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Every year I’m amazed and inspired by the productivity and creativity surrounding National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.) If you’re not familiar with it, the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a novel in a month. You can log your progress online, participate in forums for different genres, and receive motivation, support, and encouragement from other writers.

Unfortunately, I never seem able to participate because I’m in the middle of a manuscript (to technically follow the rules, you’re supposed to start a new project), but I feed off of the creativity and excitement of the participants and lurk in the forums pretty frequently, too.

Interested in participating in NaNoWriMo next month? Here are some posts that have run recently to help you get prepared:

9 Ways to Prepare for the National Novel Writing Month
NaNoWriMo starts right here, right now
Planning for a Writing Push
NaNoWriMo (main site)

Actually, I find inspiration in a lot of other ways too:

Bad books as inspiration. (Because I don’t want to write that poorly.)

Good books as inspiration. (I’m amazed at the author’s skill.)

Watching plays or going to a concert for inspiration.

Music as inspiration.

Housework for inspiration. (I don’t want to do it and I’ll have to start vacuuming if I stop writing.) :)

Taking a walk for inspiration.

Virtual interaction with other writers for inspiration.

In-person interaction with other writers for inspiration.

How do you find inspiration? And are you interested in participating in NaNoWriMo?

Every novel needs to have at least one major bad guy (or gal), an antagonist with flaws and desires that lead to chaos, crime and even murder. This bad guy must provide a certain amount of tension, even when he isn’t in a scene. Readers must feel him (or her) lurking, plotting and planning, creeping closer to his goal. To do this, writers must often “write the devil into a bad guy”.

By this I mean that writers must delve into the psyche and personality of their antagonist to find out what makes them tick and what they want. And they’d better want something they shouldn’t have. Money, power, control, sex or someone. What makes this character bad? Or evil? Whatever it is, amp it to a high level of devil-may-care, devil-made-me-do-it attitude.

In Lancelot’s Lady, I started with a private investigator. Winston Chambers seemed nice enough at first. He did a good deed; he helped a character locate someone. But then we learn a bit more about Winston. We learn he has a fondness for gambling, and he’s not very good. This presents a great time to add a bit of the Devil to his personality.

Desperate people do desperate things, but desperation isn’t the only reason Winston does what he does. He’s a survivalist who lusts after power, money and one particular woman―Rhianna McLeod. Lust is the Devil’s playmate.

We later learn something else about Winston, and here’s where the Devil really comes out. He routinely enjoys the pleasures of prostitutes. Now if that doesn’t make you wrinkle your nose in displeasure, this next part will. He doesn’t treat his women very well. In fact, he’s sadistically evil.

We learn all of this as the romance between Rhianna and Jonathan progresses. Winston lurks in the background, appearing now and then to add tension to Lancelot’s Lady. You just know something is going to happen. And it does. In the end, Winston makes a bold move that jeopardizes everything for Rhianna, including her own life.

Writing the Devil into a character is a great way to show conflict, terror and suspense. It keeps readers on the edge of their seats, waiting, wondering, chewing their nails. Even a character’s physical description can add to his or her evil persona. Winston is obese, balding, wheezing, huffing and sweaty. Slimy…

Don’t you want to meet him now? Well, you can. Just pick up an ebook copy of Lancelot’s Lady.

Lancelot’s Lady ~ A Bahamas holiday from dying billionaire JT Lance, a man with a dark secret, leads palliative nurse Rhianna McLeod to Jonathan, a man with his own troubled past, and Rhianna finds herself drawn to the handsome recluse, while unbeknownst to her, someone with a horrific plan is hunting her down.

Lancelot’s Lady is available in ebook edition at KoboBooks, Amazon’s Kindle Store, Smashwords and other ebook retailers. Help me celebrate by picking up a copy today and “Cherish the romance…”

You can learn more about Lancelot’s Lady and Cherish D’Angelo (aka Cheryl Kaye Tardif) at http://www.cherishdangelo.com and http://www.cherylktardif.blogspot.com. Follow Cherish from September 27 to October 10 on her Cherish the Romance Virtual Book Tour and win prizes.

Who is your favourite “bad guy” in film or a novel, and why?

Leave a comment here, with email address, to be entered into the prize draws. You’re guaranteed to receive at least 1 free ebook just for doing so. Plus you’ll be entered to win a Kobo ereader. Winners will be announced after October 10th.

When my son gets hooked on a new series, it’s very exciting for me—I don’t have to research YA books for a little while! I’m so relieved to have something he’s thrilled to read that I’ll find the books however it takes—library, bookstore, or online retailer. He’s an avid reader, and a fast one, and he flies through books. I spend a lot of time online reading reviews and finding him books that I think he’ll like.

He read through the first book in about a day so I quickly requested the next two books from the library as soon as I saw that the series was a hit.

The second book? He got halfway through in a couple of hours…then I noticed the book was lying around the house a lot. He read it in the car on the way to middle school one morning, but when it was time for him to jump out of the car and head into the school, he left it on the seat. “Hey!” I said, rolling down the car window and waving the novel at him. “You forgot your book!”

“It’s okay,” he said, with a dismissive wave. Uh oh. Something wasn’t right with the book.

I always like to ask him what went wrong—for a few reasons. I like for him to think about what the writer did wrong…and improve his own writing skills. I also like to know if it sounds like the series is redeemable at all or if it’s hopeless (can I interest him in the next book, or do I need to go series shopping again?) And—I want to know what he thinks went wrong so I don’t make the same kind of mistake in my own series.

It turned out the series was a trilogy and the second book acted as sort of the saggy middle for the series. He said it was too long, repetitive, and had small periods of excitement, followed by long stretches of boredom.

My books don’t extend storylines from book to book in a major way—character development, obviously, is on a particular path. And there are subplots that carry from one book to the next. But the story itself is basically a stand-alone. My concern is usually just not boring old readers of the series with backstory while making sure that any new readers will know what’s going on.At some point, though, I might want to write a trilogy or a series with a continuing storyline.

I thought I’d share some great resources on series writing that I’ve collected. Hope they help:

Character life arcs in series

Time flies—or crawls—in a series

Tips for writing a series

How to write a series synopsis

Sex in a series

Why you should write a series and some lessons from successful series writer Patricia Cornwell

Things to consider about writing series (especially if you don’t have an agent or publisher yet)

The importance of magic and wonder in a fantasy—and why series can ruin it.

What makes for a good series that lasts? (Margot Kinberg)

Series separation anxiety

What do you look for in a series as a reader? How do you handle them as a writer?

In each of my manuscripts, I have probably five rough spots to write through on a first draft.

These scenes usually have difficult transitions or lots of characters to keep straight (like a party scene), or different elements to include—suspense, humor, etc.

Frequently, when it was time to write these scenes next, I’d reached my writing goal for the day. So I made plans to tackle the scene the next morning.

Guess what I didn’t want to do the next day?

I did write the scene. I always do because I have to in order to stay on track. But it took most of the morning to get around to it. My word count ended up being smaller because my procrastination ate into my writing time. It was just harder to get going.

So now I do a couple of things to make sure that I don’t stall.

First of all, I do more outlining than I ordinarily do. I’ll map out exactly what I want to accomplish and ideas for doing it. Basically, I do all the brainstorming for the scene.

Next, I don’t stop writing for the day when I come up on these scenes. I’ll at least write the transition into the scene. If I’ve got a little extra time, I’ll do even more than that. If I’ve already written the segue into the trouble spot, then it’s much easier for me to hop into writing.

Any other tips for dealing with procrastination and keeping your momentum going?

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter for the past week.

If you’re looking for a particular topic, just plug in your keyword into the search box at the top left-hand corner of the blog (on the black header right above my blog name…next to the Blogger symbol…the small search window is next to the magnifying glass) and the roundup with your subject will come up. To narrow your search down on the page, do a CTRL+F, type your subject, and hit enter.

How to Raise Boys Who Read (Wall St. Journal): http://dld.bz/xUaE

Berlin’s International Literary Fest Provides a Showcase for World Lit, Politics of Publishing: http://dld.bz/xUaA

The #1Thing You Must do Before You Write a Book: http://dld.bz/xUau

Don’t make the mistake of treating writing like a hobby if you’re trying to get published: http://dld.bz/xUam

The Business of Writing – Series Outline: http://dld.bz/xUad

The Importance of Breaking Goals into Manageable Steps: http://dld.bz/xTZY

Revision Alchemy: Part 3: http://dld.bz/xGHu

Ruthless revision: http://dld.bz/xGHs

Tips for writing chapter books for young readers: http://dld.bz/xGEN

10 tip-filled articles for authors writing nonfiction books: http://dld.bz/xGED

Reinvigorating Your Writing Routine: http://dld.bz/xGEu

Developing the Craft & Art of Writing – a guest blog: http://dld.bz/xGEp

10 Ways to Find the Agent You Need: http://dld.bz/xGEk

How Cookbook Authors Can Do a Great Cooking Segment on TV: http://dld.bz/xGDZ

Online Safety and Presence for Writers: http://t.co/Or4AUj8

Tips for author bios, headshots, and About Me pages: http://dld.bz/xGDS

Oh Writers They Do Get Weary: http://dld.bz/xGDs

3 Ways Twitter Analysis Can Enhance Your Marketing: http://dld.bz/xGDh

How to Keep Track of Book Series: http://dld.bz/xGDd

Unhappy Client Suing B.K. Nelson Inc. Literary Agency (Writer Beware): http://dld.bz/xGDa

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Rainy Day Split Pea Soup http://bit.ly/ctY4fj @CleoCoyle

Knowing When to Ask for Help: http://dld.bz/x8KC

The benefit of putting your manuscript in a drawer for a while: http://dld.bz/x8MM

Organizing your Queries and Submissions: http://dld.bz/x8MC

Don’t be afraid of bad first drafts: http://dld.bz/x8M5

Con your way out of Negative Thinking with a Pros & Cons List: http://dld.bz/x8K8

Feng Shui for Writers–Creating a Writing Space You’ll Love: http://dld.bz/x8Ke

Why you’re a real writer (even if you don’t think so): http://dld.bz/x8JK

10 commandments for book launch day: http://dld.bz/x8MW

The Subjectivity of Readers … or … Talk Me Down Off the Ledge: http://dld.bz/x8E4

Are Bloggers the New Gatekeepers in Publishing? http://dld.bz/x8En

Emma Thompson’s attack on slang: the pedants’ battle may be lost (Telegraph): http://dld.bz/x8Ef

Writing Books: Scene by Scene, Chapter by Chapter, Book by Book: http://dld.bz/x8DT

Talking to Agents and Editors at Conferences: http://dld.bz/x8DM

9 Must-Follow Manuscript Rules (Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/x8Dq

Self-Editing Revisited: http://dld.bz/x8Db

Where did the decadent novel go? (Guardian): http://dld.bz/x8Da

The problem with sharing our work: http://dld.bz/xKR4

With working link: directory of book industry tweeps: http://dld.bz/xKRg

7 Things That Blogging Does: http://dld.bz/x8CV

E-Book Promo Ideas: http://dld.bz/x8C2

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Easy Chicken Parmesan Casserole from Cleo Coyle http://bit.ly/dp46rK @CleoCoyle

Mystery writer’s guide to forensics–rigor mortis: http://dld.bz/x8Ck

Should a writer submit illustrations with their book query? http://dld.bz/x8B2

5 Ways to Stay Safe on Social Media: http://dld.bz/x8Ax

The 9 Worst Ways to Use Twitter for Promo: http://dld.bz/x87k

The essence of plotting: http://dld.bz/x8Ag

Write what excites you: http://dld.bz/x89B

Character arcs – how characters change: http://dld.bz/x878

8 Bad Habits that Crush Your Creativity And Stifle Your Success: http://dld.bz/x87v

Writing Lessons – Practical Tips for Improving Writing Skills: http://dld.bz/x87s

The Making of a Novel: Chapter Endings (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/x86V

Should you write a real or a fictional setting? Some thoughts: http://dld.bz/x8f2

Blogging with Windows Live Writer: http://dld.bz/x45f

How Do Authors Make Money?—Thinking Beyond the Book: http://dld.bz/x44Z

What mystery has taught one mystery editor: http://dld.bz/xsHw

Mystery Writer’s Guide to Reading People–the Body Language and Behavior of Liars: http://dld.bz/xE5f @mkinberg @clarissadraper

“Despite” or “In Spite of”? http://dld.bz/xsHn

How to Read and Why: http://dld.bz/xsG4

Tips for guest blogging: http://dld.bz/xsEV

Authors Feel Pinch in Age of E-Books (Wall St. Journal): http://dld.bz/xDcR

Blog tours–why you should have one and tips and resources for setting one up: http://dld.bz/xDcC

11 tips for blogging well: http://dld.bz/xsEQ

How To Be Creative: Incubating Inspiration: http://dld.bz/xsE7

Writing Nowadays–Why the Pen Name? http://dld.bz/xsEv

What Are They Saying About You Online? http://dld.bz/xsEq

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Sweet Potato Casserole—Side Dish—or Dessert? http://bit.ly/9Wzk3y @CleoCoyle

Personal Branding Basics for 2011: http://dld.bz/xs95

How to Find Time to Write Your Book: http://dld.bz/xs9z

Not Even Mein Kampf: Why Hateful Books Should Not Be Banned: http://dld.bz/xs9d

4 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing: http://dld.bz/xs8C

How to Plan a Successful Debut Book Party: http://dld.bz/xs87

3 More Free and Cheap Marketing Ideas for Books and eBooks: http://dld.bz/xs8q

Coordinating a book blog tour: Dotting your Rs and Crossing your… Rs: http://dld.bz/xs8k

Revise in Haste; Repent in Leisure: http://dld.bz/x8Ng

What We Talk About When We Talk About Men Not Reading (The New Yorker): http://dld.bz/xs8g

For short story writers–should you submit to online or print journals? http://dld.bz/x8fj

What’s it like at a writer’s colony? http://dld.bz/xs7P

How fiction writers (& other creatives) can develop into badass bloggers:http://dld.bz/xs73

Agents & Editors are people too… Some you like, some you don’t. http://dld.bz/xs7k

Resubmitting a Query: http://dld.bz/xs7c

The Importance of a Polished Manuscript: http://dld.bz/xs6M

Apps and eBooks: Readers Have Great Expectations, But How Do You Deliver? http://dld.bz/xs5H

6 things you can stick in your ears to improve your writing: http://dld.bz/xs5A

How Tucker Max Got Rejected by Publishing and Still Hit #1 New York Times: http://dld.bz/xs57

10 phases of rejection: http://dld.bz/xs5y

Role Play to Better Writing: http://dld.bz/xs5r

Sexual Force and Reader Consent in Romance: http://dld.bz/xs2z

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: Cupcake Swag Winner! http://bit.ly/afsDBb @CleoCoyle

An agent explains why he doesn’t use form letters: http://dld.bz/xsaq

3 Keys to Handling Criticism: http://dld.bz/xsaj

4 Big Reasons to be Grateful for Independent Editors: http://dld.bz/xsaf

Separating the sin from the sinner in fiction: http://dld.bz/xsac

Goal, Motivation, Conflict, Tension: http://dld.bz/xrZX @4KidLit

Brainstorming? Or just have 10 minutes to write? Try making lists: http://dld.bz/xrZ3

One great thing about going to writer’s conferences–people who understand you: http://dld.bz/xn24

Does your main character have a double life? What characters hide: http://dld.bz/xuE7 @dirtywhitecandy

Writing for radio: http://dld.bz/xnuG @nicholebernier

50 Can’t-Fail Techniques for Finding Great Blog Topics: http://dld.bz/xnwK

An agent on the curse of the trade paperback: http://dld.bz/xnw7

Writers: How Do You Cope with Give Up Moments? http://dld.bz/xnvn

Somebody Loves You: What To Do When An Agent Says Yes: http://dld.bz/xt8j @nicholebernier

7 Secrets of Spectacular Bloggers: http://dld.bz/xnvm

Memoir is the new Novel: http://dld.bz/xnuz @nicholebernier

Top 10 Ways to Become a Writer: http://dld.bz/xngT

Vistual Storytelling, Part 1: http://dld.bz/xng3

Important qualities for successful series: http://dld.bz/xsbt @mkinberg

Picture Book Queries: http://dld.bz/xngt

HarperCollins Launches Conservative Imprint Broadside Books: http://dld.bz/xngh

11 Ways to Convince Readers to Buy Your eBook: http://dld.bz/xmUa

Sapphires and steel: The glittering life of global bestseller Barbara Taylor Bradford (Independent): http://dld.bz/xmTU

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: DIRTY BOOKS http://bit.ly/9myvDc @CleoCoyle

Writing when you’re uninspired: http://dld.bz/xmTK

Magic Explained. Definitively. http://dld.bz/xmTD

Top 10 reasons one writer “bans” books: http://dld.bz/xmTx @Kerrie_Flanagan

7 Deadly Sins of Prologues–Great Novel Beginnings Part 2: http://dld.bz/xmTe @KristenLambTX

Revisions: What Every Writer Should Know: http://dld.bz/xgZU

Writing an action scene? Think like a director: http://dld.bz/xnwh @ianthealy

An Author’s Personal Library Lost And Found (NPR): http://dld.bz/xgZN

Top Tips For Booksellers From Gothenburg Book Fair: http://dld.bz/xgZH

What to do when you freeze up while writing: http://dld.bz/xgZA

Diverting the reader’s attention to plant a surprise: http://dld.bz/xgZy

In defense of backstory: http://dld.bz/xdXv

The key element that every good scene needs (or: how to change the game in your novel): http://dld.bz/xdXe

In defense of description: http://dld.bz/xdWN

How small steps can make you a published writer and social media ninja: http://dld.bz/xdWB

An agent on whether it’s advisable to write gun use into your YA novel: http://dld.bz/xd2Q

5 Things One Writer Learned After Publication: http://dld.bz/xcpC

How Authors And Writers Can Build An Email List For Marketing: http://dld.bz/xcpw @thecreativepenn

Setting Goals to Succeed: Lessons from a Freelance Classical Musician: http://dld.bz/xcp9

Ebook Pricing: http://dld.bz/xcpx

A working life: The romantic novelist (Guardian): http://dld.bz/xcp5

Overly Critical Readers: http://dld.bz/xcjP

Myst. Lov. Kitchen: The Cat’s Meow http://bit.ly/9bjjxW @CleoCoyle

Top writing advice from other writers: http://dld.bz/xcjG

Handling Rejection: http://dld.bz/xcjF

10 Excellent Tools for Testing Your Site on Mobile Devices: http://dld.bz/xcj6

The YA Graphic Novel: http://dld.bz/xcj2

Literary agents open the door to self-published writers: http://dld.bz/xcjw

How to read a publishing contract (26): http://dld.bz/xcjt

What’s Coming Next for eBooks? http://dld.bz/xcjq

How to Fix Writer’s Block and Make Your Writing Sparkle: http://dld.bz/wYsP

The #1 Talent You Need to be a Good Writer: http://dld.bz/wYsD

Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 9/24/10–Writer’s Digest): http://dld.bz/xdUF

To multi-book or not to multi-book: http://dld.bz/wYrP

Twitter for Authors–Twitter Dangers: http://dld.bz/wYrG

Twitterific–the week in tweets: http://dld.bz/xd2E

12 Dos and Don’ts for Introducing your Protagonist: http://dld.bz/wYr4

Don’t let rituals kill your creativity: http://dld.bz/wYrs

5 of the meanest book reviews ever (Huff Post–photo essay): http://dld.bz/wYqs

The Making of a Novel: Writing Into a Void vs. Writing Into a Universe (Huff Post): http://dld.bz/wYpT

Freelancers: 4 Ways to Bridge Gaps in Your Writer Resume: http://dld.bz/wYpM

Fun with hyphens: http://dld.bz/wYpF

Tips for Writers from the Movie: “The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio”: http://dld.bz/wYp8