Tina Haapala, Excuse Editor

Why November was chosen to be the month writers are supposed to rally all of their energy  to work on their drafts at a Stephen King (or another prolific writer) pace is beyond me. Holidays are coming up; also it's the end of the year, which sometimes means day-job goals; and it turns chilly in many parts of the country/world--what better time to cozy up with a good book--that somebody else wrote? Instead, the folks over at Nanowrimo have shifted many  writers (or would-be writers) to believe they can write a whole novel (or nonfiction book, or a collection of blog posts, etc.) in 30 days. Since I follow blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and Pinterest boards that are all about writing, I can't escape these messages. And the spirit is contagious. At least for the first week or so. In the spirit of Nanowrimo, WNFIN, and others, I have taken the challenge, in a way. Here's what I plan to do this month: Write every day . This is not  uncommon advice, but wh...

I’m writing this on December 29, and I'm thinking about the weight we put on this time of year. Your focus these next few days may be on many “lasts,” the last cigarette (THIS is the year you will quit), the last overindulgent meals and snacks (the cleanse begins on January 1), your last morning of laziness and sloth (new workout regimen starts at 5:30AM, January 1, er, 2 nd —you really can’t expect to start anything at 5:30AM after New Year’s Eve, right?). Your writing goals may be following the New Year’s Resolution script, as well. Starting on January 1, EVERYTHING WILL BE DIFFERENT. Just like last year. You will have daily, weekly, and monthly writing goals to keep you motivated, and you will start, as soon as you wake up on that first January morning. OK, well, maybe not THAT morning. It is a holiday, after all. You deserve a little break. One day will not put you that far behind. As soon as you get home from work on January 2 nd , that will be perfect. No, you won’t wa...

 2011. It's here. A whole new year. You may be launching straight into your New Year's Resolutions today (or tomorrow, if you need to shake off last night's party) with pretty high expectations of what the New Year will mean for the "New You". And why not? Starting off the new year with goals is commendable; setting goals and working at achieving them every day is even more valuable. I'm sure many of you have resolved to improve your writing and/or your writing career in some way. Like other resolutions, there are some common pitfalls that arise when you start the Big, Life-Changing Resolution. Over 15 years ago, I resolved to quit smoking. Over 10 years ago, I actually quit. Thinking back to that time in my life, when I was chained to a habit that didn't serve me well at all, I'm reminded of the similarities of that time with my Writing Excuses. Success Doesn't Happen Overnight I tried to quit smoking many times. Each time, I thought it w...

I love the idea of NaNoWriMo.  One month. One big, fat rough draft. It brings writers and wannabe writers from all over the globe together in an effort to bring brand new groundbreaking, fun, interesting, entertaining novels to the world. Or, it gives those who have toyed with the idea of "maybe" trying to write something a deadline and a goal. However it happens, it begins the process, and writers start to get the words down. And they start off with a shot, if the sluggishness of the NaNoWriMo site is any indication. As of 11 AM Central Time, there were already over 800,000 words drafted in the name of speedy-noveling (that's almost as much as 2 copies of War and Peace !) Now, you may be able to use the month of November and NaNoWriMo as inspiration to finally get some work done on that novel that you have mapped out, created character sketches for, have oodles of research at the ready--everything is done except for the actual story. Go for it! However, for some writ...

just dishes, not Titanic dishes Years ago, I attended the Titanic Exhibition. Certainly, there were many fascinating aspects of this, but a few things (in addition to the devastation of the tragedy) struck me. While looking at a large picture of the many workers who built the vessel, you could not find one overweight person. Certainly, these were men who labored all day far away from the sedentary life of a desk worker, but it still was enough of a difference between what we see now that it stuck out. Another big difference? Plate sizes. A platter was the size of today's dinner plate. Their dinner plates were close to the size of our bread plates. I felt like I was looking at a child's tea party set, not dish-ware that people commonly used. The implications to our waistlines aside (I'm sure there's more to our obesity crisis than plate size, although it could be a big part of the problem), what can we learn about our writing now from the recovered relics of th...

The Newest Scoop is blasting through cyberspace and into your inbox right now if you are subscribed to the Excuse Editor Newsletter (if you are not, sign up here ).  There are some unique opportunities, including a chance to get your photograph taken by a famous photographer, a no-fee novel contest  with a self-publishing package prize, and  a contest with over 50 CATegories (the entires all have a 'cat' theme). A few ideas on using the Scoop: Determine if you have something already complete that meets the guidelines, or comes close. If it meets all guidelines (genre, word count, etc.) and has no entry fee, SUBMIT! You have nothing to lose. If if meets all guidelines and has an entry fee, SUBMIT ONLY IF you feel confident in your work and you can afford the fee (see this post for more thoughts). If you have a work that is ALMOST PERFECT for one of the markets, spend some time getting it closer (always adhere to word count and genre guidelines). You may be ab...