Rebecca's Rambles…

I moustache you a question. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with Movember but it is connected to November; the national month dedicated to writing a novel. So did you manage to write anything over November?

I got involved along with seven other bloggers to create a piece of fiction (it wasn’t quite the 50,000 word masterpiece that some writers produce) though still worth a read. We were all sent Rory’s story cubes in order to come up with ideas for the story and we each wrote a chapter in turn.

What did I learn from NaNoWriMo challenge?

The overall experience was really enjoyable, especially as I saw the characters and story develop (after my contribution of the second chapter).  It always amazes me how everyone’s imagination is so different and this was definitely the case with this.

I think the story cubes are definitely a nice present for a writer as they prompt random creativity. I know I will be using these for little writing exercises and even perhaps for songwriting or poetry.

Writing exercises

One of my favourite books for prompting your creativity is The Lie That Tells The Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction by John Dufresne. It has simple tips and tricks to aid your writing and is a book worthy of a place on your bookshelf. He suggests simple ideas, such as how you should take a notebook and record conversations that you hear when out (obviously discretely) and one tip I always suggest is keeping a dream book. Just keep a notepad and pen by your bedside and as soon as you awake, jot down your dream. It can help your memory and give you plenty of writing material.

How do you improve your writing? Any exercises, tried and tested, to recommend?