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After my first NaNoWriMo, and experiencing first-hand how motivating it was to see my daily progress, I was desperate to find a good way to keep track of my writing once November was over. First, I printed a calendar and kept track through that, but I soon forgot to write down my word count, especially on those nights I stayed up late, had to walk over to my bookcase, grab the calendar…

Once I realised an actual calendar wasn’t working for me, I tried to create my own Excel sheet, and while I was trying to get those formulas right (Excel isn’t really my forte), John Robin, the author of the Your Daily Journal: 100 Day Starter, mentioned his Awesome Daily Writers Spreadsheet in our NaNoWriMo accountability group, and did I want to join that perhaps? I’ll admit I still don’t understand the way the Spreadsheet keeps score, but I always add my word count at the end of a writing session now! I do still struggle with writing every day, which you will see if you join us, and which John never fails to remind me of 😉

Awesome Daily Writers Spreadsheet

Welcome back, John! Tell us, what is the Awesome Daily Writers Spreadsheet?

The Awesome Daily Writers Spreadsheet is an alternative to NaNoWriMo for writers who want to write a bit every day and not stress over word count. It helps writers see the big picture and seed a habit that defines a career, not just get through a novel.

In a D&D-style scoring system, you’re rewarded experience points based on what you write each day, which add up to raise your level over time. You can see what other writers on the sheet are doing, which often gives you that added motivation to spend more time writing than you’d otherwise think to.

How is the Awesome Daily Writers Spreadsheet different from everything else out there?

Most competitive spreadsheets involve minimum word counts. For example, the Magic Spreadsheet requires a minimum quota of 250 words / day, which increases every time you ‘level up’ (inevitable as you keep writing). In many writers, this creates a sense of guilt or competitiveness that throws the whole balance of life out of whack.Read More →

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Good Friday, everyone! Can you believe it’s April already? Can you believe we’re almost halfway through the first NaNoWriMo of the year already?! I swear, the older I get, the faster time runs by. Anyway, let me introduce you to Jannie Mitzeiko Harvey, who is so generous to share with us something no writer can do without…

Flexible like a bamboo, adaptable like water, and always in pursuit of quality work and innate personal happiness—these are among a few things that describe Jannie. With the mantra of ‘Time can never be turned back’, combined with her passion for reading and writing, she supports overwhelmed authors with their administrative and marketing tasks so they can focus on what authors love to do: write!

During her spare time, she plans on her next travel, fangirls over her favourite Japanese idol group, Arashi, and saves money for her cat sanctuary. Check out her website here, or follow her on Facebook.

Project Development Planner for Writers

Hi Jannie! What is it that you’ve got in store for us?

Hi! I’ve recently created the Project Development Planner for Writers. It’s a planner specifically designed for the writer. I offer it for free, which is my way of giving back to the community.

And the community loves all things free! How is the Project Development Planner for Writers different from any regular planner?

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Remember that crazy time I posted a Dutch interview… The horror, right?! Lucky for us, Maria Staal, together with Eva Kattz, has another book out, and this one’s in English!

So who are Eva Kattz and Maria Staal, authors of Fiction Builder! Outlining and Plotting your Novel in Three Constructive steps?

Eva and Maria are two friends who, unknown to each other, both set out to write fiction. Eva wrote a number of short stories and novelettes and became reasonably comfortable playing around with words. However, any attempts beyond 30K words inevitably fell apart. Maria at least managed to make it to a 50K words first draft, but without the help of a decent outline, her story became hopelessly stranded in a curiously plot-less world.

While Eva went looking for a How To book or course to help her finish her more extensive outlines, Maria realised she was so new to fiction that she still adhered to the Greatest Myth in Writer’s Land, otherwise known as ‘a magnificent story will come to you if you just sit down behind the keyboard and write!’ They decided to throw their resources together and soon discovered they could have been far more creative and productive years before, if they just had known how to outline properly.

Together they developed a new writing technique that starts where all the other How To Write books stop. Eva’s intuitive approach and vast knowledge of writing techniques perfectly combined with Maria’s practical, pioneering spirit. Now, they both use their own Fiction Builder method to write successful genre fiction.

Fiction Builder!

What is Fiction Builder! about?

Our book is a guide for every author with loads of good story ideas, but who struggles with completing an actual first draft. They end up thinking they are ‘bad’ writers, or, worse, that they lack talent. Fiction Builder! is meant to show these authors that there’s no such thing as a ‘bad’ writer. Anyone can develop their writing skills, and plotting is a vital part of that.Read More →

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In Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration: Learn to Nurture a Lifestyle of Creativity (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 5), K.M. Weiland, bestselling author of both fiction and non-fiction books and mentor of authors, offers tips and tricks to stay inspired as an author. Interestingly, halfway through the book, Weiland admits she doesn’t actually believe writer’s block exists. And that explains a lot.

Despite the title, this is not a book for people who suffer from actual writer’s block. As a mentor of writers who have been or are struggling with it, I can’t help but believe it exists and that it wreaks some serious havoc. The same way there is a difference between feeling the blues and being depressed, there is a difference between a writing rut and writer’s block.

If it’s writer’s block you’re suffering from, Conquering Writer’s Block and Summoning Inspiration: Learn to Nurture a Lifestyle of Creativity (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 5) is far from hands-on enough to actually make you conquer it, no matter what the title promises. Read More →