Camp NaNoWriMo is almost upon us, and if you, like me, are taking up the challenge, then chances are that you’re in the middle of last minute preparations. Maybe you’re finishing up plotting, like I am, or you’re clearing away a TBR pile, or putting the finishing touches to the edits of another book. There are many things to be done to make Camp NaNoWriMo a little easier. Today I’d like to share a few useful links that hopefully might help your Camp go a little smoother.

Willa @Willa Nicole Scribblings has a post on five unusual ways to get over writers block. 

Sophie @The Techno Maid has a great video with tips and tricks to help you make it through Camp NaNoWriMo 

@Go Teen Writers has two great posts on motivating yourself to write. Stephanie Morrill has five tips to help you keep going to the end of your book. Guest poster Katherine Grubb has seven tips to help you carve out the time and space to work on your book.

Laura Mizvaria @Writer Owl has an awesome post listing eleven websites for writers. There are name generators, inspiring Pinterest profiles and many more helpful sites.

Imogen @Gossiping with Dragons (hey wait, that’s me!) has a post on three ways to motivate yourself. 

These are a few of the useful posts I’ve found. Now it’s your turn. Link me to some posts you’ve found helpful. Are you taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo? 

There are several things that I love about music and YouTube. First there is so much of it just waiting to be discovered. Second, my favourite musicians are always releasing new songs for me to listen to. And thirdly, some pieces come with amazing music videos to accompany them, like the music video for Taylor Davis’ brand new original piece Reflections. This song forms part of her newly released album of original music, which I plan to buy and listen to on repeat for days.

This song reminds me very much of video game music. It has an intense feel to it, very focused and determined, growing to quite an upbeat, epic piece, which almost feels like the triumphant end of a quest. The video itself is amazingly inspiring and packed with plot bunnies. Have you ever wondered what would happen if your reflections had lives and worlds of their own? What would happen if one day your reflection didn’t follow your movements?

Who is your favourite musician of the moment? Have you ever read a book about reflections? What are you listening to this week? And are you a fan of Taylor Davis’ music?

New ideas are exciting. They’re shiny and perfect, the best idea since writing was invented, and they beg you to do something with them at once. You’ve just got to write it down, get it out on paper. Or at the very least tell someone all about this brilliant new idea of yours. Or do you? It’s something I’ve noticed, some writers love to tell people about their latest project, or the newest amazing idea the writing muse blessed them with. And other people prefer not to talk about it at all, at least until the first draft or two has been written.

For me, I liked to talk about my writing projects, but only with the people I know will understand and support me. These include family members, such as my amazing sister and brainstorming partner, my writing friends and a few very close friends. But when it comes to telling strangers and most non-writers, I suddenly don’t know what to say. I don’t feel comfortable with telling them about my book, and I’m certainly not sure that they will be as interested, or as supportive, as my vulnerable creative side needs them to be.

Why is it so hard to talk about our books, to discuss the amazing creations of our brains? Is it because we’re afraid that people won’t be as excited as we are? Is it because the idea is just so good we don’t want to spoil it by telling other people? Is it because we’re afraid that people just won’t get it? Maybe we don’t want outside influences on our ideas until they’re a little more developed? I don’t know. Maybe it’s all of these reasons or none of them.

I’d like to hear from you guys on this. Do you tell people about your current project? What about new ideas? Why do you think it’s so hard sometimes to tell people about our books? I don’t know the answers. You tell me!

Surprise! It’s Saturday and I have a post for you all. Today I’m joining in with Ashana Lian’s new link-up, Fiction Friday. Fiction Friday is a feature designed to allow writers to share an excerpt of their works in progress, or, if they don’t have anything ready to share, to answer a question about their book instead. This week’s topic is “Does your main character have any siblings?” Today I’m going to be daring and both answer the question, and share an excerpt.

I love siblings in fiction, or friends who are so close that they could be siblings. When you have siblings, you can have fights, in-jokes, and a group of people who will always have your back. Or, alternatively, you could have a bitter feud and sibling rivalry, which is almost as awesome. I’ve used both kinds of siblings in my writing. My current work in progress is my YA fantasy, The Crystal Tree, which is undergoing edits at the moment, and it contains an example of both friendly and fighting siblings.

Briar, the main character, and her sister Ava are my friendly siblings. They fight. Briar is a bossy older sister. But they love each other to bits really. Briar would do anything for Ava. Sadly Ava only makes an appearance in a few scenes, but their relationship is super important throughout the book. By contrast, you have my villain, Sachio. His relationship with his brother is a perfect example of sibling rivalry gone wrong.

 Now I’d like to share not one, but two excerpts, one for each type of sibling relationship. Enjoy!

*

Briar ducked down a small lane that ran between this house and the one next door. She hoisted her skirt up and picked her way through the muddy puddles, her feet automatically searching for the raised cobbles that would keep her feet out of the dirt.

Her eyes searched the next street as she reached the corner, quickly picking out Ava’s familiar figure waiting at the back of the white house. Her shapeless brown dress instantly marked her as a servant. Ava glanced Briar’s way, then darted towards her, a huge smile spreading over her freckled face. Briar grabbed her sister and squeezed her tight.

"Hey Birdie," she said. "Sorry I’m so late. We had a squad of soldiers come in right as we were about to close up. I thought I'd never get away."

"It's ok. I was just afraid you’d been caught." Ava squeezed Briar, then pulled back, tilting her head to look up into Briar's face. “You won’t be though, right?”

Briar grinned at her. "Of course not. I’m always careful. Oh. Rayna says hi by the way." Her heart swelled inside her when she looked at her sister. It was worth all the danger and rule breaking to see her. There was no way she’s give up this weekly trip, not unless she absolutely had to.

*

“I’m only an outlaw because you twisted my father’s mind against me.” Kade’s voice held an intense fury Briar had never heard before. “I never did anything and you know it.”

“On the contrary my dear nephew.” Lord Sachio stepped closer to Kade, an icy smile spreading over his face. “You were found to be plotting to overthrow your own father. Naturally I had to protect my brother. He loved you, and the grief of your betrayal turned his mind. I merely try to comfort him and keep the country stable while he grieves.” Sachio was like a snake, deadly, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

“It’s your fault that my father is going mad.” Kade took a half step forward, straining against the guards. “You’re trying to overthrow the king, not me.”

“Very well. I can admit that. So what? I should have been the king. If it were for that outdated tradition I would have been king. It’s my right.” Sachio’s eyes flashed with an anger that mirror Kade’s.

“The rules are there are for a reason,” Kade said. “Those with magic-”

“Don’t tell me about the rules.” Sachio’s composed face twisted into an animal-like snarl. “I live with the consequences of those rules every day of my life. Every day I walk through the castle and watch my younger brother rule the kingdom in my place. I’m just trying to put things back the way they should have been.”

“This is exactly why no magician should ever be king. You abuse your power. You manipulate people, even your own family. You disgust me, Uncle.” Kade spat the last word out.

A chilling smile slid over Sachio’s lips. “You have no idea how amusing it is to hear that name coming from you. I could be the doting uncle and welcome you back with open arms. But instead I shall be the reliable brother protecting the king and kingdom from the actions of a traitor. Your death day is set Kade. As soon as I get you back to Mizra, you will die and I will prove myself the true saviour of Kerr.”

*

Now it’s your turn. Do you have any siblings in your books? Are you planning on join Ashana’s link up (you should!)? Leave me a link to your post in the comments! Do you prefer friendly or fighting siblings? Who are your favourite fictional siblings?

Occasionally I discover not one piece of writing music but a massive resource with enough music to last a life time. Or at least a few feverish writing sessions. This week, I present to you, Extreme Music. This website is dedicated to music, specifically from films and TV shows, although they have plenty of other music too. There are loads of albums to try. Or, if you need music to suit a certain mood, genre or situation, you can search the keywords. Then refine the search as needed, even down to the type of instruments used. You can even filter the songs by speed, depending on how much energy you need in your music.

You can find Extreme Music HERE.

I’m still exploring this site myself, but I’m loving it already. With Camp NaNoWriMo just around the corner, a musical resource like this is a gold mine. I know where I’ll be going to find the music for my writing sessions. I’m looking up more romantic-y types of music at the moment to help me prepare my novel. What type of music suits your book? Is there a song that just feels right for your plot?

April is right around the corner, and with it comes Camp NaNoWriMo. If you’re taking up the challenge like me, then you might be prepping your plot in anticipation of the big day. Maybe, like me, you’re lacking a bit in the ideas department. You might be struggling to come to grips with a new genre, or just trying to flesh out a brand new idea into something you can work with. Whatever your plotting problem is, fear not! I have several steps that always help me when I’m getting to grips with the outline of a brand new story.

Start by identifying your story goal: What is your story about anyway? Is it an epic quest to slay a dragon? A romance where the boy wants to win the girl? Identifying your story goal is the first step to having a solid basis for your story. Make sure you’re clear on what’s really happening in this book.

Work out what you know: Do you have ideas for random scenes? Are there relationships you’d like to cultivate? Events you would like to add to your plotline? Write it down. You might not have enough for an entire plot yet, but you might be surprised at how much you actually know about this book. Plus, going through what you know can inspire other ideas. And writing down these things gives you a skeleton to build the rest of the plot around.

Get to know your characters: Who is this delightful cast of colourful characters you’re planning to spend the next month with? What do they do with their lives? What are their hopes and dreams? Their disappointments? Interview your characters. Fill out questionnaires if you like them. Dig into their backstories. Plot ideas often grow naturally from characters, so by getting to know your characters, you might find yourself generating new plot ideas. Plus it’s always helpful to know something about the people you’re going to spend an entire book with.

Build around what you have: You might not have a full plot yet. But you do have an idea that your questers are going to cut through a quicksand bog and nearly lose a companion to the treacherous sands. Brainstorm around this event. Why did they cut through the bog? What made them so desperate as to risk the quicksand? Are they being chased? Are they on a fast approaching deadline? Building around what you already know allows you to fill in smaller gaps rather than being faced with the daunting task of coming up with an entire book.

If you can, brainstorm with someone else: One of my sisters loves helping me fill in my plot holes. We spend an evening talking about the book, discussing ideas and bouncing suggestions off each other, and the plot just seems to materialise of its own accord. If you have someone else to help you, try brainstorming with them. They may be able to suggest connections and ideas that didn’t occur to you, or could trigger some new ideas of your own.

These are a few of the steps I follow when I’m trying to outline a basic plot for a new book. What do you do when you’re plotting? Are you doing Camp NaNoWriMo? What will you be writing about? If you’re not doing Camp NaNo, what are you working on at the moment?

Renegade has a hauntingly lonely sound to it. The beginning sounds like wind blowing through a desolate landscape. As the song progresses, it develops a determined feel to it, though it’s still fairly lonely. It would suit a character who is a lone warrior, or someone who stands against a large foe, such as a government. To me, it conjures up a dystopian or post-apocalyptic feel, but might also work for a fantasy setting.

What are you listening to this week? What is your favourite type of music to listen to?

Last week, I participated in Fan Month, an event run throughout the month of March by the awesome Heather from Sometimes I’m a Story (more details on Fan Month here). I spent a week visiting blogs, commenting on blog posts, and encouraging other bloggers. It’s an amazing event, and I would highly recommend taking a week to be a fan of other people’s blogs. It’s a great reminder that this blogging thing is not just about us. After my Fan Week, I have a few thoughts to share about my experience.

What statistics do you have to share?

Ah stats. I have some incredibly precise statistics to share with you all today. I know you’re dying to see them.

Blogs visited: 24(ish)

New blogs followed: 5

Comments left: 25(ish)

Blog posts shared: 20

As you can see, I was amazingly good at keeping count of how many blogs I visited and commented on (not.) If you’d like to see all the awesome blog posts I shared, hop over to my Facebook page and enjoy!

Did you find or learn anything new and exciting this week?

I found several awesome new blogs, an interesting post on why music and writing go so well together, and a whole series of writing prompts that I know are going to help me muchly when I run out of inspiration. Here are the links if you too would like to check them out.

Surprisingly, no. I’m actually very happy with the way things are on here at the moment. While I enjoyed visiting other blogs, I like the way I run my own.

What was your favourite part? Your least favourite part?

My favourite part of my Fan Week was definitely getting to explore new blogs and meet amazing bloggers. There’s a whole world of great blogs out there that I’ve never seen. The few I added to my reading list are excellent. You should check them out if you haven’t already.

My least favourite part is probably how time consuming finding new blogs is. I found it difficult to work out how to locate new blogs. Blogrolls on other people’s blogs were incredible helpful (thank you to the lovely people who suggested blogs for me to visit. You were so helpful). I don’t regret the time spent on Fan Week at all though.

Did you enjoy your experience? Would you do it again?

Yes! This event has a great thought behind it and reminds me that I am part of a huge community. I would definitely participate in Fan Week again if Heather decides to host it again (hint hint!). Next time though, I think I’ll work out a better system for discovering new blogs to save time. Then maybe I can get round to a few more.

Are you participating in Fan Month? What's the best part about it for you? If not, would you do something like this in the future? What is the best blog you’ve discovered recently?