Last Minute NaNo Planning

Good morning, NaNo superstars.

How are you all feeling? Excited? Charged up? Filled with words you’ve been bottling up until now?

Tomorrow sees the start of NaNoWriMo, and I’m still jealous that I won’t be doing it with you guys. This being-sensible things it not working for me right now. But so it goes.

I’m sure that by now you’ve got your month/novel planned out and ready to start. For those of you don’t, even for you those who have everything sorted, I have one or two questions for you:

Do you know what you’re writing?

Do you have a firm grip on the genre you’re writing? I ask this because I don’t want you hitting the 20k mark and suddenly panic that what you’re writing isn’t working, or it’s morphed into something you didn’t expect/see coming at all. I know this is only the first draft, and things can be changed/fixed in rewrites, but why make extra work when it isn’t necessary?

Do you have a firm grasp on the story you want to write? Do you know where you’re going?

For pantsers this can be tricky. I’m the biggest pantser ever. I tried plotting last year and ended up almost not finishing the novel.  Even though I don’t plot, I do have a general idea of where I’m going. I have a beginning, middle, and end. The rest I leave up to the characters and where what they do take me. The most plotting I can do is to fill out a beat sheet. Vaguely. So, pantser, do you have a general idea of what has to happen, or are you going in completely blind?

Plotter, do you have your chapters planned out? Do you have them summarized? Have you done your research, and have your events mapped? I don’t even know why I’m asking this. Of course you do. Plotters are organized like that.

Do your characters have motivation?

As important as plot is to a story, motivation is just as essential. I don’t want to read a story where the character does things just because they can. There has to be a reason. An author once said that every single character in your story should have motivation, even if it’s just the man having a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper at the coffee shop where your MC work. Even the woman your MC brushes shoulders with as she runs away from who’s chasing her. What is your characters’ motivation?

Do you have your setting in place?

I’ve had a full rejected simply because the editor couldn’t get a decent grip on my setting, so I know how important it is. Setting is an entire character on its own, and I think we sometimes forget how important a role it plays in the stories we tell. We take it for granted. Do you have a clear view of where your story takes place? You can have so much fun with this, get your characters into a lot more trouble by using the setting.

That’s all I’m throwing at you right now. Those are the big things. The smaller ones you can figure out as you go. There’s still a few hours left for you to figure out the last few details to try and make this writing month as painless as possible.

From all of us here at Hugs and Chocolate, we want to wish you the best of luck with November’s writing endeavors. We can’t wait to hear how you’re getting along. We’ll have check ins, so look out for that. We want to know how you guys are doing.

Happy writing.
Update: With 8 hours to go(for me and my futureness) I’ve changed my mind and decided to do NaNo. Because there’s nothing like a hint of madness to start the month of November with.

 

NaNoWriMo Prep: Signing Up and Participating

Hey Writers! Just a few more days until National Novel Writing Month begins. You’re participating, aren’t you? Glad to hear that! Time to stock up on coffee, gummy bears, chocolate, frozen dinners and pajama pants. Got that covered? Great! Oh, you haven’t actually signed up yet? Well, let’s fix that.

I know it’s a big step–officially putting your name on the website–but if you’d like claim your goodies when you hit that 50,000 word mark, it is necessary. Plus, you get access to all kinds of fun things like the forum and your own personal profile to add your author and book information. Let’s take a minute to run through the three most important things to do on the NaNo website.

1. Signing Up. It’s even easier than signing up for a new email account. Go to the Sign Up page and enter a username, an email and a password. DO NOT skip your time zone. This is very important as it will lock you out before your correct time on the final day if you don’t have it set to your time zone. Click “Sign Up” and wait for your confirmation email! You’re in the club!
2. Set Your Home Region. It’s not impossible but it is a lot less likely that you will make it to your goal without support. Visit the Forum if you’re unable to meet up with other Wrimos in person. If you are able to meet in person, go to NaNo Near You > Find Your Region and search for your state. You can then narrow it down to your city and join a region. Now you will be notified about Write-Ins in your area.
3. Change Your Time Zone. You heard me right. Not only do we have Thanksgiving to combat with (look for my upcoming post on that), but we also have the Daylight Savings Time roll back on November 4th. Because of this, you will need to update your time zone on that day, again, to insure you are given all the time you need to get those last words in.

Once you sign up, be sure to add me as a buddy and follow NaNoWriMo on twitter for updates and word sprints.

I’ll see you on the other side of sanity!

 

Even if You’re not Doing NaNoWriMo: A Challenge

It’s almost November, and for many writers, the beginning of a month filled with too much caffeine, frozen pizza, and questionable hygiene. That’s right–NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. If you’ve never joined in the madness, you may want to look into it. But, just like everything else in life, it’s not for everyone, and that’s okay.

One thing I really love about NaNo is the sense of community and excitement. Those two things alone are so inspiring. And let’s face it, there’s something comforting about knowing there are other writers out there who are working toward the same immediate goal as you.

Some writers use the month of November to edit instead of draft. Some use it to finish a manuscript they’ve been holding on to for a long time, but have never gotten around to finishing. What I’m getting at is, even if you don’t want to participate in NaNo, I encourage you to use the 30 days to do something with your writing. Take advantage of the NaNo atmosphere and energy. Thousands of people do NaNo each year–make them your accountability partners for a month.

I have some hefty goals for the month of November. I plan on finishing my revisions on my YA horror novel and hopefully drafting another novel. We’ll see how much I get done, but I’m hopeful 🙂

What are your goals for the month of November?

 

A NaNo Tip & The Dreaded Synopsis (or how I tackle it)

This is my face when I sit down to write a synopsis and query letter. (Photo by D. Sharon Pruitt from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, USA)

Our topic for next month is, naturally, NaNoWriMo. Since my first post will only be in the second week, I’d thought I’d sneak in my one piece of advice for NaNo before I tackle today’s subject.

My advice is pretty simple:  Get as much written in the first few days/week of NaNo as possible.  I say this because you’ll be all fired up and full of ideas and words that have to be written. The more you get written in the first few days, the less you’ll need to make your daily target. It’ll also be a big help for when something comes up like a family emergency or thanks giving. Even if you just add an extra 100 – 200 words, it’ll make a difference. Instead of aiming for 1 777 words, you’ll now have 1 500 to write. It’ll feel much more attainable.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk a bit about the synopsis.  This past weekend I found myself with the dreaded task of writing the synopsis for a novel that I want to start querying next month. I say dreaded because it’s inconceivable to me to have to condense all that is my 83 000 word novel into one page. ONE PAGE! The injustice of it all! How can anybody expect me to narrow down all the twists and turns, the character development and angst to just one page?

But just like the even-more-dreaded query, the synopsis is a necessary evil and we suffer through it because we love our stories and want to give them the best opportunity to get out into the world.

Unlike my pantsing ways, I can’t just sit down and write a synopsis by simply thinking about the story and what happens. I’m paranoid that I’d miss something important, even though I know the novel from back to front.  So here’s what I do.

Chapter summaries. I take a weekend, start at the beginning of the novel, and work my way through the entire novel, summarizing the chapters as I go. At the end I have four pages of what happens in the story, chronologically correct. Following that I remove the chapter headings, put everything together, and voila. A very rough first draft.

After that I print out the four pages, take a red pen, and torture that draft until I’ve gotten it whittled down to at least two pages. By the time this is done, I’m a crying, blubbering mess. This is where my next not-so-secret weapon comes in. A CP with a ruthless nature when it comes to cutting what she like to call the fat. Said CP will help me narrow down my synopsis to one page filled with things that make sense.

Now, I know this method doesn’t work for everybody. Just this week I saw one lady suggesting to another the chapter summary method. Lady two said that she’d tried it before and it didn’t work for her. There’s a different method she uses, something about filling out a form, and I’m curious to know how it works, though I know I won’t ever use it.

Dear reader, for the sake of lady two of those not using the chapter summary method to compose a synopsis, share some tips for writing the best synopsis possible. I’m sure all of you have a secret or two to share with the rest of us.

 

NaNoWriMo = Draft Zero

November is just around the corner and after four years of participating in National Novel Writing Month, even the change in weather has my nerves buzzing with anticipation, like my internal editor is well-prepared for her yearly vacation. In my excitement, I can’t help asking every writer I know if he or she is participating. Misery loves company. 😉 I’m getting a lot of mixed responses–some are die hards like me who are raring to go, some are participating but aren’t sure if they can do it, while others think it’s just crazy and don’t feel they could get anything out of it. For every one of them, I have one piece of advice: you’ve got to take NaNoWriMo for what it is.

Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo, says what you write in November should be looked at as “Draft Zero,” and as someone who has completed the challenge four times and turned two of those into full novels, I completely agree. Here’s what I mean…

Which Glasses Are You Wearing?

There are three general ways people look at writing 50,000 words in a month:

1. NaNoWriMo is the ticket to publication. Well…it might be the first step to publication but there will be a lot of work to be done once the month is over, so don’t plan on submitting your first draft to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel competition. Writing so quickly doesn’t leave any time for editing so there will be enough typos to make your English teacher blush. It will be choppy. There will be holes where you don’t have time to research details. In short, know that NaNo only gets your feet wet.
2. What’s the point in writing a bunch of trash? Let me tell you a little secret about how I write–I throw A LOT away. Sometimes an entire draft. It doesn’t mean all that writing was meaningless. I can brainstorm and plot and outline with the best of them but I don’t truly know my characters until I just start writing. NaNo is about getting out of my head and getting into the story. I don’t see any waste in that.
3. There is no other event that brings writers of all types from all over the world together working toward the same incredible goal. There is no better way to set your critical mind aside. There is no better way to create a daily writing habit. There is no better way to set a challenge and prove to yourself that you can do whatever you set your mind to.

So what does Draft Zero mean? It means you might not use everything you write but you might just find some incredible lines, paragraphs and characters you never would have discovered inside yourself if you hadn’t let your walls down. Most importantly, it means you will certainly know your story better than you ever thought you could–what’s working, what isn’t, what needs to be added, changed, cut. And then you’re prepared to write a real first draft that, with hard work, will be structurally sound. It seems like a lot of work but we all do this same process in different ways. NaNo simply speeds it up, and in a lot of cases, pushes people past all the internal obstacles that are holding them back.

Don’t Be Afraid to Write

I’m not saying everyone has to do National Novel Writing Month, or even should. Everyone has their own way of writing. What I’m saying is, don’t make excuses to not write. You don’t have to write 50,000 words in November but you do have to write. Stop looking at the word count goal as all or nothing. If you sign up for NaNo, just write every day. See where it goes. See where the excitement and community leads you. Writing only 25,000 words isn’t a failure. Compare that to how many words you’ve written this month.

But truth be told, NaNoWriMo isn’t really about the word count goal at all. It’s about letting go of all worries of what may or may not be. It’s about free falling into your creative mind. It’s about discovering the beauty in your story, your words, your writing.

Visit my blog for more Tips for a Successful NaNoWriMo.

 

Writing the Dark Stories

“I believe these stories exist because sometimes we need to create unreal monsters and bogies to stand in for all the things we feel in our real lives….That truth is monsters are real, and ghosts are real, too. They live inside us, and sometimes they win.”

~ Stephen King, from the 2001 Introduction to The Shining

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” 

~Edgar Allan Poe 

I love this time of year not only for Halloween, but the gloom and wind chafed by all the brilliant autumn colors. Dark juxtaposes light for a brief time, then days shorten and we celebrate with costumes and candy. I’ve long been drawn to dark stories and poetry, and these are the things I write.

We all know paranormal, horror,and urban fantasy dominate the market.Some say these books flood the market; I believe readership for these types of stories will always exist, but that’s another post. Earlier this week, Rebecca celebrated some of the best horror novels and anthologies in this post. Many members of my writing tribe author the same types of stories. Why does this demand continue to exist? Why do we read them or pay money to see the horror movies, or the tragic love stories?

Is it, as Stephen King, or even Edgar Allan Poe, suggests, because we harbor these things within us?

Yes, I believe so.

Even a good love story, or comedy, requires a counterpoint between light and dark. One antonym for darkness is illumination. We want to do more than survive, we seek enlightenment. And there’s the balance- the theme- of many of the stories we read and tell to each other.

King also suggests we need these stories to save us. When I staggered through some of the harder times in my life, reading Dean Koontz and Anne Rice reminded me how weird and beautiful live is- even during the unpretty parts. When I shivered, my heart raced, or I cried for a favorite character, I experienced a much-needed emotional release. I compare this to our love for music. From Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Phantom of the Opera to popular progressive rock band Tool, millions find catharsis in someone else’s song, or story.

Any good story I’ve read- and this is my opinion- contains some element of darkness, as most tell a love story as well. This creates much-needed tension and conflict. Otherwise, dull Pollyannas and mundane resolutions would crowd the literary landscape. Our stories should be at least as complex, if not more so, as our inner lives. We all harbor secrets, doubts, fears, regrets, or anger. Not that we let these things govern our lives, but we should spill them, along with a little blood, onto the page.

Are you drawn to stories with darker elements in them? When writing, how deep do you dig into your psyche? Do you feel that these types of stories or music provides catharsis?

* Artwork is Courtyard with Lunatics by Goya (1794)

 

What’s So Good About Goodreads Anyway? Part 1: Using Goodreads as a Reader

I don’t know about you, but most of my Twitter, Facebook, and other social media connections revolve around other writers. I’m sure I’m not alone. 99% of the friend requests I get come from other writers. We share a common passion and that’s what brings us together. I LOVE my writer friends. We challenge each other, support one another, and keep each other sane. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They are each integral to getting through rewrite hell and on the road to publication. But what do you do when the book is finished? Promoting to the same circle that helped you on your journey is futile. As much as they might love you and your book, other writers are not your primary audience. It’s time to connect with readers. REAL readers.

‘But writers ARE readers,’ you cry. Yes, we are, but we’re also busy getting our own books out there, being critique partners, bloggers, publicists, editors, social media guru’s, ect. Let’s be honest. How many of us have as much time to read for pleasure as we used to? I know I don’t. I still read every night, but instead of a book a week, I’m now lucky if I get through a book a month. I study books, looking for what’s working, what’s not. Books have unconsciously become more of a learning tool instead of something that relaxes me. These days, a book has to be exceptional to make me forget I’m a writer. I am no longer an average reader and average readers are the ones that will want to read your books.

So how do I find my audience? The good news is it’s easy to connect with average readers. Most of you have heard of it and I know a lot of you already have accounts, but are you using Goodreads to its full potential? In my opinion, you should all but forget Twitter and Facebook in your search for an audience. If you want to connect with real readers, you need to go to them, and let me tell you, the real readers are on Goodreads.

Now, before you start preparing your marketing blitz, stop. I said Goodreads is where you go to CONNECT with readers. It is not where you go to sell your book. It’s not a spamfest or a place to drop your book title or cover in every conversation. It is true social media built around a common love of reading. To make Goodreads work for you, you have to be prepared to participate in conversation. If you love books, this shouldn’t be hard.  On Goodreads, you should always be a reader first and a writer second. And you know what, it’s so much fun!

What’s so great about GR?

1)      It’s an amazing research tool. Seriously, this is the best place to go to find out what readers in your genre are reading, what they like, what they don’t, and why.

2)      Helps you keep the pulse of what’s going on in the market. Forget what industry professionals say, it’s all about readers. They drive the market. Why wouldn’t you want to find out what they’re saying? Use GR to find what real readers think about current books.

3)      It’s fun and brings the joy of reading back. Nobody cares about market trends, editing, agents, or the publishing industry. Readers care about stories and their love of the written word and it’s refreshing to stop being a writer for a while and to be a reader again.

4)      Groups, games, finding new authors and books, making new friends.

Tips for adding books:

1)      You can add books you’ve read by either typing the name of the book or the author in the search bar, or you can download the GR app for your smartphone. This allows you to scan the barcode on all the books on your real bookshelf and it will automatically add it to your GR shelf. How cool is that?

2)       As you add books, GR will give you the option to rate and review each book. I didn’t have time to write reviews for every book, but rating is easy and only takes seconds. You can also add the dates you started and finished each book. I didn’t bother with this for my older books, but started using this feature for everything I read going forward. It’s a great way to keep track of what I’ve read and when I’ve read it.

3)      You can also re-order the books on your virtual shelf anyway you like. Do you like to keep your genres separate? You can add shelves and title them anything you wish.

4)      Once you’ve added books you’ve already read, you can start adding books you want to read. This is a great feature to keep track of books you’re interested in. Again, type the title or author into the search list and add to you ‘to read’ shelf.

Tips on adding friends:

1)      Obviously you want to start with people you already know, but don’t limit yourself.

2)      Look at your friend’s lists. You’ll be able to compare books with each person on their list. If you see someone who reads a lot of the same books as you do, send them a friends request.

3)      Mention that you noticed they like George RR Martin or that you have a lot of books in common. This helps make the connection more personal.

4)      Add people that you see participating in the same conversations as you do.

Tips on joining groups:

1)      Join some groups that read in the genres you’re interested in.

2)      Click the ‘groups’ link and type in your interest into the search bar.

3)      Once you found a group that looks good to you, join it. Don’t be shy. Introduce yourself and start adding to the conversation. Some groups will have a special folder for authors to add their book titles, but they don’t tolerate spam in any other discussions.

4)      Games. This is a quick and fun way to get to know others. Most groups have a few games they play. You’ll see them listed as a discussion. Be sure to read the rules before you play. J

5)      Group reads are popular. Most groups I’m a part of will choose a book to read for the month. You don’t have to participate, but it’s another great way to connect with readers.

Tips for joining conversations:

1)      GR will display ongoing conversations about books you’ve added to your bookshelf on the left hand side of your homepage. If a conversation looks interesting, join it. This is another great way to start making friends and adding to your friends list.

I know I’ve focused on how to use Goodreads from a reader’s perspective, but I feel that’s the first step to connecting with your audience. As an author, Goodreads has some amazing tools and I’ll be talking about the GR author platform, using Listopia to gain exposure, creating events, linking your blog, and more. Join me for part 2:Using Goodreads as an Author on the 7^th of November.

Do you use Goodreads? I would love to hear about your experiences.

 

Oh, the Horror…

It’s October, so of course we need to talk about writing horror. How do you write something that can scare your readers, without coming across as cheesy or trying to hard? Some writers do it so easily that you don’t realize what’s coming. Writing horror is an art. The best advice I can give to you is to read horror. Does that mean you need to read every single horror book out there? Not at all. There are many different types of horror and some may appeal to you and your readers more than others. Me? I prefer genuinely scary monster stories. I won’t read or watch anything with a lot of gore. I prefer the unknown versus the visceral, serial killer type horror.

On that note, I’d like to share a list with you. This list is from my go-to craft book on horror, “On Writing Horror.” It’s by The Horror Writer’s Association and edited by Mort Castle. This is a list of the classic horror stories they recommend for all aspiring horror writers. It’s by no means complete and I’ll add a few at the end which I personally recommend.

1. Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
2. Dracula by Bram Stoker
3. The Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson
4. The Collected Ghost Stories of M.R. James
5. Burn, Witch, Burn! By A. Merritt
6. To Walk the Night by William Sloane
7. The Dunwich Horror and Others by H.P. Lovecraft
8. Fear by L. Rob Hubbard
9. Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson
10. Conjure Wife by Fritz Lieber
11. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
12. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
13. 13.  Richard Matheson: Collected Stories, Vols. I, II, III
14. Hell House by Richard Matheson
15. The October Country by Ray Bradbury
16. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
17. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
18. Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg
19. Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
20. The Stand by Stephen King
21. Watchers by Dean Koontz

These are the books they recommend you read. How many have you read? I used to read a lot of horror and have found there are some common threads that seem to emanate from the ones I’ve never forgotten. Here are a few I would add to the list:

1. It by Stephen King. I read this book when I was twelve and slept with my light on for a month. I still don’t walk within reaching distance of sewer drains. That, to me, is a sign of an excellent horror story.
2. Anything by H.P. Lovecraft.
3. The Alienist by Caleb Carr. This one is a little different. I read it and couldn’t read it again. It bothered me on such a deep level, but again, that’s what I think makes a great horror story.
4. Taken by Dean Koontz. This book wasn’t one of his most popular, but when I read it, I had to keep putting it down. For that reason, I have to put it on the list.
5. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. This is a different kind of horror, but one that reads well with the underlying tension of a possible reality.

I know there are a lot more that I’ve neglected to mention, but off the top of my head, these are a few I’d encourage you to read, if you want to write memorable horror. Of course, the best way for a writer to learn their craft is to read. Read horror, suspense, mystery – anything that will teach you the nuances of the craft. Pretty soon, you’ll start to see what works and what doesn’t. What books would you add to this list?

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkn/4048522214/

 

Common Comma Issues

A lot of people seemed to like my post on how to use past perfect tense, so I wanted to continue today with another grammar rundown. I’m going to go through some common comma issues I see in manuscripts. I know we are getting into the weeds a little with grammar, but it’s amazing how some small tweaks to your manuscript will help sentence structure, story understanding, and an overall better reading experience for your reader. Misplacing or misusing a comma can alter the meaning of a sentence, so yeah, they’re pretty important.

Comma Splice: Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet). A comma splice is when a comma without a conjunction joins two separate sentences. A comma splice is incorrect. There are a few ways to correct a comma splice. One way is to use a semicolon to connect the two clauses without using a conjunction. You can also break the sentence into two separate sentences.

Examples that are all correct:

• My favorite book releases soon, and I am so excited.
• My favorite book releases soon; I am so excited.
• My favorite book releases soon. I am so excited.

Serial Comma: Use commas to separate words and groups of words with a series of three or more.

Examples:

• This book has awesome dialogue, plot, and characterization.
• Sebastian, Biggie, and Loki are my four legged babies.

Using commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun: This is a big one all writers should pay attention to. Use a comma to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun. Be careful not to add a comma before the final adjective and the noun or between non-coordinate adjectives. Here’s a helpful hint: if the word and can be inserted between the two adjectives, use a comma. If you can swap the adjectives around and they still make sense, use a comma. A coordinate adjective separately modifies the noun that follows it. Cumulative adjectives do not modify the noun that directly follows it.

Examples:

• This is a strong, funny manuscript.
• He wrapped me in an amazing power hug.  *You do not use a comma here because they are non-coordinate, and you can’t say, “He wrapped me in an amazing and power hug.

Comma to separate essential phrases and clauses: An essential phrase or clause is used to modify the noun. It also adds critical information to the sentence. You do not set essential phrases or clauses off with commas.

Example:

• The people who work in publishing are awesome.

A nonessential phrase or clause adds extra information to the sentence. The phrase or clause can be eliminated without changing the meaning of the sentence. You should always set nonessential phrases or clauses off with commas.

Example:

• Hugs and Chocolate, an awesome blog, is a great community. *Hugs and Chocolate is named, so the description is nonessential.

I could go on and on. There is so much information out there, but this is a good start. Let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll answer them in the comments.

 

Are you rising to the NaNoWriMo challenge?

Next month sees the start of National Novel Writing Month, better known as NaNoWriMo. I’m going to assume most of you know what NaNo is but for those who don’t, here’s gist of it.

Thousands of writers from around the world will attempt to write a 50 000 word novel during the month of November(or more if they are so inclined to). Crazy right? Right. But then, all us writing folk have a little crazy in us that we hide from society on good days. During November, not so much. It’s all about the crazy then.

My bio here says that I’m a huge fan of NaNo so it’s with a sad heart that I write this post today. Because I will not be doing NaNo this year for the simple fact that I have too many completed novels and none of them ready to be thrown into the query trenches. The worst thing I can do now is write a whole new novel to add to that pile. Sometimes I don’t like logical me. Right now I’m doing a last round of revisions on the novel I started during last year’s NaNo which makes this a bitter sweet time for me. What I will be is a NaNo rebel. I might finish the last 25k of the novel I started in 2010 and will finish the 2nd draft of a novel I wrote a few months ago.

But you! You get to do it. If you decided to participate this year, you get to be a part of this madness and I envy you. I’m positively green with it! I’m well aware that NaNo isn’t for everybody. One of my CPs tried it last year and said that the pressure of getting it done was too much. She’s the kind of writer who likes to take time and think as she writes and that makes for a bad partner when it comes to writing 50 000 words in 30 days if you don’t have a system/structure in place. I understand that.

For some reason the NaNo hate was extra obvious last year.  Maybe I shouldn’t say hate, and instead dislike.  I read a few posts where the writer/author/observer was dismissive, deriding, and sometimes disrespectful of those participating. Ugh. I don’t have time for that. BUT! The support was loud enough to drown out a stadium of crazed, soccer-obsessed fans, and that made me smile and think, I’m proud to be one of those crazed fans. I loved seeing all the NaNo posts and updates in my reader whenever I took a few minutes to scan through it.

I love NaNo because it’s a challenge. And if there’s one thing I can’t resist it’s a challenge. I love the community and how extra small the world feels during November. The rush of being on deadline is something I thrive on as well. The abandon with which I get to write, leaving the editing and revising and worrying that there’s more wrong with this story than right for later.

This is a good time to prove to yourself that you don’t need to be inspired to write. Writers write, with or without their muses. It’s as simple as that. If all of us waited for inspiration to strike we’d never get anything done. And if you’re one of those people who’s inspired all the time, I envy you. Hand over what you’re drinking, I want some of that too 😉 .

The support is amazing. AMAZING. There are so many other writers attempting this that you will never be alone, especially if you’re part of the Twitter writing community. There’s always somebody willing to kick your behind when you feel like slacking or giving up. It makes a difference.

At the end of the day, if you take a logical approach to writing your novel, it’s definitely doable. Think about it like this. If you do four sprints with a target of 500 words in each sprint, you’ll have about 2k at the end of the night. That’s about 300 words more than the intended 1 777 words you need to write a day. If you’ve plotted your novel, or are a pantser like me but know exactly where your story is headed, this shouldn’t be too difficult. There will be plenty of word wars and writing sprints happening on twitter and facebook, so there really is no excuse for not giving it your best shot.

Even if you don’t finish or hit 50 000 words by the end, you started a new novel. That’s 15 000 words you didn’t have. That’s 23 000 words that you wouldn’t have written. That’s insane and awesome and great and fantastic all at the same time! You are a rock star for even starting! Well done, you.

I’ll just sit here with my puppy eyes and sad smile while everybody else writes with no restraint. I’ll bring you chocolate, coffee, cookies, bacon, and whatever else you need to keep yourself motivated. I love motivating people, so if you need the kick, my right foot is all yours. Just let me know 😀

On that note, here are some links to help you out. Some of them are from a few years ago but they still apply:

NaNoWriMo – Should You Join in the Silliness? 9 Reasons to Consider it – Anne R Allen

Maureen Johnson: Your NaNoWriMo Questions Answered.  There are a lot of helpful tips, go have a read.

NaNoWriMo Boot Camp: Editing As You Go – Nathan Bransford

Five NaNoWriMo Survival Tips

So who’s doing NaNo? Will you be doing it as a rebel or going full out?