Personally, when it comes to NaNo, I'm a believer. My first NaNo year was 2010. I did it. I wrote my whole novel in one month. Then I spent the next year revising it and running it through my crit group--the amazing Sharks and Pebbles. Then I sold it to a publisher and it's coming out in February.
I am a SLOW writer. So if I can do it, anyone can!! You just have to find the NaNo method that works for you.
So, in case anyone out there finds this helpful, here are some tips that work for me:
~ Some great advice I picked up I can't remember where is to take the first 5 minutes of each NaNo session and brainstorm a few BRIEF bullet points of what needs to happen in your plot next. You only need to worry about the next scene or two. Once you have that, it's A LOT easier to get those words out.
I'm not much of an outliner in general because things change so much as I write. But if I take these 5 minutes to plot out the near future, it makes a huge difference in how quickly I meet my daily goal.
~ DON'T SELF EDIT! Everyone says this because it is the hardest rule to stick to. If you feel you've written something awful or derailed the plot, just strikethrough those paragraphs to remind yourself you hate them, then move on. That way you still get the word count, and if you change your mind later and decide keep them, there they are!
~ Keep your fingers on the keyboard! It's so easy to simply stop typing and lean back to think, or check Facebook or twitter, or go get a snack. Resist! Keep those fingers on the keyboard and type away. If you're not sure what comes next, just keep typing the scene you're in, even if it will all be deleted later.
I had a scene where my two main characters were eating, but I wasn't sure what needed to happen next, so I dragged out the meal, describing in detail the most mundane parts about their burgers and fries. It kept me writing until the inspiration on how to move on finally came. NaNo is an exercise in free-flowing thought, not creating a masterpiece in one month.
~ Find what motivates you. For me, it's watching that little target bar in Scrivener slowly change from red to green.
Please, please, please share with us your tricks and secrets for a successful NaNoWriMo!!
Happy writing!
1 comment:
Thank you Julie. Great words.
Self-edit is my downfall. I keep thinking if I could just get this part right, then I can move on. NaNo is interesting because it forces you out of you normal writing comfort level. You don't dally making it perfect. It it doesn't come out right, make a note of it and move on. Some of my word count is made up of notes to self, saying the general idea of the event or dialog that goes in a spot, or plot ideas to develop later. Whatever helps my word count.
So my 2 cents worth: write something everyday, as much as you can. I've about given up on 1600 words, but I've been averaging above 500. Some days more and some days too much else is going on. If you can't meet the word count, set a time goal. A half hour, or two or whatever. I'm writing about 550 an hour.
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