November is National Novel Writing Month, and it’s a blast! I love the challenge of writing a 50k-word novel in a month, and nanowrimo.org makes the process fun by awarding badges and bringing writing communities together.
Ready to take on National Novel Writing Month? Read on! In this post, I’ll talk about how I prep for NaNoWriMo and provide you with my top two books on writing that I’ve found incredibly useful.
While I love October and spend most of it celebrating Halloween all month long, I also begin my NaNoWriMo prep. I’ve participated every year since 2018 (the same year I wrote my first novel)! During this time, I reread parts of my favorite writing books, stick with my daily writing routine, and read tons of books.
Every year since 2018’s National Novel Writing Month, I’ve dabbled trying to stretch out a few short stories into novels. However, none of them have gripped me like my first novel (which I’m still meticulously editing). For this year, I’m focusing on story ideas I’ve stashed away that I’ve always wanted to try. As usual, I’m going for something supernatural with a handful of tortured monsters (I can’t help myself).
Recommended Writing Books for National Novel Writing Month
Here are my two favorite writing books I highly recommend. These books are perfect for the seasoned writer or newbie. Check them out!
This book is a treasure trove of the how-tos for every single element of creative writing. The story excerpts and exercises are invaluable. I swear that I’ve learned more in Chapter 5: Why You Need to Show and Tell than I did in all the writing courses, I took as an undergraduate. If you love creative writing and want a resource you can dive into head first, order yours today!
My #1 go-to for fiction writing. I came across this book over five years ago, and since then, it’s remained in my “reading pile” on my bedside table. I can’t count how many times I’ve read this book; each chapter is precious. If you’re looking for a book that provides short chapters and short writing practices, this book is for you!
I hope you find these writing books as helpful as I have for National Novel Writing Month. And if you’d like to recommend some of your favorites, leave a comment below!
Did you enjoy this post? Please like and share or leave a comment below with feedback! I’d love to hear from you, and I wish you happy writing this National Novel Writing Month! I’m always looking for other writers. If you’ve got a profile on nanowrimo.org, feel free to connect with me today! My profile username is alinahappyhansen.
Did you know that Instagram has nearly three billion people visiting its website monthly? Many people who spend time on Instagram are focused on creating an aesthetically pleasing feed that captures followers.
For me, Instagram has always been a form of entertainment, and as an artist, I love finding beautiful art from around the world to save and share with friends. But lately, I’ve begun having fun in a whole new way by creating editable Instagram post templates. Continue reading to find out how I have fun and see the designs I’ve made!
What’s Awesome About Canva Free
Canva Free is easy to use, fun, and, best of all, free! I discovered Canva earlier this year. As someone who’s struggled to get the hang of Adobe apps, I was immediately hooked. I had the Canva Pro for a few months because I wanted to try all of the elements I liked, but I quickly realized the free content was just as great. The ability to create website banners, social media posts and digital planners are fantastic. I felt like I could get creative and bring some of my digital design concepts alive.
Crafting Digital Designs and Editable Instagram Post Templates
Once I felt like I got Canva down, I fell down a rabbit hole, finding Instagram post template designs created entirely in Canva! I’m not an influencer or IG famous in any way, with a small following of around 200-ish. I love to post pictures of where I live (San Francisco) and share my poetry.
When I started creating captivating Instagram post templates for my poetry, I wanted to make more. After some research, I discovered that hundreds of people design templates and sell them on Etsy. Well, now, this sounds like fun.
How to Have Fun and Create Instagram Post Templates
I’m a writer and spend most of my free time writing, reading, or researching writing techniques and methods, you name it. But after a while, it’s nice to take a break and do something creative with no strings attached.
For the past few months, I’ve sliced out about four to five hours a week of free time to play around and have fun in Canva. To give myself something specific to focus on, I created Instagram post templates with specific themes using elements that I like.
What happened? I’m having a blast! So far, I’ve created three themed Instagram post template packs, and making each one allowed me to relax and have fun in a way I haven’t been able to in a long time.
If you like creating digital designs or want to start with Canva, try it out! I’m an artist, musician, writer, and so much more and I love how I can tap into my creativity and craft digital design templates in Canva Free. Want to take a look at the templates I’ve already created? Visit my Etsy shop, The Happy Poet Studio, today!
It was midafternoon when I popped in my wireless Bluetooth earbuds, blasted Depeche Mode, and walked to Trader Joe’s. The BF and I decided that a German potato salad on ciabatta buns sounded good for lunch, so I went hunting for bacon, a red onion, chocolate milk for him, and alcohol for me.
The wall of fog in the west has been creeping closer all day. It builds up higher and higher, creating a frothy foam on the bottom of the clear blue sky. A dramatic backdrop to the hills of buildings that dip and rise like rollercoaster rails.
The air nips and whips strands of loose hair around my head. I must keep my hair pulled back in a bun or plastic claw, or it’ll come alive in the wind and blind me. Sunglasses on, I squint, looking for a shady side of the street with taller buildings that can block out the wind and sun.
I’m still in love with SF and consider it a trillion times better than living in Utah. And I can’t believe I’ve lived here for over a year.
For once, TJ’s wasn’t packed with people in a hurry. The store’s speakers echoed old tunes; the layers between their music and DM’s cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes” created a comfortable sound wall-headspace so I could shop in peace.
It’s bittersweet shopping at TJ’s when it’s the closest option for affordable groceries.
Hand-basket contents: -one red onion -one half-gallon carton of chocolate milk -one box of green tea -seedless red grapes -4-pack of chocolate muffins (for the bf) -ciabatta buns -uncured no-sugar bacon
I wandered up and down the beer/wine aisle, trying to pick anything that isn’t a thirty-something-dollar bottle of gin (which is what I really want) or a weak <5% beer or cider. Not many German beers to choose from, which is what I would’ve preferred to pair with the potato salad, but that’s fine.
I settled on a 4-pack of sparkling Italian rosé (10% ABV), which is perfect since I found out a couple of nights ago that an 8% IPA doesn’t give me a buzz like it used to. The problem right now is that I’ve run out of gin, I’m working through a bottle of Kraken rum that tastes like candy, but I’ve been more in the mood for something bitter with a kick. But really, I just want more gin and can’t convince myself to spend the money on an entire bottle.
I’m going to start writing another novel this year. October will be my planning month, scribbling down ideas and playing with scenes, plots, and character descriptions. November, well, that’s National Novel Writing Month, so the plan is to write my novel then. I’ve completed NaNoWriMo before, but the last two times, I gave up on a story about a woman slowly losing her mind in a haunted apartment and traveling between two centuries. Before that, a bildungsroman about a 20-something guy with a mental illness who finds out his gay ex-girlfriend was murdered.
The last three months have been a slowdown period for me. I quit my full-time job, began freelancing more, and picked up two laid-back part-time jobs entirely different from what I’ve done for the last two years. I’m happy and in shock.
I hadn’t realized how depressed I was and how much I hated my job. Its negative impact on my mental health was so thorough I feel like I’ve crawled out of a six-foot-deep ditch. Working graveyard shifts from 7pm to 4am was melting my brain and ruining my health, and I figured out that working remotely full-time wasn’t good for me either. I need human interaction. Being isolated while having only a few hours of sunlight to feel like a human being pushed me to quit as soon as possible.
Now sleeping a total of eight hours at night, my mind is unclouded. I’m out in the city more, and I’ve lost weight (the heaviest I’ve ever been was working at home during the beginning of the pandemic).
I love being out, people-watching while I work in the city, and having evenings to spend with my BF when he comes home instead of squeezing in a “Hello” or “How was your day?” in a one-hour break before he would go to bed.
I’m healthier and happier but still combating the devastation of Roe v. Wade being overturned. Now with talk of a stupid National Abortion Ban bill, I know it’s just a matter of time before more rights are stripped away.
The rise of Fascism rooted in White Nationalism and Christianity in this country is a sickness. As time ticks by, I wonder how rotten things will really get.
My thoughts are on the women of Iran protesting for their freedom. My thoughts are on Ukraine and the Russians fleeing in fear of Putin. My thoughts are on Jackson, Mississippi. My thoughts are on Puerto Rico, and the list goes on…
I bought my groceries and sauntered home, letting the blustery wind cool me off. It’s a balancing act. Staying focused, calm, and grateful daily for food, shelter, and the privilege of living in SF. Some days are more complex than others because underneath it all, there’s this quiet current of decay that I feel pulsate through the country, reverberating across the globe. Is it my own decay that I’m projecting on the world?
More challenging times are ahead, or at least, that’s what I’ll always suspect.
I pull out my phone and switch to the playlist “The is The Cure.” I miss picking out CDs, searching for vinyl and inspecting the grooves, and going to bookstores or the library every week.
I cross California Street and analyze the tops of buildings, corners, and crevices. I don’t know anything about architecture, but I recognize the styles that resonate with me. I aim to capture just the bits and pieces of SF that stand out to me and put my haphazard collection on Insta. I can snap a shot of always on the lookout for a scene.
What’s my next novel going to be about? I’m not sure yet. Although I’ve been thinking about realistic fiction a lot lately, I don’t know how could I write anything and not let what’s happening bleed in one way or the other. I won’t stop it from happening, but what would it be like? Maybe I could attempt to capture the mood, the desperation, the fear of the unknown “What now?”
How can I write realistic fiction without my life bleeding into the story? What can a woman (an Atheist living a child-free life by choice) add to the conversation? I’ll let you know.
What I’m excited about: I’m going to My Chemical Romance next week in Oakland!
There’s been too much going on, from the war in Ukraine to the January 6th Attack Public Hearings, the continual mass shootings, and Roe v. Wade being overturned. I’ve been walking between two worlds of observations; looking at it all play out during moments of accidental disassociation. A writer left with her thoughts and words simmering in the dark violence that thrives.
I need some tea, I need some time, I need silence.
I haven’t written anything for this blog section since April because I’ve been working through everything that’s going on and making some life changes. But I think many of us are.
COVID-19 is still around, and inflation is now the highest it’s ever been in over four decades. And it doesn’t seem to be letting up. What’s next?
Recently, I recognized that what I’ve been feeling is similar to my state of being in March 2020. I’m watching sand castles get obliterated by a raging storm. And there’s this constant feeling of something preternatural churning below the surface around us.
During long, drawn-out days, it all reverberates through me. The whole world seems to be shattering, and I’m overwhelmed by all the battles. My emotions take the wheel, and I’m a wreck of worry, wondering what’s going to happen.
A Writer Slowing Down: Centering Myself and Quitting My Job
I’ve taken time to slow down and reassess what’s important and what needs to change in my life. This past month, I quit my job and pivoted to part-time ones in different fields.
I am working a couple of freelancing gigs; for one, I’m a freelance writer for a company where I craft SEO blog content for B2B and B2C companies. For the other, I’m doing more and more freelance work via Fiverr, and the uptick in orders has been wild. On top of that, I’m prepping for a part-time assistant role to get me out of the apartment and into the city more.
I realize I’ve been letting stress get the better of me for a few months now, and I can’t afford to let it continue. There’s no point in letting what you can’t control take control of you. But I constantly struggle with this.
All I have are my words and books to get me through this. And at the end of the day, I have to keep writing.
Read My Latest Post About Poetry: How to Come Up With Ideas for Poems in 3 Easy Ways
A gestation period of some sort. I recognize what this country is going through and what’s happening elsewhere; we are living in an era that won’t be forgotten, and it may be years until there is any kind of “peace.”
Some days, I need to word vomit about it until there’s nothing left. But, the trauma of the last two years has compounded with recent events leaving me hollowed out. So I have to cope.
I’ve been pouring over books, freewriting, and just getting lost trying to keep my mind busy. I can’t ignore what’s happening or how it affects me and everyone else; that’s impossible. But, I need small moments of nothingness, of “wasted time,” to reset my mind.
Staying Sane: Reading Poetry and Listening to Music
When times get tough, I only know how to keep it together by doing what I’ve always done: reading, writing, and learning. So here’s what I’ve been absorbing lately.
I’m reading Fog and Light: San Francisco through the Eyes of the Poets Who Live Here. And I’ve already begun putting together my SF July 2022 Spotify playlist.
At the beginning of the month, I finished Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice by Janet Malcolm and wrote a short review on Goodreads. I’m still unsure if I really liked the book or if my skepticism of the couple, specifically Gertrude’s character, was being projected on the book.
These are all fine things, good things I’ve done to keep my mind busy. But there’s no denying that what’s been happening is affecting me.
I’ve been worried about Roe v. Wade being overturned since Trump got into office. And when it finally happened, a numbness swept over me mixed with boiling rage.
With what’s going on, I am lucky I live in California, but I’m devastated. I can’t stop thinking about all the people whose human rights have been stripped across the country. And this is just the beginning.
Now it’s a countdown until they come after everyone who’s fought to have their voice heard, to be recognized and respected by society. If we don’t stand up for fundamental human rights, the boot will continue to smash us deeper into the ground and closer to hell.
In this society, I’m considered less than a human being but just a tool to be used by those in power. But this isn’t new, this has always been happening, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to see my rights gradually be stripped away during my life just because I’m a woman.
Joan Didion has been on my mind. Her work in the 60s was revolutionary. Her journalism, style, and voice are still strong, and I keep looking back because now the past feels like it’s come back from the dead. How can I balance writing and having something to say while dealing with the absolute turmoil of what’s going on?
It sucks.
And there’s nothing left to do but to go on. To keep going and see it all through. What I’m writing may warble and show signs of my emotional wear, but it’s the best I can do.
Writing poetry isn’t easy, but I’d say coming up with ideas for poems is even more challenging. Did you know that it can take decades for some poets to write a poem? C.K. Williams once said that writing one of his poems took him 25 years.
I’m not surprised. I have a few poems germinating in a digital file. Sometimes I imagine my poem drafts morphing into gorgeous pieces that blossom like magnolias all on their own, but this is never gonna happen.
Since I have difficulty coming up with ideas, I thought I’d share with you, my fellow poet, the three ways I come up with ideas. Continue reading to learn them and find out how I can help you write poetry.
Everyone has their own definition of what makes a poem “good.” I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and reading about the subject, only to find that there are varying interpretations of what “good” is.
Without getting into a cyclical debate on “good” poetry, I’ll say that I think poetry successfully does its job when it strikes an inner cord with the reader. And you’ll also feel this cord struck when ideas for poems suddenly come to you.
An emotional response, a human truth, a relatable scene or moment that digs deeper into what is happening on the surface. The point of poetry is to convey human experience with the bare bones of the language.
When you write poetry, you’re using essential communication tools to convey a profound experience (it doesn’t matter if you’re writing with an audience in mind or not). So, getting into what kind of ideas make good poetry?
We can always say the usual: life, love, and death. Breaking these three essential elements down is easy, and what could be said has been said before. But the point is to write poetry in your unique style and voice because there’s always another way to say the same thing.
The life experience that is unique to you influences your poetry. So, when you think about what kind of ideas are present in “good” poetry, what do you think of first?
I don’t just use these ways to develop ideas for poems. I also use them to start brainstorming about short story or novel ideas, but those processes have multiple levels. Different parts of my brain shift gears and work in various ways depending on what I’m writing.
On a side note: For me, it’s also crucial to collect words, so when I find words that I’d love to use in poems, I quickly jot them down in a tiny notebook I keep with me.
I hope you find my ways as helpful as I do!
1. Pick an Object Near You
Doesn’t matter where you are. I want you to pick something. It can be mundane, like a window, door, chair, or even a half-eaten meal or cold cup of coffee. Anything will do; the point is to pick an object and write about it.
From here, we can go in any direction we want. What I do is write a long description of the object, going into as much detail as possible. I love describing shapes and colors and will often research particular shades of colors until I find the closest match.
Freewrite, and don’t stop until you feel like you’ve wrung the object dry. Ask yourself, “if someone read my description, could they picture the [object] without seeing it in person?” Once you have that begin stripping it.
Cut out unnecessary words, and chisel the writing down to your absolute favorite parts of it. Take this piece, a very rough draft of a poem, and use this as a baseboard. Start playing with what you have as you think about an idea for your poem.
You’re waiting for pieces to click together in your mind, for connections to be made that jump instantaneously out at you. By giving yourself a starting point, you’ll be able to build the framework of a poem.
2. Using the Five Senses to Come Up With Ideas for Poems
I love using the five senses in my poetry. Mainly, I emphasize sight and sound since these senses are so strongly connected with my memories. I prefer relying heavily on the senses when coming up with ideas because I love imagery poetry.
Take a moment, close your eyes, and slowly think about what your body senses. Go over the five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound, and really think about what’s happening around you.
Now, write down your observations in detail. Put your writing away for a few minutes. I usually give it five to ten minutes, then reread it and pick out parts that stand out to you.
Take these parts and begin playing with them, put them together, rearrange them, expand or trim them, or build a scene. Once you begin playing with your words, your mind will open up, and the ideas will start coming.
Looking for a book about how to write poetry? I highly recommend Poemcrazy?
3. Choose a Moment You Experienced This Week
Were you taking out the trash, and the bag broke right before you could put it in the bin? Did you receive a letter from a loved one out of the blue? Or how about you were out walking and saw an interaction between two people that made you pause?
There must be a moment that you have from this week that you can draw from. I love noticing the mundane things like if a product changes the color of its packaging labels or if the same three cigarette butts are in the same spot in a gutter I pass every day as I leave my apartment.
Not very exciting, I know, but there are many moments to think about. And you can write about any moment you want, from what you had for breakfast on Tuesday to how the people restlessly moved while in line at the post office.
Your goal here is to nail down a moment, write about it (you guessed it, in great detail), and then go from there. You’re looking for tiny slices of the human experience outside of yourself that you can dive into.
Write about the world around you, and don’t be afraid to write gibberish. Get all the details down so you can parse through them. I often find that ideas for poems will surface after I analyze my notes.
I meet a lot of flustered people that are trying to write. Whether they want to write more or get started, most of them don’t have any ideas for poems. Frustrated, they sometimes ask me for help.
Still, I can only say so much because I feel that writing poetry is a personal experience and it’s very easy to find a list of poetry prompts.
So what are the benefits of my three ways to come up with ideas? They work.
I gave up on poetry prompts a while ago because I was tired of trying to write about the same old stuff. I don’t want to write poetry about anything. I want to pinpoint my unique experiences and observations and root my poetry in them.
Your Favorite Creative Writing Mentor
I hope my ways help you come up with ideas for poems. There’s nothing I love more than helping my fellow poets and writers succeed. And I’m always looking for the best books on writing and new resources I can share.
But if you feel like you need some extra help writing poetry or any type of creative writing project you’re working on, I can help. You can book a 90-minute zoom session with me, and I’ll work with you one-on-one as your favorite creative writing mentor.
I’m always open to finding a budget and schedule that works for both of us! ?
Interested? You can learn more about how I’ll be your favorite creative writing mentor and the additional services I offer. Feel free to email me anytime at alinahappyhansenwriter@gmail.com, I can’t wait to connect with you!
Want to read some of my poetry? Check out my Poetry Archives!
