Of course, right now my email is flooded with “NaNoWriMo survival tips! Learn how to: develop a good starter line, develop a killer intro scene, learn how to raise the Titanic, etc.”
Yes.
Glad they’re doing it.
They’ve obviously never done NaNoWriMo. I’m not an expert, this is my first time.
But here’s what I found in my first night of writing. The “I have to have the right word for this scene…”
That waits until December.
The killer first scene?
December.
The awesome scene structure?
You got it – December.
Reading about it to get ready for Nano?
September. Sending me emails about it now means I’ll buy it in advance for next year.
NaNoWrimo – for most people – is about getting 1667 words on paper, and finishing a completed novel. You cannot fall behind once. The entire work flow is this – plan – plan – write – fix in December.
Apparently, people who’ve done it say that the finished novel often needs very little in the way of editing – you’re already writing sparingly just to finish the book. So here’s some hints to get you through NaNoWriMo and make it a success.
You don’t have time for the perfect word. That’s editing. Forget any editing during NaNo. You’ve got to write the book. And if you fall behind by more than four days, you may never catch up.
You don’t have time for writers’ block. Scene not working? Do an MST3K and write a new one. It either means you’re not liking the direction the book is going (you can’t fix this in Nano – you just have to keep plugging), or you didn’t plan enough. You don’t have enough time to fix that, either.
Leave your other books alone during NaNo. I know, you’re thinking, “Hey! That inspired something in one of my other books!” Great! That’s something you’ll have to take care of in December.
You need to get your word count ahead as much as possible the first week of NaNo. You’re going to hit a three day period (I’m sure) where the QEII ocean liner sinks, and someone calls you personally to raise it from the bottom of the ocean. You’re going to get word counts of 200-450 words on those days. Plan smart, and plan to get a couple of 3100 word days – probably the first weekend of NaNo – to provide a word count slush. And hey, if you can get a couple of 20,000 word days, why then, you’re probably done and things are awesome. It’s like that Aikido technique where they set you up by punching you, you try to respond, and then they do some kind of painful jointlock and pin. If they succeed with the punch, they win and its still good.
You don’t have time to do any more fiddling with the scene than spelling errors. Unless you type really fast – apparently, I must – you’re limited to that. I’m usually done with my NaNo word count by 7:35 PM every day. Even so, get into the habit RIGHT AWAY that the usual writer’s procrastination of hunting for the perfect word, or verifying sciene facts like how far down sunlight reaches – all that has to wait until December.
Set up an instrumental music playlist that approximates the kind of writing you’re doing. I have the soundtracks to Outlaw by Lucas Arts, For a Few Dollars More and a Fistful of Dollars. It’s not enough, I really should get the soundtracks to a couple more Clint Eastwood westerns. The right instrumental music really will help increase the word count and make sure your scenes fit the mood.
Plan for an extra thousand words by november 30. NaNoWriMo tells you right away that there are differences in software word counters. Some go by spaces, some by word endings, some by punctuation. Try this simple trick. Add two periods at the end of a sentence, but not three. Did your word count go up artificially? This is why they suggest 1667 words a day – your ending goal is a little over 50,000 words. If you plan on an extra thousand words, then you’re guaranteed no ugly surprises at 10 PM November 30!
good writing!
