Wednesday Writer Club: Getting started for NaNo

Sadly this year I won't be taking part in NaNoWriMo.  With a new job and a baby on the way, life has me pulled in too many directions to start a new project.

But I took part last year, and I have to say, it was an amazing experience. 

So for any of you that might be looking of tips on making it through NaNo or looking for procrastination, I thought during this NaNo season, I'd offer my two cents.

Today, we're looking at a way to get started on NaNo.  For many writers, having a moment of inspiration is the easy part.  But if you are having a hard time getting started, here's a few places to go to look for a spark to get your flame going:

Plot Scenario Generator
Each time you refresh the page, you get a starting scenario and a secondary conflict.  Most of them are generic enough they could work for any genre.  Every now and then, though you get a suggestion from left field.  

Serendipity
So maybe you have an idea, but you don't know where to go after your first big scene.  Serendipity will give you a plot twist to help keep you going. You can generate up to fifty plot twists at a time.  Most of the suggestions edge on the silly side, but it can be a good way to loosen up your writing and getting over a rough patch.

Random Title Generator
If all else fails, sometimes just an intriguing title can give you the flicker of an idea.  Try this generator and see if it works for you.  Some of them are ridiculously silly, but there are some that are interesting enough that I'd pick them up in the store.

Where do you turn when you're stuck with no ideas?  Any of you planning on doing NaNo this year?

Pretty designs and blank minds

A couple of short updates today.  First, I received my first Postcrossing card from the US.  "Bizzlebee" sent me a postcard with a picture of her dog and a beautiful handmade card as well.

 She usually sends cards with bluebonnets and donkeys, but since we actually live pretty close by, she sent me a picture of her 12 year old dog.  He/she's go the prettiest blue eyes!

 Bizzlebee also send me this beautiful handmade card.  She's been doing arts and crafts for stress relief lately.  She actually has an Etsy account too, it's empty at the moment (like mine), but she's looking to add things pretty soon.

This is day nine of the challenge.  I haven't started writing yet, but as soon as this posts, I'm planning on getting back to work.

7,328 words written

1 completed chapter

What I've learned about the process:
Second chapters are hard!  The first chapter was pretty easy because a lot of it was catching the reader's attention.  But this second chapter I have to set up a whole new section of exposition and lay the foundation for the current timeline (the novel has flashback chapters).  I've gotten stuck  several times while writing this chapter, simply because I don't know which direction to go next.

What I've learned about myself:
I need someone to "talk through" issues in my writing.  I was stuck for three days at the beginning of my second chapter, only writing about 1000 words over the three.  But then I sat down with the Husband and just talked about the issues.  Just putting random ideas out there and brainstorming with another warm body in the room helped me figure out where I wanted to go next.