posted on May 24, 2013 by Nancy J. Parra

Writing by the Numbers

Gluten for Punishment cvrThis year I will debut 2 new series (Gluten For Punishment, a Baker’s Treat Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime, May 7; All Fudged UP, a Candy Coated Mystery under the pen name Nancy Coco, Kensington Mystery, Nov. 5) with series #3 to debut in 2014 (Her Hand In Murder, a Perfect Proposal Mystery, Berkley Prime Crime – TBD.)
What does this mean? It means I have to write 4 books in 2013.
Which leads me to Writer’s Tip Number One:

DO NOT PANIC!


Writer’s block is a form of panic. Procrastination is a form of panic. Some people use panic to motivate them. Not me. I like to avoid panic.
Therefore I break it down to the smallest bits. If you write 1 page a day, you can write 1 book in a year. The secret is sometimes that 1 page turns into 2 or 3 or 4 because you get going and don’t want to stop

All Fudged UpIn order to write 4 books this year, I need only write 5 pages a day – every day. So as often as you’ve heard this – it is totally true. Sit your bum in a chair and write your 1 page a day every day. It becomes a habit  – like brushing your teeth and taking a shower.
No, this does not mean revise a page a day – but move the story forward 1 page a day.
How can you panic over 1 page? (250 words.) Write 1 page – and see what happens.

I believe you and I can do it.

Cheers, Nancy

nancyjparra.com

Nancy J. Parra

Nancy J. Parra

Nancy J. Parra’s discovered she had a severe gluten allergy and had to give up her second favorite passed-time, baking. Six months into her forced new diet, she was back in the kitchen figuring out how to make her own gluten-free baked goods and soon posted delicious pictures on the web. When a good friend suggested she mix her two loves—baking and writing, she wrote her first cozy mystery, GLUTEN FOR PUNISHMENT, Berkley Prime Crime May 7, 2013.

On a happy roll, she soon sold a Mackinac Island Fudge Shop Mystery series. ALL FUDGED UP (writing as Nancy CoCo) will be out November 5, 2013.

With an MA in Writing Popular Fiction, Ms. Parra has written articles on writing, and has given workshops on writing techniques to various library and writers groups. She has a blog on the art and craft of writing, www.nancyjparra.blogspot.com.

Visit her website at www.nancyjparra.com for more information, a list of her books and full reviews. She can also be found at www.facebook.com/nancyjparraauthor and would love to add you as her friend.

http://www.nancyjparra.com

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