--you can still count that towards your wordcount goal. Any writing is still progress!

Give yourself a break when you need it. There's more to writing than just getting words on the page ;)

What are some other tips for winning Nanowrimo this year?

[incandescent-creativity]

Over 51,000 words in 18 days… that’s a new personal record!

[maskedemerald]

Indie books to support instead of NaNoWriMo

Hi, have you been watching the implosion of NaNoWriMo? I have, what a mess that is. Well I have had an idea! No, not another challenge, there are plenty of other people have already made some suggestions. What I'm proposing is that this year, instead of donating to NaNoWriMo consider buying an indie book instead. Even if you've never donated before consider supporting an indie author.

INDIE AUTHORS! ATTENTION, pitch your book in the reblogs if you would never touch AI with a ten foot barge pole! Don't forget to tell us where to buy!

READERS check out the reblogs for some cool books and consider supporting an indie author.

Also even if you're not pitching don't forget to share this around!

[writeblrfantasy]

🌙NANOWRIMO BOOK INTRO: FIRE IN THE VIOLET MOONLIGHT

🔥genre: high fantasy

🌙status: first draft finished at 60k

🔥tropes: master/servant, grumpy/sunshine, strangers to lovers, magic/sword. themes of self doubt, conditional vs unconditional love

“Forgive my ignorance, my lord, but I’m afraid I still don’t understand. I have proven myself to you and you still don’t trust me," Ellund says.

“No one should follow me with such blind faith!” Rashan yells. “I’m not a Revered anything. I’m not a god. I’m not a being capable of fiery power. I’m just a man. Just a mortal, Ellund. And yet I am responsible for so much. I chose this. I fought hard for this throne, and I will never regret taking it. Yet sometimes I wonder if I’m meant for it. if it’s not just a cruel joke that will come crashing down on my head one of these days.” Ellund strokes his thumb over the bones in the back of Rashan’s hand, sending a shiver through his whole body from that simple touch. “Whether you be mortal or god or Revered Firelord, it is the same. You are a good man.”

surprise! this is my third time doing a secret book, and it's been an absolute joy! no one at all knew about this. it really is easiest for me to draft a book when no one knows about it and there's no pressure whatsoever.

the blurb:

Servant meets master. Spark meets tinder. Will an inferno ignite?

Sovereign Rashan may be a Firelord by blood, but not by practice. He is an independent man--he took himself from farmhouse to throne, he serves his country, and he is trying to end the war between his home and the Firelords he feels no tie to. He is most certainly not looking for love.

So when one of the engineered servants of the Firelords defects and pledges himself to Rashan, Rashan is flabbergasted.

Ellund is brilliant, beautiful, and powerful, a deadly combination for a sovereign trying to remember why he cannot accept Ellund's offer. After all, one being cannot possess another. When the war comes to a head, Rashan must decide--accept Ellund as his servant and lover by embracing the Firelord nature he's defied his whole life, or continue to stand alone.

in typical me fashion, i didn't think i was doing nano, then came up with the idea the night of halloween and absolutely pantsed my way through to a surprisingly coherent draft that needs very little editing.

writing 60k in 11 days was...Interesting. my wrists are barking at me. (dw i've been doing wrist stretches for my life) but i have absolutely no regrets and only a sense of distinct pride.

(why do i try to finish a novel within two weeks? what is wrong with me?)

also would anyone like me to make a post about how i do write so quickly so consistently because i think i have some good takes and i have the evidence to back it up

PLEASE let me know what you think of what you've read so far, i would love to hear all the things about it now that it's out in the world instead of just in my brain!

GENERAL TAGLIST: @worldbuildng @muddshadow @nikkywrites @47crayons @directionoftime

@chayscribbles @magic-is-something-we-create @rodentwrites @notwritinganyflufftoday @rustywritessometimes

[nanowrimo]

How to Write Through Second Book Syndrome

Second Book Syndrome is a unique experience that can affect any writer. Today, author Uju Asika talks about what she learned while tackling Second Book Syndrome and gives advice on navigating it.  There’s something immensely powerful about completing your first book. For a brief moment, you feel invincible. After all, pretty much everyone you meet thinks they have a book in them, but not many people actually sit down to write it.

I wrote my first book, Bringing Up Race, in the midst of a global pandemic. Writing my next book, a picture book for younger readers, was a much less stressful experience. So it was actually with my third book, aimed at grownups again, that Second Book Syndrome kicked in.

You’ve probably heard of sophomore album syndrome (see Lauryn Hill, The Stone Roses) aka the sophomore slump that, apparently, can happen to anyone from athletes to second year college students.

Second Book Syndrome isn’t talked about as much and yet it affects almost every author on some level. Whether you’re a million-copy seller, a mid-list author or a relative newbie, you grapple with the same insecurities and nightmare scenarios. How do I write something as good as or better than my last book? If my first book did well, was it just a fluke? If my first book sold poorly, is this book my last shot? Will it meet my readers’ expectations or am I going to get troll-bombed on Goodreads? Am I establishing an author brand or have I niched myself into a corner? Can I experiment with voice or will I get laughed at by critics? Do I even have it in me to write a WHOLE OTHER BOOK?

Now that you’ve finished at least one book, you might feel like you’ve got this shit nailed. But the tricky thing about writing is that every time you open a blank page, you are starting from scratch. And every time you face a blank page, you are forced to meet yourself there, again and again. No matter whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction. There’s no escaping yourself and that’s what makes it so hard, so vulnerable and potentially, so transformative.

My latest book, Raising Boys Who Do Better: A Hopeful Guide for a New Generation, came out last month. Foolishly, I had it in the back of my mind that writing this book would be a relative breeze. In some ways, it was harder. I had so much Resistance — the negative force that pushes back when you try to do something that matters, as Steve Pressfield talks about in The War of Art.

I also had to deal with the impostor syndrome (a close cousin of Second Book Syndrome) that whispered in my ear that I didn’t have another book in me. That I had used up all my smart ideas and pretty words. That I should stick to short form content and leave the real writing to the professionals.

So how did I get over this? What can you do when you’re in the throes of Second Book Syndrome and feeling like you’ll never write another sentence again? Here are a few things that helped me:

Make a Plan

If you identify as a ‘pantser’ rather than a ‘plotter’, you’re probably shaking your head at this. But it doesn’t have to be a full proposal or outline. Your plan can be as simple as a journal entry, a short mission statement, a sentence describing your premise, or a note to self about what you’d like your reader to learn, feel and experience. Making a plan and reviewing it from time to time can help keep your project alive when you’re suffering from self-doubt, comparisonitis and other symptoms of Second Book Syndrome.

Give Yourself Permission

The only way to release yourself from the pressure of writing your next book is to liberate yourself. Give yourself permission to write badly. I mean, really really badly. Permission to write something that sounds nothing like what you wrote before. Permission to play, to dream, to procrastinate. Permission to research until your head is bursting. For every project, I always keep a notebook so I can write by hand and make a mess and scribble pages of absolute drivel. I can spend hours writing around the edges of what I’m actually trying to explore. I encourage you to start every new project by writing yourself a permission slip. When you give yourself permission, the words might stick and splutter for a while but eventually, they flow. After that, the magic is in the edit.

Drown Out the Noise

We’re surrounded by noise all day, from social media traffic to our own mental chatter to those Amazon reviews (gulp). It’s hugely distracting and can be a drain on your creativity and confidence. Look for ways to drown this out, whether that’s through meditation, writing retreats, long nature walks or journalling. My simplest trick is to put on some noise-cancelling headphones and turn the music up. This might sound counterintuitive but listening to music puts me in a headspace for writing without any filters. Also, as a mother who writes around her family life (the kitchen table is my office), I’ve used headphones for years to signal that I’m at work and to keep the cacophony of my kids at bay.

Get Drunk

When you have another book to write, it’s easy to feel lost at the beginning. What to write and how to say it? When this happens, I immerse myself in storytelling. The poet Charles Baudelaire famously said one should ‘Always Be Drunk’ and it’s a quote that I live by. I don’t mean Hemingway-style binges, I mean being drunk on stories. I consume books, podcasts, films, TV shows, songs, art shows, conversations, eavesdropping, everyday life. I feed my habit and my habit feeds my writing.

Focus on What You Can Control

Creativity is mostly trial and error. Art is subjective and you can’t control how your work will be received by an audience or by critics. Often, success hinges on an indefinable mix of luck, talent, hard work, timing, money, network, reputation and… did I mention luck? Through all this, the only thing you can control is how you show up. I do my best to show up for my readers in a way that’s engaging, impactful and entertaining — both on the page and in real life. Other than that, the rest is not up to me. All I can do is keep showing up.

Track Changes

When you’re editing a piece of work, it can be helpful to track changes on a document. But this isn’t what I’m talking about here. What I mean is keeping track of the changes that happen because you had the courage to put your work into the world. I screenshot comments from readers on social media who tell me my books have changed the way they think about race and identity. I save a file of testimonials from parents who say I’ve shaped how they talk to their children about these tricky topics. I also keep notes on what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown while writing a book. All this is a reminder that so much of writing (and reading) isn’t just about the product or the story but about who we are becoming through the process.

Lean On Your People

Probably the most useful thing you can do as a writer is to find your people and lean on them. Obviously your closest friend/partner/family member who enjoys your writing or offers great advice can be invaluable. But as a writer, your people are other writers and it’s essential that you seek them out. Follow #writercommunity hashtags on social media, join a writers’ group or membership, befriend other newbie authors when your book comes out. You need to be in community with other writers who get it. Especially when Third Book Syndrome comes knocking…

NaNoWriMo Writers Board member Uju Asika is a multi-award nominated blogger, former journalist and TV screenwriter. She is the author of Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World and the picture book A World for Me and You (Where Everyone Is Welcome). Her new book Raising Boys Who Do Better: A Hopeful Guide for a New Generation came out on June 1. You can order the book for free worldwide delivery on Wordery: https://wordery.com/raising-boys-who-do-better-uju-asika-9780241608418

Uju is launching a creative writing service for developing and aspiring writers, learn more here!

[writeouswriter]

[Image ID: The Jane Lynch “I am going to create an environment that is so toxic” meme with Jane labelled “Every website I use” and the caption edited to read “I am going to create an update that is so counterintuitive, hard to look at, and overall much worse than what we had before.” End image ID]

[horsegirlwarcrimes]

used my sick day today to watch Practical Magic (1998). this movie is going to change my brain chemistry

[treesofgreen]

Good as Gold is a GEM. One of my favorites <3

i wrote these two books about gay supervillains and today they are free, mwah

The Amateur

Good as Gold 

[roughdraftmonth]

find our newsletter + socials here!

[reedraws]

A quick doodle during lunch turned into an entire cover for my nano project, and then I made a gif about it.

I'm so close to finishing the first draft, which is so incredibly exciting. If I manage to get it fully edited, I'm going to be publishing it online, and I hope y'all like it!

Project info linked here ❃❀✿ Commissions / Ko-Fi / Store✿❀❃  

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Book Haul!: I Am Not Immune To Buy 3 Get 1 Free Sales.

These have all been on my list for a while--I knew the bookstore would have the Jemisin and Jackson books for sure (I'd seen them both there before), and I was hoping they'd have Chronister in paperback (because they had her in hardback). I was glad Turnbull was out in paperback, too! What a delightful evening of book shopping!