I'm turning my post this month over to my good friend and fellow author, Ellis Vidler . This is the program she recently gave at the Greenville, SC, Public Library on NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's simple: write 50,000 words on a new novel during the month of November. I've never done it, but Ellis has an outline on how to accomplish such a daunting feat. Pay attention. ~ Polly Iyer PREPARATION: FIRST DRAFT IN THIRTY DAYS 1 GENRE/IDEA Decide on the type of story—crime/romance/suspense/coming of age/adventure/etc. What do you like to read? Base your story on a subject you like, know, or are interested in (something you are capable of researching). Idea sources are everywhere. • News articles • Trade or subject magazines • Movies/documentaries • Other, such as events in your life 2 CHARACTERS Character A and Character B, possibly Character C. Don’t forget the antagonist or the villain. S/h needs a personality, story, and ...

Photo by Myaccountnice Does your protagonist have friends (or is s/he a loner)? How long have they been friends? Are they childhood/school friends, work colleagues, or did they meet through a special interest or hobby? How close are they, and how quickly did their bond develop (if at all)? Now ask the same question of your antagonist. How do they compare/contrast? Prompted by Dani & Elle

When everything falls apart, what holds us together? What keeps us going, and helps us to become whole again? Set your timer for ten minutes and write about a time when your world shattered, and how you came out the other side. Look at the characters in your novel. Is there any way the lesson you learned can help one of them? Posted by Khadijah Lacina

Your character twists and turns her wrists in the confines of the sedan's trunk. Finally loosening the bonds holding her hands behind her back, she wiggles them free, then manipulates her body into position to untie the rope binding her ankles together. The car stops. Voices from inside the vehicle argue, the doors open, and the sounds fade. She shoves the back of the seat down just enough to see that no one is in sight; shoving it the rest of the way, she pushes herself out of the trunk and puts the seat back in place. Opening the back door a fraction, she hears voices in the distance. They grow louder. Jumping out of the car, she slips into the woods across the road as two figures emerge. She watches them get into the car, then back out. They know she's escaped! Running as fast as she can through the trees and underbrush, she hears footsteps coming closer, closer, closer. If they find her… Posted by Linda Lane LSLaneBooks.com | DenverEditor.com

Photo by debaird™ , via Flickr Make one of your characters swear heavily, but, just for today, put something different into their mouths. Inspiration? Try these links:  9 Obscure Old Swear Words We Should Bring Back, Consarn It! The Foul-o-Matic™Insult, swear & curse word generator Getting Personal With Swear Words Posted by Dani Greer Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Photo by Thom Gill , via Flickr While you were sleeping, your characters switched places in every scene you wrote yesterday. What did they learn (about themselves, each other, and their plans/ schemes)? What will they do with the secret knowledge they gained? What will it change? Can you use an accidental discovery in your story, or do you need to apply mass amnesia? Posted by Elle Carter Neal HearWriteNow.com Facebook | Twitter

Make one character in your story write a poem. Not into lengthy poetry? Write a haiku or limerick just for fun.  You can do it! Posted by Dani Greer Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Ooh, a storm is threatening/My very life today/If I don't get some shelter/Ooh yeah I'm gonna fade away Clearly the Rolling Stones have not faded away, but their lyrics strike a chord within all of us. Whether the storm is within us or occurs due to a force of nature, we all face upheaval and difficulty, as do our characters. What storm your character has to face is most crucial to their development and the development of your story? How are you going to help them find the shelter they need to weather it? Posted by Khadijah Lacina

What does your character need more than anything else?  It can be emotional, physical, financial, relationship related, etc.  How does that need interfere with their story goal and the journey you send them on? Posted by  Diana Hurwitz Story Building Blocks:  The Four Layers of Conflict Story Building Blocks II:  Crafting Believable Conflict Story Building Blocks III:  The Revision Layers Build A World Workbook  :  print  |  e-book Blog:  Game On: Crafting Believable Conflict Facebook  |  Twitter

Daily Medieval What is in your protagonist's refrigerator or larder? When or how do they shop? You've got 5 minutes. Go! Posted by Elspeth Futcher Game: " Which Guide Lied? " Twitter | Facebook

We've all had the experience of wishing we had said something to someone but did not for any of a number of reasons. Dig deeper into the relationship between two of your characters, or between your character and someone who is not directly in your novel but who influenced them at some point. Set your timer for fifteen minutes and write a letter that says what your character wishes he or she had said, but never did. Posted by Khadijah Lacina

Photo by Tim Green , via Flickr Dredge up your character's worst childhood memory, and then let them: a. realise they've missed/suppressed something all this time, or  b. discover important information that throws a new light on the event, or c. admit they had altered the way they remembered the event to make it seem better/worse than it really was. Posted by Elle Carter Neal HearWriteNow.com Facebook | Twitter

Photo credit: Gillian Anderson What does your protagonist find attractive in the preferred sex? Name and describe three attributes in detail. Write for only five minutes! Posted by Dani Greer Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

NaNoWriMo Writing Prompt You're stuck. You have a scene burning in your brain, but it comes later in the story? Write it. That scene is a bridge you’ll eventually cross. The story will grow into it. Posted by Polly Iyer Facebook | Twitter  

Just like a river, each thread of our lives has a starting point. Choose one crucial decision your character has to make and trace it back to its beginning. Sometimes finding the beginning of something helps us to reach its end. Alternately, think bridges. How can your character make the transition from the point he or she is at now, to where you need him to be next? Posted by Khadijah Lacina

In honor of  NaNoWriMo , we are offering writing prompts for the month of November. What is your character's secret fear? What part of their psyche do they hide from the world because they fear judgment, rejection, exposure?  How does it affect the journey you send them on?' Posted by  Diana Hurwitz Story Building Blocks:  The Four Layers of Conflict Story Building Blocks II:  Crafting Believable Conflict Story Building Blocks III:  The Revision Layers Build A World Workbook  :  print  |  e-book Blog:  Game On: Crafting Believable Conflict Facebook  |  Twitter

NaNoWriMo Writing Prompt: Photograph by Conal Gallagher , via Flickr Write a story prompted by the photograph above, and these two words: evacuate quadruple (If it's impossible to incorporate a bicycle into your NaNoWriMo project (for genre/historical/other reasons), find a random picture that will fit (or think up an alternative, appropriate mode of transport) and try and wrangle that and the two words into your story.) Posted by Elle Carter Neal HearWriteNow.com Facebook | Twitter

Photo credit: Man Flow Yoga What did your hero/heroine do yesterday? How does it impact what they are doing today? Set your timer for ten minutes and write what springs to mind. Go! Posted by Dani Greer Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

In honor of NaNoWriMo , we are offering writing prompts for the month of November. What is the worst, most terrifying or awful event in your character's life? How does it inform how they think and respond in the journey you send them on? Posted by Diana Hurwitz Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict Story Building Blocks II: Crafting Believable Conflict Story Building Blocks III: The Revision Layers Build A World Workbook : print | e-book Blog: Game On: Crafting Believable Conflict Facebook | Twitter

Blast-off! Stop by daily for a writing prompt. Are you participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)?