NaNoWriMo starts in less than a week.
Since I’m officially a college dropout again, I’m going to be focusing all of my extra time into my novel. Honestly, all I could think about over the last several months was getting back into writing. Sure, I wrote a quick story here and there, but nothing serious. All of my energy went into coding websites, getting ready for school, and then coding websites and going to school. While I was still in school, I fantasized about writing my novel while doing the whole school thing, but in my heart knew it probably wouldn’t be possible. While I’m a little sad about having to take a hiatus from my education, I’m more than excited that I’ll be filling the gap doing what I love the most.
I wanted to post more tips before we got to November, but school left me with little extra time for blogging. So instead of several posts, I’m going to do a list! (We all love lists, right?)
Getting Ready for November Noveling Mania
- Write an outline. Your outline could be as simple as beginning, middle, and end, but having one keeps you from getting stuck. Trust me on this. You can always change things around later, but having a sense of direction while pumping out those words really makes a difference.
- Get to know your characters. You can write mini profiles, some back story, or whatever, but make sure you get to know your characters at least a little bit before you write. I posted a character interview worksheet that you are free to use.
- Don’t stress. NaNoWriMo is supposed to be fun! You can’t have fun if you’re stressed out about it.
During NaNoWriMo
- Drink coffee. This isn’t really a tip; it’s more of a given. I highly recommend the White Chocolate Mocha with whipped cream at Starbucks. You’ll need the espresso!
- Pace yourself. Break the 50,000 words into smaller, more doable chunks. I try to write 2,000 words a day. If I write more, I’m ahead of schedule. If I write less, I only have to write that plus 2,000 the next day. Pacing yourself also ensures that you don’t burn yourself out. I said in a comment on another blogger’s post about NaNoWriMo tips that if you burn yourself out, you’re less likely to do any writing. (Coffee, of course, helps.)
- Connect with other NaNoWriMo-ers. These kinds of connections are priceless, as you and your writing buddies will cheer each other on, bounce ideas off of each other and, if your lucky, get super competitive. (A little friendly competition will send your word count way up!) I guess this should technically go under “Getting Ready,” as you’ll want to spend November writing rather than trying to make friends, but you should use these connections while writing. All you have to do is take a cruise around the NaNoWriMo forums, do a quick search on Twitter, or check out the NaNoWriMo-themed blogs on Technorati.
Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? What are some of your NaNoWriMo tips? Share them in the comments below!
I am SO STRESSING about NaNoWriMo! I am definitely doing background work now, and will be borrowing your guide
Don’t stress! It’s going to be fun and you’re going to love it. But only if you don’t stress!
I found that Dr. Wicked’s Write or Die is useful in getting prewriting done when you’re brain just isn’t in it. This is what I did last night and got sketches for almost my entire cast and some world-building done.
Good tips! I especially like the coffee idea, though to save money I’m setting up my own at-home coffee bar with milk and chocolate syrup. I love the creative process but I suck at outlines, so I wing it and plan to revise. Whether or not I actually do is another story!
You’ll do great…I love it when others are as excited about NaNo as I am!
Oh — I’ve heard of Dr. Wicked’s Write or Die before! I had to Google it because at first I didn’t know what it was. But I’ve seen it on someone else’s blog before. They listed a bunch of NaNoWriMo tools. I can’t remember the link but there were some other good ones, too!
I’m glad that you got so much pre-writing done. I got a lot done this afternoon, myself. I have the entire first half of my novel outlined in detail. The rest I’m not sure about yet, so I made a KWL chart to help me decide. (I’m going to write a more detailed blog post about all of this later on!)
Mmn, chocolate milk sounds good! I’m planning on doing a lot of writing at my local Barnes and Noble Starbucks, so coffee is a must. (Not that my bank account is as excited as I am…)
I’m glad you liked the tips. I totally winged my first novel and got pretty close to finishing. I’ve found that I stay more disciplined with an outline, though; the year I won, I wrote an outline in October. I think I’ll do great this year, as I’ve got a pretty detailed first half of my outline.
I do think I’ll take a day or two at Starbucks or Hy-Vee’s Caribou Coffee. Out of curiosity, will you be posting your story in your blog? I know some people do and I’m on the fence about whether or not I want to.
I got to know what the heck is KWL?
Some teachers use them to teach units to kids. You make three sections: one for K, one for W, and one for L. Under K, you list the things you know about the subject. Under W, you list the things you want to know about the subject — any questions you might have. The L you complete afterward; you filled in what you’ve learned.
So, in my case, under K I listed goals I know my characters will reach at the end of the novel and things I know they have to do. Under W, I listed questions I have for my characters and the story. It really helped, and I’m sure I’ll fill in more as NaNoWriMo progresses!
I thought about posting it here, but when it’s finished I want to try to pitch it to get it published. I think posting it here might hurt me more than help me. Plus, I’m kind of paranoid about sharing.
I’ll be using some people for criticism and help when I get stuck, and I’ve already got a few people who are more than willing to read it. Someday I do want to post something chapter by chapter here, but I need to look into copyright laws (it’s different when it’s being posted to a website and when it’s an ongoing work).
I knew that. Just forgot about it. LOL
Can’t say I blame you; I’ve managed to forget a lot of what I did in elementary, middle, and high school!