Five Ways to Generate Writing Ideas

If you’ve never had a bout of writer’s block, you haven’t been writing for long enough. Whether you love to outline and don’t know what happens next, or if your plot is lacking some pizazz, you may just need a little helping pumping your author juices. Here are our go-to solutions when we need a little inspiration!

1. Go for a walk with someone: Being co-authors, Leah and I have an advantage by having two minds to brainstorm, but mostly it’s just sprouting ideas back and forth that really gets us the best idea. Having a sounding board, whether it be your mom, best friend, critique partner, or even your dog, is helpful because it gets you spewing out ideas and hearing them out loud. Plus, grabbing some fresh air and getting your blood pumping is great to rejuvenate a foggy brain!

2. Take a nap: Don’t get too excited; you have to stay awake! But one of the most fun ways to work out the plot is to make a playlist of music that inspires you or fits your story and just daydream. If you find yourself replaying the same scenario in your head, you’ll know you have an enticing scene to write. I find this idea also works great in the shower or on a bus, too!

3. Play a game: This is something Leah and I do not only to generate ideas but for fun as well! We write the names of all our characters of our current project and put them in a bowl. Then, we write a bunch of settings, such as “On a bridge” or “In the rain” or “In jail” and put those in a bowl. Finally, we write down a bunch of verbs, such as “Kissing” or “Fighting”, and put those in a bowl. We draw one setting, two verbs and two characters, then put a ten-minute timer on. We both write a random scenario using our drawn cards! Even if this doesn’t generate a plausible plot solution, it’s a great way to get your writing juices flowing, get into character, and practice your voice! Plus, some of the stories come out HILARIOUS.

4. Experiment with a different medium: Sometimes it helps to put your story on a different kind of page; Leah loves to draw scenarios or characters from our current project, and often finds this helps her discover something new about the plot or character. If drawing isn’t for you, modify it. If you like making music, try writing a theme song for your book. Even a vision board on Pinterest helps you visualize your creations and can spark new ideas!

5. Make it history: One of the absolutely best ways to iron out plot snags or get ideas is to borrow from history. Our world and the people in it are fascinating and history has inspired many epic books. For example, Tolkien is famously inspired by Anglo-Saxon folklore, and George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice is a fantastical take on the War of Roses. Leah’s and my book Jane Unwrapped (Entangled Teen Crave) was so fun and exciting to plot because the Egyptian history of the time was dramatic enough for a book without our help making up new ideas!

If you have any secrets to generating ideas, let me know in the comments!

Five Ways Changing Your Hair Changes Who You Are

I was terrified. I sat in the chair, feeling as if it was made of daggers. My heart pounded and every inch of me screamed to get up, to run, to flee for my life. My captor held the sharpened tools to my head, the edges glinting in the glaring light, and said: “So, sweetie, what are we doing with your hair today?”

“B-bangs,” I choked out. “J-just bangs.”

As the hair stylist wrapped that black, choking frock of death around my neck, I closed my eyes, and thought, This is the end.

Why is changing our hair such a big decision? I don’t know about you, but even the slightest change, such as getting bangs, was a huge source of conflict for me. I’d always had long, brown hair. Sometimes I got highlights, or dyed it darker, but it had always been long and brown.

I think a big reason for this was because that’s how I was forced to keep it while I modeled; as a model, any physical aspect of yourself is not yours to explore, to style, to dictate. And as soon as I quit modeling, I began a new relationship, and lingering confidence issues from fashion modeling made me think I would be undesirable if I changed my hair in any way.

But after about six months of freedom from modeling and getting settled into my relationship, I realized something crazy: my hair didn’t define me. This realization didn’t come easily. Even as I sat down at the hairdresser, I had regrets. What would I even look like?

But getting bangs didn’t just give me a new look. It unleashed a floodgate of desire to experiment with my hair—and so, my identity—and a new-found sense of self-worth. I went on to cut my hair just below my ears, to bleaching it and dying it blonde (which you can find out more about on our Youtube channel), to growing my bangs out, to dying it bright pink, and finally, to having it red.

Throughout this hair journey, I’ve learned a lot, not just about my locks, but about myself. Here’s five ways changing your hair changes who you are.

1.) It’s liberating. I could not believe how I felt when I got all my hair cut off; I finally felt like I wasn’t ruled by my hair, like my beauty didn’t depend on if my hair was styled or not. I’ll fully admit I looked like a boy if I didn’t wear make-up, but it was freeing! When I change my hair, I can be anyone I want: a spunky red-head, a classic blonde, the girl-next-door.

2.) It gives you confidence. There is no better feeling than showing off a new ‘do. Take p
ride in the change and let the compliments roll in! Finding out you can pull of a new hairstyle can increase your self-assurance—and even if it didn’t turn out well (my super saiyan hair, anyone?), then getting over the initial shock and rocking a strange hair style definitely forces you to be confident!

3.) It’s fun. Honestly, it’s just plain awesome to see the reveal, whether it’s a hair stylist turning your chair to the mirror or stepping out of the shower to see your new colour. Watching your own metamorphosis is entertaining!

4.) Change is healthy. I was in hair purgatory, constantly afraid of altering my look. But like anything, change helps us grow, and a hair cut is a great way to trigger an emotional change. As Coco Chanel said, “A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life.”

5.) It’s just hair! As terrifying as it may be to alter your look, it is just hair! You can always dye it back to its original colour, go to a professional, grow it back. Sure, sometimes I crave my long, brown hair, but I know I can always have that look again. As for my next style? Well, I’ll just have to see how I feel next week.

Anyone have any hairy stories? I’d love to see them in the comments!

How to Accomplish Absolutely Anything

It’s a bold claim, isn’t it—that this blog is the key to accomplishing absolutely anything in your life? Perhaps it is bold, but that’s what this blog is all about: finding ways to achieve your biggest dreams and to change your life.

Like a genie granting three wishes, there are limitations, but the following skill is one of the most important things I have ever learned and I guarantee it can help you manage stress, achieve your dreams, and improve your life. And being that it’s a new year tomorrow, there is not better time to implement this life-changing skill.

So how do you accomplish absolutely anything?

Proper goal-setting.

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I truly believe our lives are in our control, but we’re hindered by circumstance, motivation, and distractions. Proper goal-setting treads a path that leads us to the life we want. This step-by-step guide, inspired by psychologist Gerard Egan’s skilled helper model, is easy and fun to do!

Before we begin, I’m going to establish the rules of proper goal-setting. Your goals must:

1.) Be something you have control over
2.) Have a timeline
3.) Be measurable

For example, “I want to sell my book to a Big 6 publisher and become a famous author” is not a valid goal because it does not contain the three necessary qualities for success. However, “I want to finish writing my manuscript by January 31st” has all three of the qualities for a successful goal.

Ready to accomplish something awesome? Grab a piece of paper and a pen and follow along…

Step 1: Brainstorm Statements of Good Intention

Use your piece of paper to write down as many statements of good intentions as you possibly can! Statements of good intentions are just things you would like to do. Think broad and go until you’re out of ideas!

Examples: I want to finish writing my book, I want to run a successful blog, I want to make new friends, I want to travel, I want to exercise more, I want to spend more time with my family, I want to get a new job, etc.

Step 2: Choose between 2-4 Statements of Good Intentions.

You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with too many goals, but you also want to start 2015 off right, and you want to challenge yourself. Choose the most important things on your list and write them down. I’ll use the statement of good intention of “I want to finish my novel” as a building block for the next examples.

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Step 3: Create a broad goal

Now, we’re going to narrow down our statement of good intention into a more manageable goal.

Example: “I will make writing my novel a part of my daily routine.”

You may notice your statement of good intention can be broken into many broad goals. For example, a statement of good intention of “I want to be healthier” could have broad goals of: I want to start running, I want to drink more water, or I want to eat more vegetables. Choose one and direct your attention on that. After you create a detailed plan to achieve that goal, you can move onto the next one.

Write your broad goals down for each statement of good intention.

Step 4: Create a specific goal

In this step, you create a very specific goal based off of your broad goal. Try to be as detailed as possible.

Example: “I will write 1000 words of my novel everyday”.

Write your specific goals down for each broad goal.

Step 5: Create a manageable goal

In this step, we put timelines on our specific goals to make sure we can judge our progress.

Examples: By January 31st, I will have written 30, 000 words of my novel.

Write your manageable goals down for each specific goal.

Step 6: Create plans to achieve your goals.

Take a good look at your measurable goals and think about the barriers in the way of achieving them. Then, write down steps you can take to help you achieve your goal. For example, if your specific goal is to start running regularly three times a week by the end of the month, a barrier may be a lack of self-discipline. A plan to overcome this may be to join a running group that will hold you accountable. This step may be different for each goal, but try to write out about 3 plans for each goal.

Example: Barriers to writing 30, 000 words of my novel by January 31st include a hectic schedule and distraction from family and friends. My plan to overcome these barriers is:
1) I will set aside a certain time each day to write.
2) If I know I will be busy in the days coming up, I will write more on other days to maintain my word count goal.
3) I will tell friends and family members so they understand when I need time to write.
4) I will treat myself to a night out on February 1st if I achieve my goal.

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And that’s it! 

Remember, goals are meant to challenge you! You have the ability to inspire yourself and achieve anything in the world. Goals are a map to the heart. Good luck! Please share your goals with me and have a happy, healthy, adventurous 2015! There is much excitement on the horizon.

5 Tips to Surviving Exam Week

Hey guys! Kate here.

I know you haven’t heard from me on the blog, Twitter, or Instagram in…welp, a really long time, but it’s been a pretty ridiculous winter. Between winning NaNoWriMo, working full-time, and finishing my semester of college, I have been crazy busy!

I’m on the tail-end of my exams, with only one more to go, and I’ll fully admit it’s been stressful. The pressure of wanting to excel (or just pass) an exam, coupled with all the other responsibilities in a student’s life can be overwhelming. As I look around at my friends and classmates, I see not only are some of them just stressed, but they’re cracking under the pressure.

Exams are, of course, going to be a time of exhaustion and anxiety, but there are ways to make them a bit more bearable. As a student, I will fully admit there’s no “Quick Cure to Exam Stress” or “Easy Way to Ace your Exams!” but these five tips definitely help me stay sane when I’m buried in notes and flashcards.


1. Make a schedule and stick to it. Man, this is so important. Exams are a huge portion of your grade, so telling yourself you’ll study when you have time just won’t cut it. As soon as you get your exam schedule, plan the one-to-two weeks leading up it around your study schedule. Fit in work, any important social arrangements you have to attend, and any last minute assignments, and then build your study schedule so you have plenty of time to review. If you can, give yourself an extra day for each exam to study; it always takes longer to get something down than you think.

2. Give yourself some downtime. While you're building your schedule, make sure you don’t fill it all up with studying. Yes, you need to know the material, but burning out or pulling all-nighters isn’t going to help you either. Make sure you give yourself an hour each day to digest by watching a television show, or going for a walk. Clearing your brain will help you remember the material and keep you from feeling overwhelmed.

3. Find a study method that works for you. Okay, you might not believe me, but if you’re not doing well on tests, there’s a really good chance it’s just because you haven’t found the right way to study. People learn differently. I, for example, am the hugest enthusiast of flash cards you will ever meet. Flash cards are amazing because they help you review the material while you write it down, but they also cause you to think about the material differently when you compose the questions. And then they train your brain to do exactly what it needs to do on a test: recall! But some people may find another method works better: re-writing their notes by hand, or studying in groups. Experiment until you find what helps you the most. Every test will get easier and easier once you do.


4. Trust yourself. You’ve attended the lectures, taken notes, studied, and yet you’re still telling yourself you’re going to fail, or do horribly. Why? If you’ve done everything you can do, then have a little faith in yourself. A lot more of the information will come back to you than you think. Also, I’m a big believer in positive psychology. I’m not talking The Secret stuff, but what you believe does have ways of formulating your thoughts and actions. Before the exam, stand in front of the mirror, raise your arms in a champion pose, and say: “I am going to ace this exam!” Don’t believe this will work? Listen to an expert.

5. Look to the future. When you’re in the blackest of black places, swamped with notes and facts and your hands are calloused from holding a pencil, remember: this doesn’t last forever. Look forward to what you’ll do as soon as exams are done, and also look even further and remember why you’re in school in the first place. Then buckle down and get to work.

Exams are stressful, and long, and they require huge amounts of mental energy. But keep in mind you’re willingly going to school, and you’re putting your money into this. Exam time is about you and your learning!

Good luck everyone!

5 Tips to Getting the Most Out of a Writers' Conference

Hello, friends! Kate here.

I wanted to write a follow-up post in my entry on the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. I can honestly say going to that conference was one of the most important and positive things I did as a writer. However, at the same time, it can be a tremendously overwhelming experience. Whether you’re a first-time conference attendee or just looking to get a little more out of your next conference, here are five tips to help you rock any writers’ conference!

1. Prepare, plan…and play it by ear. Take it from a couple o’ gals who tried to wing their first conference—getting your stuff together in advance will save you a whole lot of stress. Take a good look at the workshops and presenters; highlight the ones that are most important to you. Research the agents and editors attending. Know which ones represent your genre, and make note of their names and a few of their clients. And perhaps most importantly, have your work in order. Leah and I spent the night before the conference madly editing our first draft, crafting an elevator pitch, and printing out pages in the hotel lobby. Make these things part of your packing list so you’re ready to go before the conference even begins. That being said, don’t be afraid to switch up your plan. You may really connect with a certain presenter and want to switch to their workshop, or catch an opportunity to pitch your book or talk with someone important.

2. Put your party pants on and get ready to mingle. Hey, us writers are happy hermits but once a year, we gotta crawl out of our dark holes, look wistfully back at our blinking computer screens and say, “Well, manuscript, I’m going out.” I am definitely not comfortable meeting strangers or starting conversations, but getting out of your comfort zone and making new connections is so important. Connecting with other authors is a great way to build a community of people who understand you and will support you through your ups and downs. Also, you never know who you’ll end up meeting. On our last dinner at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in 2013, an agent sat beside Leah and I. After talking with him all evening, he asked what our book was about, and ended up requesting a full! Even though he didn’t end up offering representation, he sent us a detailed letter with critiques that really helped us improve the book. Without making that personal connection, we would have never received such important feedback!


3. Pitch pitch pitch pitch pitch. Alright, this point depends on where you are in the writing process, but if you are at a conference with a fully-edited novel and you are ready to query…for goodness sakes, pitch the crap out of that book! Pitching face-to-face is a great way to judge an agent’s initial reaction to your premise as well as to catch their attention. If you have the opportunity to buddy-up with someone, have them take notes for you at the workshop so you can make the most of meeting agents and wooing them with your fantastic book! At SiWC, Leah attended the workshops so I was able to pitch as much as I could. We ended up with ten requests by the end! That’s way better than what we would have done if we just sent out good ol’ regular email queries.

4. Rest, relax, and enjoy it. It’s so easy to get over-stimulated by everything going on: pitches and workshops and fancy dinners and people to meet. Yes, you’re at a conference to promote your work, but don’t forget that this is supposed to be fun! You’re here because you love writing and it brings you joy—don’t lose that pleasure by stressing out about everything. Give yourself time to go up to the hotel room and take a nap or just rest you mind. Have a conversation with your lunch-mates about something totally un-writing related. Look around and enjoy the fact that for this one weekend, you’re not in reality. Any SiWC alumni will know the feeling when the emcee Carol puts on her dinglehoppers and all of these strangers are suddenly your friends, sharing an inside joke. Enjoy that moment.

5. Bring the magic home. When you leave a writers’ conference for the first time, I guarantee something inside you will change. You’ll suddenly be full of inspiration, hope, revelation. Don’t let that magic die out once you get back to reality. Remember why you were there and the feeling of being surrounded by your people. Remember that you are a writer.

To all those attending SiWC this year, best of luck and have a great time at the greatest writers’ conference on Earth! To anyone else attending conferences in the future, hopefully these tips help you to get the most of what I’m sure will be an amazing experience.

Let us know in the comments your tips and tricks at any writers’ conference!

5 Tips to Win NaNoWriMo

Hey guys! Kate here and today I’m writing about something terrifying lurking on the horizon…

As October approaches, a small pit of anxiety grows in every writer’s belly. At the beginning of the Halloween season, it’s merely a niggling tickle at the back of your brain, but as the days pass the feeling grows stronger and stronger until it overwhelms your entire being and you finally must ask yourself that annual dreaded question: to NaNoWriMo or to not NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, an activity that brings together writers from across the world, regardless of genre, style, or skill level. The object is write a novel in a month—in other words, complete 50,000 words in thirty days. This is an intimidating prospect for most any writer, but that’s why it builds such a tight community. Stick almost 400, 000 stressed writers in the same boat for a month, and that’s bound to build a little solidarity.

But not only does NaNoWriMo build a tight community, it’s a great way to kick-start your novel. And isn’t that why you’re here? To write that goddamn novel that’s been burning inside you? Well, it’s only 1,667 words a day, so let’s get started. Here are your five tips for winning NaNoWriMo:

1.) Get your friends and family involved. As much as we love them, our friends and family members eat up a lot of our time. Warn them you’re going to be hermiting for thirty days. Be up front: “Dudes, I’d love to get drunk tonight, but I gotta write over a thousand words today.” Get them involved so they keep you accountable; share your dreams; brainstorm ideas with them. Last year, we convinced our dad to join NaNo and hung sheets on the fridge so we could show off our daily word count. If your family and friends feel like they are a critical part of your success, they’ll be less likely to distract you and more likely to encourage you…and forgive you if you ignore them for thirty days. Worse-case scenario, you can always get drunk and then write your 1,667 words! (All words are are good words, right?)


2.) Find a process that works for you. And by that, I mean make an outline. I know what you’re thinking…I thought this was about writing, not outlining! Well, settle down there, pantser, you can feel free to do your thing, but for something like NaNoWriMo where you don’t have the luxury of writer’s block, having an outline will keep you on track. Spend a couple days before November 1st creating an outline. For some, it may be detailed, every scene fleshed out. For others, you may just want a general map that you can fill-in-the-blanks along the way. Either way, the more prep work you do, the easier it is to stay on track and keep your mind focused on the last word.


3.) Utilize your online resources. There are amazing online resources out there for us writers! The first one is the official NaNoWriMo site, which is not only chock-full of tips, but also has a community for networking and encouraging each other, as well as a way to record your word count and let you know if you’re on track. The second is my favourite website of all time: Write or Die. If I ever publish a book, the creator of this is going in the acknowledgments. The web app is just a regular text box that let’s you set a word goal and a time goal. All you do is write. And if you stop writing…well, that’s where it gets interesting. I’ll let you guys do the exploring, but it’s definitely a resource I would recommend if you find you’re constantly clicking out of your word doc to check Facebook. Our third resource worth checking out is made for the iPad, so it’s portable, easy to use, and keeps you motivated. Novel in 30 let’s you easily see your word count and, if you have a Bluetooth keyboard, let’s you write anywhere.

4.) Don’t look back. How easy is it to get so wrapped up in what you’re writing that you don’t concentrated on the real writing itself? Oh, this sucks. That doesn’t sound good. I need a new word for that. I have to research this description. Editing is important, but for the first draft, you want to forget all that. Keep your eyes on the screen, your fingers on the keyboard. Don’t care if your description is clunky or your transition is awkward—you’ll fix all that later. NaNo is all about getting the words out of your head and onto the page. Let self-doubt take a bystand because you never know if that crap you’re writing will actually turn out to be a golden turd.

5.) Make writing a priority. You may be a student, a full-time worker, a parent, or whatever else…but you’re still a writer. November gives you a reason to embrace that part of yourself that’s often kept locked away because of your commitments to everything else. Well, for one month of the year, make writing a part of your life! Schedule it in—and keep to it. You want to write a novel, don’t you? Well, then you have to put one word in front of another, day after day after day. It’s as easy—and as hard—as that.

Hopefully these five tips have given you some confidence in order to embark on this amazing journey. Don’t worry; you’re not alone! Leah has won NaNoWriMo the last two years, but I’m a newbie, just like you! I have written over 50, 000 words in a month before, but this is the first time where I’m doing it as a community, as well as being a full-time student and working full-time.

We want you to keep us accountable so follow our NaNo accounts here:

Kate

Leah

Add us as a friend and we’ll add you back! And as an incentive to keep you motivated, we’re giving you the opportunity to win an awesome writing-themed gift bag! If you win NaNo, send us your NaNo link and we’ll enter you in a draw to win an awesome prize!

Happy writings, guys! Let us know what you think your novel is going to be about in the comments below!

Watch more NaNo tips on our Vlog!