Map For A Journey (NaNoWriMo Prep #6)

Let me go ahead and clear this up: there are two types of writers.
You have planners and you have pantsers.
Let's define, shall we?

• Planners- planners will be your outliners. They may not even make a very detailed outline, but they will start a story with several different pieces of information. Most planners will know their characters and some of their scenes. Extreme planners (take J.K. Rowling) might know absolutely everything about their story before they even dare to pick up a pencil. Planners are people who prefer to have direction and organized ideas before they begin.
• Pantsers- as the name implies, Pansters live to fly by the seat of their pants. A true panster will sit down with an idea and just go. Pansters, most of them at least, prefer to have no plan at all. Maybe they know how it might end. Maybe they know their characters. Pantsers trust their instincts and go for it.

So, which am I?

I tried to be a pantser for a long time, and the result was many unfinished and abandoned stories.

Now I am a planner, this novel more so than my last one. I had a sparse outline last time, and ended up with only 32,000 words. For NaNo, I need almost double that. 

Bring in the detailed outline!

So, to begin, I used Google Sheets and made a spreadsheet. I gave several columns, in hopes of making a better developed scene.

• Scene Number - well, that's self explanatory. It's the number of the scene.
• Name of Scene - this is for my personal organization. I need to name scenes to keep from getting them confused.
• Characters Involved- mega helpful to keep track of what characters are where, doing what.
• Point of View - My story is always in a third person limited point of view, and with a limited point of view I am allowed to choose which character I want to focus on. Think like in a first person shooter game, when you're behind the gun you normally have the option to zoom out and view the back of your character. I find it a better vantage point than actual first person, both in gaming and in writing. They're similar, but with third I find it easier to switch between character views.
• Main Action- this is to give me a guideline for how I want the action to play out in the scene. It serves as my summary.
• Reason for Scene - if this blank can't be filled, then there's no need at all for this scene to be in my book.
• Emotional Response - how I want my characters and readers to react to the scene.
• How It Leads Into the Next Scene - I tend to lose direction at the ends of scenes. This helps me keep my mind on track.
• Conflict in Scene - because every single scene needs conflict, be it physical or emotional.
• Resolution of Conflict - again, to help me pull the scene together at the end and carry on.

I hate writing outlines. They bore me.

Creativity is the childish side of your mind. It just wants to play and have fun. Trying to organize creativity is like trying to get a three year old to sit down and pay attention.

Nearly impossible.

Needless to say, some interesting things happen when I make attempts to outline stories.

I am so ready for NaNoWriMo. 

WRITING AGAIN FINALLY!

One Day More (NaNoWriMo Prep Post #5)

"One more day until the storm..."

Yes.

Admittedly, all day I have randomly been singing One Day More. And I sent a very lengthy email to a dear friend of mine filled with .gifs from the selfsame song.

She had no idea what was going on.

By now, you might have guessed.

One Day Until NaNoWriMo

Yes, I chose the quote 'one more day until the storm' for a very specific reason.

One day more until we begin the mad storm of words that is National Novel Writing Month.

Yes. Thank you, Joly, for summing up
my feelings exactly.

All the prep, all the trouble, all the worrying, it was all just a dress rehearsal. Tomorrow the real struggle begins. The struggle to write the correct amount of words every single day, to push past even the hardest moments in the story and to continue on.

I am of two minds about this realization. Some moments my reaction is more like:

While other moments my reaction is better described as this:

Overall, I would say I am thrilled to begin this venture. I'll be making another post this afternoon with a little bit of insight into what my outline currently looks like.

Well, the NaNo prep series is almost over, so next we will begin the "Surviving NaNoWriMo" series.

Writing a whole 50,000 word first draft inside a month.

The Spaces In Between (Madness)

I am between stories at the moment.
And I am going mad.
Absolutely completely 100% mad.

I was lamenting about my sad state of affairs to my ever understanding mother as I drove to college.
"I just don't know what to do. I'm not writing. What am I doing? I can't do this!"
My mom sighed. "Elizabeth*, it's been three days."

Yes. Three days with no story. No word goal to reach. Just me pushing forward on an outline that is being completely obstinate.

I realized my problem this morning.

"Mom?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.
"What is it?"
"I think I'm an addict."

That's the only way to describe it. It is an addiction. It takes over everything; every area of your life. It grips you and it won't let go. Your mind makes stories every moment of the day, and your hands itch to write them down. Everyone is a character. The person sitting behind you? He's a knight, for sure. The two people who you pass by every day that are always cutting up? They're thieves. The girl with the mussy, bright red hair? She's a heroine, no doubts.

Every place you go becomes a setting. Everything that doesn't make sense, every loose end, your imagination picks it up and runs wild with it, weaving stories.

Because everyday, I am not writing new words.

I'm holding them inside.

And it is my madness.

But I thought as I drove along this morning.

"There's worse things to be addicted to, you know."

My mom nodded. "I suppose."

I am addicted to creating words and stories that will last long after I am dead and gone.

This is a good addiction.

Balancing Ideas (NaNoWriMo Prep #4)

I'm trying out a new editing software to make
neat little title cards for my blog posts.
Cool, huh?

A Confession: I Have Too Many Ideas

Ah, yes. It's the frustrated cry of ever author. Too many books to write, not enough time to write them. I am always being inspired to being more stories. In fact, I would say that most of the inspiration I gather is not for the story I am working on at the moment, but a future story that has yet to be realized.

Saying No For Now

A starting note, never say "No" to your story ideas. Don't totally discard them ever. If you're too busy, just promise them you'll make time later. Don't discard ideas, don't discard your writing. Know how to focus.

How I handle these pushy little ideas is to write them down.

I know it's like feeding stray cats, but write them down and put them away. Yes, they'll still nag at you, but the best thing you can do is try not to forget about them and try not to think about it too much. Who knows? They may be your best story ever. Just don't let the shiny new idea take you away from what you're working on.

Watch out about loving something
too much when you're not yet
sure about it.

Don't Love Them Too Much

There is a time and place for everything.

Again, these ideas are shiny and new. They're good at manipulating, as well. "You know that nasty plot hole you can't fix in your current story? I don't have that." "Yeah, I can see, you're getting a little sick of your protagonist there... well, I have a super cool protagonist." "You're at a really boring part in a story? Oh, what a coincidence! I open with a massively epic battle scene. Too bad you're so busy..."

Ignore them.

Don't fall too much in love just yet. Work on the story that's already in progress. Finish it. Then think about other stories. Don't become so enamored with a story you've yet to begin that you forget how good the one is that you've got.

Come Back To Them Eventually

Yes, in time, come back to those older ideas, but only the ones that really, really won't leave you alone. The ones that haunt you even after you've been slowly developing them for months and months. And then repeat the process. Don't let new ideas distract you, but slowly develop them as you go. It's a tough process, but it's about balance and focus. Every story demands attention, you've just got to learn to ration the attention.

What are your strategies for dealing with the sparkly new ideas that want to distract you so badly from what you need to be focused on?

Vene Vidi Vici

The highly improbable had happened.
I kid you not! Something I have, for many years, considered to be beyond my reach has finally occurred.

I finished the rough draft of a novel.

Yes thank you Faramir and Eowyn.
By the way, I ship it.
Just so you know.

Yes, the news is true! A rough draft has been COMPLETED, as of October the 26th, 2014, at approximately 4:30 PM CT.

A Quick Recap of the Journey

Early this year, I got an idea for a novel. As with every novel idea, it hit me like lightning. I thought it had potential. Still, there was the struggle: I did not know if it was wise to take on yet another story that would surely lie around, unfinished, for months, or even years.

The struggle was real.

However, I decided to commit. Yes, I was going to write this novel. So I sat down and I began.

With the furious passion of a brand new idea, the promise of a brand new story, the beginning almost effortlessly took shape.

I typed with a vigor that cannot be explained.

But then.

The beginning ended. Suddenly, it was harder. The ideas weren't coming so quickly; the ones I had were too far away. How do "real authors" cope? This cannot be!

So I paused. I took a step back and a very deep breath.

Then I began a process that was also a first.

I began to outline my story.

Yes, it was a daunting task, but I made it. The outline was completed and I began my story in earnest.

But yet again, I encountered resistance.

I was spreading myself too thin, focusing on too many stories at once, and not writing often enough.

After a summer camp, in late July,where God really spoke to my heart about several things, I decided it was time to get serious.

500 words a day, every day. At that rate, I knew I could finish a first draft by Christmas. I was strong and steady for the rest of summer.

Then, alas, things changed.

I started.... college.

On college days I allowed myself to do only 300 words.

I was on and off, not always doing what I should but writing at least four times a week.

In early October I made the commitment to do NaNoWriMo, which meant I needed to up my word count to 1000 words a day in order to prepare and finish my current novel. It was an even more daunting task, but I pushed forward with superhuman ability and much caffeine.

Little known fact: for the first week I bribed myself with
Smarties. You know, the little candies in the rolls?
For every hundred words, I received on piece.
It worked.

I cannot lie, it was difficult. Many times I wanted to throw things and forget about writing, ever. I got annoyed with my characters and with my plot, plus it was rough draft so it was automatically not my best work. However, I could not turn back.

So I persevered.

Until today.

The final sentence was writ. The final battle ended. My plot lines were tied up nice and neatly.

All the arcs were ended, every gate closed.

Well, the rough draft anyway.

I can scarcely believe I have done it. I have completed a thought. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Yes, it's too short. Yes, it's horrible. Yes, it's out of order.

But it's my story and I have finished it. I have told it once, and it is out there now. All I have to do is polish it and make it shine. Yes, the process will be long and hard, but I am halfway there.

I know I couldn't have done it without God. He inspires me in a million ways. I'm also deeply indebted to my friends, for their constant encouragement.

So, what now? Well. come November first, there's a shiny new novel waiting to be written. One that still needs to be outlined and fleshed out before that date.

Perhaps in a few months I will come back to this story and look at it once again.

For now, I am glad to put it away.

Every Fairytale... (NaNo Prep #3)

Ah, Sherlockians, you were able to guess the title, weren't you?
You clever people.

The third post in my NaNoWriMo prep series: you knew it'd have to be something good.
And it is.
It is very, very good.
As Moriarty says, every fairytale needs a good old fashioned villain.
I would say I didn't enjoy writing villains,

Yes, Moriarty, you've got me there. I do like my villains.

Before I introduce the villain for The Fate Machine, let's make a quick list of what we like so much in a villain.

1) Charisma

We do love our charismatic psychopaths. They make things more interesting, and make us really think about the whole good vs. evil dynamic.

Not to mention they give the fandom something to become
obsessed with.

2) Unpredictability

We love villains because we never know what they'll do next. With most heroes (there are exceptions) we can trust them to do at least sort of the right thing. Villains, however, are much more unstable(well, the good ones). We often don't know what heinous crime they'll commit next.

3) Fear Factor

Let's admit it, we all love to see our main characters face a real challenge. We want them to go against impossible odds and win. We want them to have obstacles to face and we want them to get hurt. We want it to cost them something. Villains provide the challenges for our hero to overcome.

The bottom line is: despite all the bad things villains do, we want to see them again.

Because, let's face it. We miss them when they're gone.

Introducing: Cyrus Delamere Kidley

Cyrus will be the villain for The Fate Machine, and any of the books that might follow in the possible series.
Cyrus is a madman, but a very gentlemanly one. He enjoys things like drinking tea and watching the traffic go by on foggy mornings. He is a brilliant cook and enjoys building clockwork machines. He has a whole room in his house devoted to them.
He is only twenty four years old, but came into a large fortune and lives in one of the largest houses in Wycombe.
Cyrus believes that the world is a mess and the only way it will get better is for him to rule it. He is a friend to the common man, and will ruthlessly cut down those who oppose him. He believes the end always justifies the means.
On the outside he is just another noble. On the inside he is something much more sinister.


I hope you enjoyed this Moriarty appreciation post introduction to Cyrus! Be on the lookout for another NaNo prep post soon! Thank you for reading.

All the World's a Stage: Meet the Actors (NaNoWriMo Prep Post #2)

Ah, yes. One of the best parts of writing a story: the characters.
That is, when they're still fun. Before you realize how much like belligerent children they can be. *shoots an accusing glance at the cast of characters from my current work in progress*
Anyway, characters are pretty much what I get first when it comes to my stories, and I'd love for you to meet them.
Without further ado, I present the stars of the up and coming novel, The Fate Machine.

Kate "Ezzie" Thompson, AKA Katarina Angelica Francis

Kate is possibly the most central character of this novel. She is strong willed and rather selfish, with a nasty habit of lying. Hence the second name. She is a noble from the better districts of Wycombe. In the court, she was considered one of the most beautiful young ladies in the city. Her charming personality and skill as a conversationalist lent much to her popularity.

However, that was not the life she wanted.

She ran away from her home and family, taking a two week journey by foot to the unassuming district of Haddon. She lived on the streets for an additional week, unable to find work. Soon, thanks to some kindness from strangers, she found a job and a place to stay. 

Kate is brilliant. She's quick on her feet and good with people, but lacks much of a moral compass. She keeps people at an arm's length. If asked what she would die for, I doubt she could think of anything at all. She is fiercely independent and not a complainer about anything, but often forgets to take others feelings into consideration. People naturally are drawn to her, and she knows it. She's good at getting her way.

Timothy Aleric Scrope

Timothy is a really fun character. He's quiet and easily flustered, but very skillfull. He's much better at caring for people than Kate is, which helps them balance one another out. He is a mechanic, and has worked pretty much his whole life. He's smart, not instinctive. His moral compass is much stronger than Kate's, and would willingly give his life for anything he felt was in the interest of the greater good.

When he met Kate, she had just been hired at the repair shop he worked at. She had no experience, but a killer amount of drive. He immediately began to teach her about mechanics and sacrificed much of his own time to do so. The truth, which is obvious to everyone but Kate, is that he loves her.

However, when Kate's secrets begin to come to light, Timothy begins second guessing his relationship with her, and how he feels about himself. 

He's brave and smart, while still being kind. He is often indecisive and sometimes he will refuse to stand up for the sake of keeping the peace. He trusts easily, but when his trust is broken it is difficult for it to ever be earned back.

Solomon Francis Trassey

Solomon is a bit of a ne'er do well. People don't really talk to him, and he doesn't really talk to people. He's handsome, and that's about it.  No one has any real expectations for his life. He's very quiet and reserved, often tripping over his tongue when he does speak up. He is rather insecure, mostly due to the way people react to him. He has big dreams, but no one cares to hear them so he keeps them largely to himself. He doesn't feel like anyone really cares or that he can really make a difference. Overall, he's awkward and painfully shy. If people were to give him a chance, they might be surprised at just what he's capable of. He's a bit naive, but more intelligent that most take him to be.
He has problems overcoming the limits set for him by both others and himself. He's a bit oblivious, and would make a better poet than warrior.

I hope you all have enjoyed getting to meet the main characters for my NaNo novel!
Now, it's your turn. Who are your main characters? What are they like?

The Trouble With Titles (NaNo Prep Post #1)

Hello all!
This is the first post in a series on NaNoWriMo prep, as I get ready to attack the dragon that is National Novel Writing Month. Our topic today is my arch nemesis: creating a title for a book.

Why on earth do you feel the need? The book isn't even written!

A title is not something I will normally try to come up with first. I simply nickname my books, much like parents who call their child "baby" because they cannot decide on a name. The nicknames are sometimes clever, normally not. For instance, my NaNo novel has thus far been called "Steampunk Story." Fabulous, I know.

The NaNo website encourages participants to create their novel. The current name and wordcount of the work will be listed on their profile and the stats will be given in the Novels page.

But it needs a name.

It has option for a title, genre (easy), synopsis (to be dealt with at a later time), and an excerpt (also to be dealt with later), and cover.

So one evening I got home from youth group and kicked my shoes off. I pulled out my collection of Shakespeare's plays (because Shakespeare), my Bible (what better place to pull a title from..?), a notebook, and my trusted Chromebook. Grabbing a pen, I laid down and began the momentous task of choosing a title.

However did you complete such a massive task?

I wonder if professional writers have this problem.

Google.

Google is my best friend.

Google and various writing bloggers.

After wasting much time searching aforesaid blogs, I picked up my pen and I scrawled title after title.

Let me tell you, they were horrible.

Absolutely horrible. 

Some sounded like elementary school fantasy. Some sounded like a long and arduous memoir. Some sounded like romance novels.

I struggled with these horrible titles. I tried to take whatever I felt was redeemable and twist it into something else, which always seemed to end up as bad as the ones before.

After contemplating giving up, running away, and becoming a hermit in the rain forests of Africa, I finally hit on the one word that was the catalyst for actually becoming successful.

I played with it, edited it, tried all kind of things. I did some stealing from both Shakespeare and Scripture.

In the end, I decided on something simple, but that I felt had a good feel to it.

Well? What title did you come up with?

The Fate Machine.

Yup! It's Steampunk sounding, and very relevant to the plotline of my story. I searched it on Google and no other books came up with that exact name, which is also a very good thing.

Genre fitting and relevant. That's all I really wanted in a title, so this one is currently working very nicely.

Another interesting side effect has been the recent ponderings of turning the book into a series. The Fate Machine sounds like it could definitely be part of a series, which is a proposition I am open to.

Keep an eye out for more NaNo Prep posts as the long awaited day draws ever nearer.

Does your book have a title yet? If so, how did you find it? Let me know in the comments!

Sometimes You Don't Make Any Sense (Why Must You Be So Brave?)

I write brave characters.

One of the classic examples of a fearer-turned-fearless
is Bilbo Baggins.

You do too, and you know it.
Even if they start out timid, they're going to end up brave.
Because that's just how we write. We want our characters to face insurmountable odds and overcome them. We want to see them blossom into daring, dashing fighters, ready to risk their lives for anything they believe is good. We cheer for them as they slay their dragons, or realize adventures aren't quite so bad, or engage in a clever riddle-game we never thought they could do. We laugh at their opposition who still underestimate them. We close the book and sigh with satisfaction, knowing that our favorite character is a better person after their adventure and that we're a better person for having been able to experience it with them.

A confession. This blog is "Confessions of a Teenage Writer", is it not?
Well here's a big one.

Ahahahaha NO.

I am not brave.
Yes, I can hear your collective gasp of shock.
I, Elizabeth Lucy Morgan, am not brave. At least, not brave about physical things.
In fact, one might count me as timid. I know most of my friends do.
Whenever we walk in the woods, I fret and worry over spiders and any manner of unfriendly green plant. My pain tolerance is about -0.5. I'm afraid of heights and have vertigo. I hate lizards and am uneasy around large dogs.
I am a classically defined wimp.

However, I write these massively brave characters, characters who would willingly suffer pain or even die for their convictions. I sit around and write huge pep talks for them, about why they should stand up and how strong I know they can be. Show me a lizard, and watch me run screaming for the door.

How do I ever write bravery scenes? Scenes when it's fear versus faith, with everything on the line? How do I make this believable when I have very little experience with "fight" and much more with "flight"?

I take the moments I was brave.
For instance, I went to a summer camp this year with my youth group.
And I was very brave.
It was a wilderness camp. In the mornings, we would listen to Bible teaching and in the afternoon we'd do various, epic activities. The first day I and a daredevil friend of mine went river tubing on the lovely (and freezing cold) Natahala river. It was really fun, and actually rather tame.
The next day was our on-site day. At this camp, they have several activities that require much bravery. Some I did not do, but some I did. They had a zipline, which was really no big deal. Half my youth group was betting I would sit down and push off the platform, but, to their surprise, I jumped. It was brilliant.
Then I did the infamous Three Man Swing.
It is a massive swing, where you are pulled back sixty feet in the air and then dropped and allowed to swing.
It was the supidest thing I've ever done in my life, and I've done some really stupid stuff. But I did it. I halfway hated it, but I still did it. And guess what? I'll probably do it again.
The next day we went canoeing and I ended up doing a rope swing where you would climb up a tree and swing off. My sister bet me I wouldn't, but I did.
The last day was white water rafting. These weren't any crazy rapids, just about Class 2 (I think). My whole youth group went. We did all the fun stuff, like pulling one another out of the rafts and landing in the water that was so cold you couldn't breathe and trying to catch leaves in our mouths. Sounds like a great time, right?

Kind of a bad angle for a picture. This was a good 10-20
foot drop.

Then there was the rock.
Picnic rock, to be exact.
The rock where anyone who didn't value their lives would jump off into the STILL FREEZING COLD water and then swim for their lives toward the rocky shore.
I wasn't going to do it.
But I was sleep deprived and my friends wanted me to and I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't a Bilbo Baggins pre-adventure. I wanted to be brave.
So I walked up the rock. Camp counselors lined the sides, cheering or whatever. My heart was pounding too loudly to care. I silenced all my better judgement, and that one, loud, little tiny daredevil voice in my head that spent most of it's time asleep was the only thing I was listening to. As I jumped off the edge, one of the counselors pushed me (thank you, whoever you were) and I hit the water with the top of my left leg. As I went under, my whole body screamed at me. COLD. I surfaced, hyperventilating and unable to catch my breath. I swam for the side as fast as my little legs could take me and climbed up the bank.
It scared me.
So you know what?
I did it again.

You know, maybe I'm not that wimpy after all. I spent a whole week doing things no one thought I could do, things I didn't think I could do. Maybe I can relate to my characters. Maybe this is my little victory, my little adventure, that will kick off a much bigger one.
Maybe I am a hero, in my own funny sort of way.
Maybe I am brave.

"It never ceases to amaze me, the courage of Hobbits."
And the courage inside myself.

When Characters Fight Their Inevitable Destinies (Can't Coax my Climax to Come!)

Hi everyone! I sincerely apologize for not posting in the last few days of forever. It's been a pretty mad few weeks, complete with college essays, surprised Saturday activities, strange bouts of random weepiness (over songs, or all things) and becoming fascinated with the NaNoWriMo forums. I also apologize for the alliteration in my subtitle.
I saw an opportunity. I took it.

I planned on keeping you all updated on my recent NaNo ventures, and so I will!

To complete my current rough draft/work in progress/diamond in the very ugly, dirty, horrifying rough, all I really have to do is write the climax. My usual word count is 500 per day (loosely adhered to). I decided for NaNo, that would not cut the proverbial mustard.
My new goal is 1000 words per day, which is really not that bad.
Until.
1000 words a day + right near climax + knowing exactly how my story was going to end = writer's dream come true, right?
Maybe I would even have two whole weeks before NaNo just to plan my new book and watch endless Netflix!
Alas. So close, but still so far.

My characters have learned a new trick to keep me from writing.

My climax, in this story, is a massive battle.

They are avoiding the climax.
How? And why?
Well, one of my characters fell off a cliff.
Don't even ask. I don't know how it happened, or why, but the next thing I knew there she was! Plummeting towards the ground at an alarming rate.
My other lead decided he wanted to go see his family. And then, of course, get majorly sidetracked.
I had a minor side character who walked in one day and said," Hello. I know you planned on killing me off. But first, let me tell you my long and glorious backstory that will make you fall even more in love with me and almost consider sparing my life."
He was all to effective.
Yet another character, destined to appear at the END of the book, showed up. I tried to tell her it was not her cue, but she ignored me and is currently making things beyond difficult for my poor main characters.

So yes. Things are getting majorly complicated. Subplots are emerging, subplots that I was supposed to add in the second draft. The story I feared would first draft at 20,000 words is looking more like it might clock 30,000, with the promise of becoming much, much longer in future revisions.

These are my characters, yes. But they truly do what they like.
Why do I put up with this? I ask myself daily. Why not just embrace my power and send a lightning bolt to strike them all brain-dead, making them effective slaves to my will?

Because they make my story better.
Yes, in a first draft, these things are bothersome. Yes, sometimes I would like to just transport them all to the scene of my climax and make this junk happen already. Sadly, I cannot, as this is not a sci-fi story.
This is a first draft. This is where the unexpected things come up. This is where I roll with it.
My characters are running from their coming, immanent doom happy ending?
Let them run.

A New Endeavor

Hello all!
I have some very, very exciting news.
This coming November I plan to embark on the month of craziness and creativity known simply as NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month). I have heard about this interesting opportunity several times, but only recently began to seriously consider it.
It is a challenge to write a 50,000 word first draft of a novel inside the month of November. I have the outline and characters for a story I have been hoping to get around to, and NaNoWriMo seems like the perfect time.

I have a first draft of a story nearly finished, and with a decent push I feel I can complete it before November 1st.
I am trying to encourage some other writers in my circle of friends to also attempt the challenge.

I will be making many, many pots about NaNoWriMo as I prepare this month and participate the next.

Currently I am making a list of things I plan to do in order to begin this new venture, and I hope to keep you all updated on how it is progressing.

Curious about NaNoWriMo? Here's a link to the website. http://nanowrimo.org
If you're a past NaNo participant, I'd love to hear about your experience/any tips you might have. If you're participating this year for the first time, I'd also love to hear from you.