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Episode 157: NaNoWriMo: Are You Meeting Your Goals?

Dear Indie,


It’s official, National Novel Writing Month is upon us! We’re almost a week into the writing frenzy, and we thought it would be a good idea to check in with each other regarding our goals, and see how each of us is doing meeting them.

[Read more…] about Episode 157: NaNoWriMo: Are You Meeting Your Goals?

Episode 124: Writing Your Way: Plotting vs. Pantsing – Revisited

Dear Christian Indies,

When the podcast was new, and the ladies and I were each in various stages of our writing journey, it was interesting to see how we approached each new writing question in a different way. One such topic was outlining; more specifically, we wondered about each of us – whether we would perform better as “plotters” or “pantsers.”

Jenifer decided to give plotting a try. Now, something I have since learned about Jenifer is that she never does anything half-way. I’ll never forget when she showed up at our writing retreats with a gigantic piece of cardboard – the kind of thing you see at a child’s science fair – marked off to represent the three main acts of her novel, and bedecked with post-it notes, each outlining a specific plot point in her novel.

[Read more…] about Episode 124: Writing Your Way: Plotting vs. Pantsing – Revisited

Episode 114: T.G.I.O

Hey Christian Indies,

November is over, and that means National Novel Writing Month 2020 is officially in the books. It’s been a crazy thirty days for us on the podcast, and from what we are seeing in the chat, the same is true for all of you out there! In spite of it all, we have endured! Our word count goals? Not so much. Just kidding! We even have a couple of projected NaNo winners on the show as I compose this newsletter!
Tune in this week for our post-NaNo, 2020 report. You’ll Find out answers to questions such as:
Did Jen Finish her contemporary? 
Did Tina finish the first draft of her sequel to LOST? 
What was it like for Jen to host LIVE sprints (hint, she was able to connect us with some AWESOME new listeners)!
Did Tina survive hosting a BOOKLAUNCH during NaNoWriMo?

…and more! 

We also will be checking in with you, our awesome listeners/viewers! Whether you absolutely CRUSHED your word count goal or are just a few words ahead of where you started out on November 1st, we want to kno how National Novel Writing Month went for you! We’ve been cheering you on all month long and it will be so great to celebrate your success.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

Jamie

Episode 110: NaNoWriMo “Eve Eve”

Here’s your weekly dose of inspiration for Chirstian Writers. Enjoy!

Dear Chirstian Indies,

Q: Can you start NaNoWriMo Early?

A: No, but, you can PARTY until midnight the night before!

Even though National Novel Writing Month doesn’t officially begin until November 1, we wanted to come together this week with our podcast audience to strategize some goal setting and CRUSHING  for National Novel Writing Month in November.  So, we decided to treat today’s episode as if it were actually the day before NaNoWriMo – kind of like the “substitute” Thanksgiving you host on Wednesday when no one is available on the fourth Thursday of November.

If you’ve listened to us for any amount of time, you know that all of us are long-term NaNoWriMo participants. You may even remember staying up late with us on October 31, sharing tasty snacks and chatting and laughing, getting ready for the countdown to midnight and write, write WRITING when the timekeeper says, “go”!

Guess what?! The fun is back! That’s right – we’re once again having a NaNo Kickoff livestream! That’s right, tune in tomorrow (10/31/2020) for our LIVE NaNoWriMo kickoff! The girls and I are planning to come alongside you this year, whether you are taking on NaNo for the first time or are a more ‘seasoned’ participant, to stay motivated to write like the rest of us. 

Be there or be square – Saturday, October 31st at 11pm ET. We will be live on YouTube and Facebook, so come join the fun and get your NaNo count rolling!

See you there,

Jamie

Episode 107: How should You Sprint?

Here’s your weekly inspiration for Christian Writers. Enjoy!

Hey Christian Indies,

I wonder what the open rate on this newsletter will be. 

Like, when writers see the word, “sprint,” will they think, “wait a minute, when did I sign up for yet another health and fitness newsletter?” 

Will they actually believe we, the hosts of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast, are planning to  instruct other humans on the form and manner of running  – very quickly – for short distances?

The short distance part sounds right….but…Hmm. 

Obviously,  I’m banking on the fact that you know us better than that, Christian Indie! And if you’re reading this far, that is definitely the case; you know that we know “sprinting” in the writers’ world has nothing to do with track shoes, and everything to do with finally getting your novel published! That’s right – sprinting is the key to unlocking the power to finish your novel’s first draft more quickly than you’d ever imagined. 

Sprinting is also a great motivator. There is nothing like hearing the timer go off and realizing that you just wrote a hundred words or more without really “trying.” You’ll start to crave the exquisite feeling of writerly abandon you get when you embrace the white font challenge and write, write write!” 

“But, I have so many questions!” I imagine you responding,  “For example, what is the white font challenge? And, also, what is the most effective way to sprint?”

Well, Indie, we suspected you’d be asking, so we’re fixing to tell ya. Join us in the chat this week as Jamie, Jen, and Tina discuss our favorite sprinting technique in detail. You’ll leave equipped with everything you need to know in order to harness the power of word sprints and finish that first draft!

See you there,

Jamie 

But where to find writing prompts!? We’ve got the answer – we’ve written a book! More details coming in future installments of our newsletter, so stay tuned!

We’re gearing up for NaNoWriMo! Like our facebook page to know when we go LIVE for Preptober!

Episode 105: Preptober: How to Plan for National Novel Writing Month

Hey Christian Indies,

This episode reminds me of Christmas.

I know, I know, I’m rushing things; the leaves have barely started showing off in northern Michigan: but allow me to explain. 

 In our family, Christmas is a time to gather with family and share love and gifts. Unfortunately, there is so much to see and do (many families to visit) and we enjoy Christmas so much, our celebrations have spilled over into the day before. Now, we also have an enormous gathering on Christmas eve!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or, “NaNo” for short,) is a bit like this. However, it is more than the excitement of writing a novel in just thirty days that causes people to start thinking about this event an entire month in advance! No, dear Indie, the truth of the matter is far more consequential: you NEED a plan for NaNo! That is, of course, unless you are the hardiest of the die-hard pantsers and  like to open your cursor at midnight on November first and look at a blank screen and a flashing cursor! Zoikes!

Find more of our planning chats in Episode 85, 86 and 87.

Tune in this week and learn how to make the best of your October planning session for NaNoWriMo!

See you there,

Jamie

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