Author: Rose Sparrowking

Science Fiction Writers’ Week with ProWritingAid

~ Rose Sparrowking

Sci-Fi Writers’ week was September 11-14 and while I watched many of the sessions, these were the only two that inspired me to take notes. There was another session that I wanted to watch, but there was a problem with the wrong video being posted and I never went back to see if they fixed it. And now I’ve lost the link, so that’s poor planning on my part.

I have signed up for another webinar, How to Structure Your Plot and Finally Start Your Novel with Katja Kaine, on September 26th and I’ve bookmarked the link this time. Live and learn! I’m looking forward to this because plotting is a struggle for me. I can develop characters and setting and dream up a few scenes but getting a well structured plot has eluded me so far. I usually end up pantsing it, which doesn’t lead to a cohesive plot and requires a lot of editing.

Onto the webinar session reviews:

The first session I watched was by Joe Nicoletti of AI for Authors, talking about how to use ChatGPT as a writer. I knew very little going in, so this one was very informative, even though he only scratched the surface of what’s out there. His main point was learning to develop the best prompt for AI to get the results you want. Think of what expert you need the AI to be, who the audience is, what tone of voice, what writing style and what the context is for your prompt. Get specific. Then ask follow up questions and drill down. Don’t know what to ask? Ask the AI what you should be asking. He got ChatGPT to generate some awesome ideas and characters, even an alien language with pronunciation, with his prompt and follow ups. He was so enthused by what he was demonstrating, that the ProWritingAid monitor had to cut in and tell him he only had 2 minutes left in his time slot. Haha! Definitely going to be playing with this and looking to learn more.

Next session I watched in replay was a talk by the author Lauren Buekes. Loved this one, as she’s very encouraging but also down to earth. She acknowledged that creating is hard, but it’s so worthwhile. “Art is the fire we light against the darkness.” And to just finish: “Finish the damn book. Nothing else matters. Stop second-guessing yourself and write through to the end. You don’t know what you have until you’ve finished it. You don’t know how to fix it until it’s all down on the page.” Also, something on AI: “There is a subconscious magic in process and I think this is what AI is never going to be able to do. There is the subconscious thing that happens as you’re typing and the words change and the characters run away with you and do something different and it’s not magic and you’re not possessed. It is your brain. It’s the wonder of your brain and it’s the wonder of thinking about things and actually writing it and the process is the writing and that’s why it’s so important to finish.” If you can hear her speak, I’d would encourage you to take advantage!

I’m looking forward to more webinars with ProWritingAid and let me know if there are other webinars (preferably free!) happening out there that you’d recommend.

It Only Takes One

~ Rose Sparrowking

Someone posted this image to Facebook today:

Ugh! How do you let something go? This one asshole is ruining my day… because I’m letting them.

It’s the first time I’ve had to block someone on the NaNo forums. I imagine that it’s some 13 year boy pranking people online. It was that infantile and obvious. I get a chat message and I’m suspicious because I don’t know this person and there’s nothing in their profile. I ask what they’re doing for NaNo and they reply they didn’t know and were really there to connect to people. A red flag, but nothing in the conversation is crossing a line. They keep complaining about being tired and I keep sidestepping the issue until finally I ask, because I know that’s what they want. And, yes, their genitals are the reason they are so tired.

Double ugh! Boys! Whatever the age! This is why I’m writing about a female only society for NaNo and the disruption of men when they arrive.

And FFS, I know it’s not all men!

So, the situation has been on my mind all day and I wish I could go into my head and erase the entire thing.

I need to learn some techniques in how to let things go!

Links to Articles on Using AI for Writers

~ Rose Sparrowking

I am technologically curious and really enjoyed what little I’ve learned about using AI for creative writing. Enough that I’d like to learn more. I am concerned about how AI has been trained and what that means as far as copywrite for authors. But I think for generating ideas, characters, and other items that aren’t actual writing, AI could be very useful.

Here’s a few links about using ChatGPT for writing:

How to use ChatGPT for writing by TechRadar. Summarizing, creating characters, worldbuilding, creating outlines and some good tips for better prompts.

5 Ways ChatGPT Can Improve, Not Replace, Your Writing at Wired. Use ChatGPT as a writing assistant. Find the right word. Generate ideas. Do research, but check out the sources! Generate character and place names. Have it review your writing.

9 ChatGPT Tips for Writers (Plus Prompts) from EvatoTuts+. 9 tips for writers using ChatGpt.

How to Write a Novel With ChatGPT (Ultimate Guide in 2023) from WritingBeginner. “Write a novel with ChatGPT by generating outlines, descriptions, dialogue, and scenes. Using prompts like, “Describe the setting of the scene” or, “Create a dramatic confrontation,” ChatGPT generates unique and compelling output, scene by scene. Refine and edit the output to fit your story’s needs.”

Online courses:

Write an entire novel with AI? Sudowrite. I’ve listened to The Creative Penn’s podcast with Amit Gupta from Sudowrite and it’s worth a listen to hear their side of the AI and creative writing debate. I am technologically curious enough to at least give it a try.

NaNoWriMo 2023

~ Rose Sparrowking

Yesterday I began work on my prep for my novel for NaNoWriMo 2023. (What’s that? Short answer: join people around the world to write 50,000 words in November.)

I signed up online and started freewriting ideas on my protagonist, the antagonist, the setting and the conflict. Plot points emerged organically as I worked.

I’m planning this work as the background for my protag for the novel I’ve been kicking around for years. I find I write so much background so I can understand my character(s) that I figure why not write a novella of it. This may backfire on me as I’ll be thinking of background for the background story but experimentation is all good. And by background, I want to understand what my character wants, needs and what false belief is keeping them from getting what they need.

Theme is starting to tickle the back of my mind. And names. And setting. This is the fun part!

I’ve got a basic title: Rowan’s Story. It may change.

But if it doesn’t, that’s okay too. The point for me is to write the story and to finish writing the story.

I used an AI generator to create an image (Stable Diffusion) for my cover. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I’m not talented or experienced enough to create something like the image myself. I don’t want to spend money for someone to create a cover for me because it’s not a book I’m looking to publish. But I do want to support creative people. I’ll have to keep wrestling with this. I will note somewhere that I generated the cover with the help of an AI generator.

Here’s the book cover I made up:

I’m looking forward to more freewriting today. I think I’ll be focusing on the antagonist. A specific person? Society at large? Plus I’ve already run into a conundrum in the plot to puzzle out. Fun times!

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? Let me know!

Sci Fi Writers’ Week

~ Rose Sparrowking

ProWritingAid is hosting an online summit for Sci Fi Writers, September 11-14. Free!

I’ve attended several of these over the years. Yes, most of the speakers are going to try to sell something to you. Of course, ProWritingAid is going to try to sell you their product. Which I already own, haha. But I usually pick up a few interesting ideas.

Normally I can’t watch live due to life, etc. so I watch the replays. I check out the special offers if it’s for something I’m interested in.

There are several authors speaking and I find their talks to be the most informative.

Jordan Ifueko, Lauren Beukes, Eileen Cook and Julie E. Czerneda

Also Anne Hawley, Rachelle Ramirez and Savannah Gilbo, who often speak at these events, always drop some great info. I know Savannah is speaking on writing engaging scenes because I follow her.

I’m interested in what the archaeologist, Dan Hanks, is going to speak about. His Instagram only says that he’ll be attending.

The website mentions: “Learn strategies for outlining, editing, publishing, marketing and more,” plus networking events.

A great FREE event sci fi writers should check out.

Handwriting and Creativity

~ Rose Sparrowking

I have this belief that writing by hand increases creativity, so I chose that idea for my first blog post. And, what do you know, I can’t find any support for that hypothesis in my admittedly brief internet search.

By first blog, I mean first blog post after a long hiatus and most of my former posts were just lists or me complaining.

Back to the subject.

There is science showing that writing by hand improves comprehension of a subject compared to typing notes.

“We conclude that because of the benefits of sensory-motor integration due to the larger involvement of the senses as well as fine and precisely controlled hand movements when writing by hand and when drawing, it is vital to maintain both activities in a learning environment to facilitate and optimize learning.”

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01810/full

“We show that whereas taking more notes can be beneficial, laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning”

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797614524581

So, more senses, better learning. Also, better processing, better learning. Does this aid in creativity? What is creativity?

The American Psychological Association defines creativity as:

Creativity is the ability to produce or develop original work, theories, techniques, or thoughts. A creative individual typically displays originality, imagination, and expressiveness.

Creative thinking refers to the mental processes leading to a new invention or solution to a problem. Products of creative thinking include new machines, social ideas, scientific theories, artistic works, and more.

https://www.apa.org/topics/creativity

Except there’s truly nothing new under the sun. So, how do you get original ideas?

By making unique connections between ideas, knowledge, thoughts.

“Creativity is just connecting things.” ~ Steve Jobs

No one has the same thoughts, memories, knowledge, experiences. So we can be original by making connections that no one else could.

They say that there are only so many basic plots to a story and yet, the number of stories is infinite.

Every story in the world has one of these six basic plots, https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180525-every-story-in-the-world-has-one-of-these-six-basic-plots

The Seven Basic Plots, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots

Nine Basic Plots, https://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/basic-plots.html

So, handwriting.

Taking notes by hand will definitely aid you in learning about a subject. And knowing something, and not forgetting it once you close your laptop, will aid in making connections.

Handwriting is slower than typing, which may give your brain the lag time to make connections. I’m only guessing at this, however.

Because handwriting involves so much more of your senses and body than handwriting, it may help focus and that may spur creativity.

I will offer that during NaNoWriMo of 2022, I did a lot of word sprints on my laptop in order to generate enough words to meet my goal. I found that this often gave me ideas, like my mind was in overdrive.

Therefore, find what works creatively for you. Mix it up. Take notes by hand. Type your great American novel in sprints. See what gets things connecting and keep creating.

Edit on 2/7/24. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-living/202402/writing-by-hand-is-good-for-your-brain

Writing progress

~ Rose Sparrowking

I’m writing my story by hand. Which feels very retro in this high-tech world but I’m liking it. True, I’ve only written for two days but that’s two days in a row which I haven’t done since November.

I find it’s easier to avoid editing my writing as I go. I can just let the words come out, scratch out the ones I don’t want, make notes in the margins and keep with the flow.

Even typing up this post, I keep stopping every time I hit a suggestion or a misspelling or a grammar mistake. Yes, I could turn off all of that if I wanted to and took the time to figure out how to do it.

There is science suggesting that writing by hand stimulates different parts of the brain as compared to typing. I feel like this is true, but it’s an experiment of one at the moment.

If it works and it ain’t hurting anyone or breaking any laws, then do it.

Writing Software

~ Rose Sparrowking

I finally gave up on LibreOffice Writer. It just kept crashing on me.

I kept looking for something like Word but without the subscriptions. Isn’t that the way everything is going now, with subscriptions? I really dislike the trend.

I caved and bought the home edition. I don’t think I need more than that. Hopefully. And I can integrate it with my ProWritingAid.

I haven’t been writing since November when I did NaNoWriMo. I tried with Camp NaNo this month again, but I just didn’t give writing the commitment required.

So I’m working on an old project that was unfinished but has never left my mind. There’s a niggling thought that I’ll never write another story until I finish this old one, which is bullshit but I’m going to finish it anyway. More for a sense of accomplishment. And for a way to let it go and move on.

No one will ever see it and know it’s mine since it’s fAnFIcTioN and is terrible. But so much fun. And a way to instill a habit.

Brain Dump for NaNoWriMo 2021

~ Rose Sparrowking ~ 1 Comment

This post is a bit of a brain dump for me, collating all the NaNo prep advice I’ve bookmarked.

  1. Decide how much time daily I will spend on the NaNo forums! Yikes! I’ve already been wasting too much time on the forums and they’re not even really active yet. I’ve put out feelers for buddies–but no one has responded. Is it too early? Or was I too brash? Do I want to start my own group?
  2. PLOT. Pants or plan? Definitely plan. So, a basic outline. Snowflake? Save the cat? Story grid?
  3. Research. What do I need to research for my story? Add visuals to pinterest
  4. CHARACTER Character bible.
  5. Tools. Bluetooth keyboard for my laptop. Keyboard tray for the old desk. Dedicated notebook. Good pen. Soundtrack? Noise cancelling headphones.
  6. The rest of my life: Schedule writing time. Plan menus and use pickup for grocery shopping. Make ahead meals. Clean house in October so that November only needs a touch up.
  7. CALENDAR Schedule writing. Plan word counts. Plan days off. Thanksgiving for sure. Chapter goals or plot point goals? What can I give up to free up writing time?
  8. Don’t edit
  9. SETTING Sketch out setting for novel. Planet. Spaceship. Cave.
  10. THEME What is the theme of the story?
  11. Physical prep. Get signed up on NaNoWriMo.org. Set up a folder on computer. Have pen/notebook on desk. Lamp. Headphones charged. Maybe get out of house and write other places, library? Inspirational quotes? Calendar on wall?
  12. Write what’s exciting to me!
  13. Pick POV and tense.
  14. Word tracking system. I’m using this one from Justin McLachlan
  15. Keep working out! Go for walks. Rest and recharge.
  16. Figure out my why.
  17. Make a commitment to enjoy the journey and to see it through
  18. Create a ritual to signal that writing is now happening.
  19. I will feel I’ve won NaNoWriMo if…

NaNoWriMo 2021

~ Rose Sparrowking ~ 2 Comments

I can even tell you how many years I’ve attempted NaNoWriMo and failed to hit 50,000 words. Well, not this year. 50,000 or bust!

Starting my prep already and I am trying to recruit buddies and be present in the forums. But not too present as forums really eat up writing time.

I recently started working at my local library and my immediate supervisor has attempted NaNo in the past. Hoping we can cheer each other on this year!

Here are some of my prep links:

NaNo Prep 101. Prep help from the NaNoWriMo site.

NY Book Editors nano prep. A guide for first timers, with great info

Abbie Emmons on Youtube. Love Abbie. Such good writing advice!

How to Prep for NaNoWriMo in 7 Days. Medium article. Get ready in a week.

The Ultimate Guide to Planning for NaNoWriMo. Very thorough. Lots of questions to get you thinking.

NaNoWriMo Prep Checklist to Help You Slay That 50k. I really want to slay my 50K this year! She brings up things I haven’t seen everywhere else, like self care and creating a cover for you book.

How I Prepare for NaNoWriMo (including Preptober Checklist)

How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: Your 4-Week Success Plan

Want to Win NaNoWriMo? The Secret Is Preparation. Jane Friedman always has such great writing advice.

I am RoseSparrowking on NaNoWriMo. Let’s be buddies and crush 50K this November!