Creativity

Random Word Novella-WRiting Challenge…Join Me

| Candice Coates

Every now and again, even with a mountain of WIPs staring out at you for the creative recesses of your mind and the shadows of several synopsis whispering to you, one finds themselves TOTALLY distracted by a totally unrelated writing challenge.

Photo by Michael Burrows on Pexels.com

This is where I have currently found myself and I have decided to invite you all along on my journey!

Now, let me give you a bit of insight into what has inspired this challenge. A few years ago, I decided to unsuccessfully paint a small abstract painting. I shamelessly have the confetti explosion of random colors hung proudly upon my wall and each time I look at it I find myself saying its name out loud, “The Dodo Lives in Joshua Tree.”

The title is only marginally random as there looks to be a Dodo in the painting and oddly enough when my glasses are off, there are appears to be a house. But those two things aside, it seems as if my calling out the painting’s name has called a story into being, one born from fragments of other fictional ideas and novel what-ifs.

For a few days now, the story has been taking up more and more space in my imagination, thus winning the right to exist in this present moment, giving birth to this challenge!

WELCOME TO THE RANDOM WORD NOVELLA WRITING CHALLENGE from April 5th to May 5th.

WHAT IS IT

A creative writing challenge where your story is guided by a collection of 30 to 50 random words. Your goal is to:

  1. Use 1 to 2 words a day to guide the narrative of your novella and the ebbs and flows of your plot
  2. Aim for at least 400 words a day

Remember, a novella is roughly 17,500 to 40,000 words in length (30,000 being the sweet spot) so in order to reach the goal of 17,500, you will need to average 583 words a day. BUT KEEP IN MIND lean days are often followed by fat and full days so if you are shy of the 583-word goal every now and again, don’t sweat it.

And a nugget of thought for those panicking at that number, you likely type more than that in a random text thread or comments on social media posts so you’ve got this in the bag.

If this still seems too much, try writing a NOVELLETE or SHORT STORY

You will need to write:

  1. 7,700 to 10,000 words total
  2. 256 words a day (to reach 7,700)

WHEN IS IT

The challenge begins today, Tuesday, April 5th, and runs until midnight on Thursday, May 5th.

WHERE ARE THESE RANDOM WORDS

You can use the list that I have compiled below or you can go to the Random Word Generator site and create your own list.

Here is my list of 50 Words:

• terrify
• cousin
• act
• square
• patient
• straw
• occupy
• temperature
• thank
• produce
• video
• willpower
• settle
• electronics
• hurt
• stitch
• kneel
• arena
• sandwich
• senior
• layer
• find
• presence
• driver
• differ
• seat
• spirit
• crutch
• invisible
• awful
• project
• revoke
• peasant
• forge
• grand
• thinker
• despair
• pain
• subway
• absent
• application
• privacy
• defeat
• address
• heaven
• mutation
• cute
• sustain
• cope
• foreigner

I do how you join me on the journey and share with others.

AND if you see this posted challenge after the 5th, then let whatever day you find it, be the start of your 30-day writing challenge. Just give it a shot. I promise you won’t regret it!

Until next time.

Write on? RIGHT ON!

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”

Louis L’Amour
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DEBUT NOVEL Nexus Gate 4037: The Animal OFFICIAL RELEASE IN 24hrs!

| Candice Coates

Hello Friends and fellow Genre Jumpers!

NG Book cover
Available Now on Amazon!

The countdown clock is officially winding down until my Debut Novel, NEXUS GATE 4037: THE ANIMAL is released on Amazon.

If you don’t have a Kindle for Amazon, no worries, you can download the app and still read the book on any e-device. NEXUS GATE will also be released on iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble on October the 26th 2018, with a paperback edition dropping before the end of November/Early December 2018. 

Wondering if it will be available on audiobook, well, that is the plan. I will keep you posted on the details regarding that.

If you haven’t yet read the TEASER CHAPTERS, you can do so now!

Thank you for showing your support, purchasing a copy of my debut novel, and sharing the link with others!

BONUS: Included with your purchase of NEXUS GATE 4037: THE ANIMAL, are the teaser chapters to my next novel, WARDEN.

Also, keep watch for the Promotion Tour coming soon, with interview questions and spoiler-free details about this project.

Thanks for reading.

~Candice Coates, the Genre Jumper

Worlds Built on Words: Guestbook Quotes for the Writer’s Heart

| Candice Coates

As a person of faith, I fully believe that our world and existence is built upon Words. Words, positive or negative, or the source of life.

As speaking spirits–especially as writers–whether we are published or private practitioners, we have a great power to influence those who give us the gift of their time and attention by reading the words that we share.

For the last few years, my fuel for writing has come from the words of four writers I’ve had the pleasure of calling muses. From the words of these writers, and a fifth from a Pastor’s wife, I created ‘writing guidelines’ that have helped me to maintain creative focus and peace.

  1. “Let peace be your umpire.” ~Vicotria Osteen
  2. “Geez, I can write a better story than that.” So I got busy writing what I thought of as Science Fiction.”” ~Octavia E. Butler
  3. “I am the audience and I try and write a book that I would like now as a mature adult and that I would have enjoyed at thirteen or fourteen and upwards.” ~Garth Nix
  4. “The best way to convey a spiritual truth is by telling a story because stories work.” ~Frank Peretti“Don’t try to find truth by looking within yourself; you’re the one who’s confused.” ~Frank Peretti
  5. “Some, I stumble across watching in nature programs…watching my mother and sister produce blankets from balls of yarn and crochet hooks. I thought of it as a kind of magic and wondered what all could be done with thread and magic.” ~Tamora Peirce

These are the quotes that have created my word-world of focus. These are the ‘muscles’ that have strengthened my belief in my craft.

As a visitor to this guestbook I ask that you share the words that have inspired you the most, be they words that have sharpened your creativity or words that have blessed you to get up every morning and face a new day with hope.

I look forward to greeting you in the comments below!

Thanks for sharing your heart.

~Candice Coates

*To read the full blog post of my writing guidelines and what they are, you can do so by visiting my sister site www.icameforthesoup.com. An updated version of the post is coming soon.