On Thanksgiving Day, while most of my family was watching the Macy's Parade, designing the meal, and trying to find "It's a Wonderful Life" on the tube, I was counting down. Counting down what, you ask? Well, two things actually: one, the 1,667 words I had to type in by the end of the day; and two, how many days I had to reach the 50,000 word mark.
It's that time of year again! NaNoWriMo (which, for those of you who don't know, stands for National Novel Writing Month) is upon us writers once more. It's time to take those ideas we knew were too big for a mere story and put them to good use! Some will sacrifice their free time in order to accomplish this task. Some will triumph; others will fall to the sidelines and kick their muse like a dead horse. There's no need for that!
I hope that this column provides some guidance to those of you who plan to try NaNo this year. I hope you don't succumb to the pits of what most writers fear (writer's block), which is what I felt I was going to do last year.
Here is my advice to those who truly have tried but not succeeded; and to those who plan to try: Never give up! The lives of your characters are hanging in the balance. Let them run, let them fly--don't worry about the editing. Coming from me, that's something in and of itself rather...peculiar. But this is your first draft. You are allowed to make mistakes! Truly. Honestly. Relax. Editing comes later, I promise.
I first attempted to write a novel for NaNo last year. It was a wonderful experience. It showed me what I was made of...both as a writer and as a person. It took dedication, determination, and dependability. I was dedicated to marry that 50,000 mark; determined to reach 1,667 every day; and dependable because I had to drag myself out of bed every morning to do all of it before I had to go to school.
What I learned at first was that my characters were going to do what they wanted to do--no matter how hard I tried to prevent them from getting into this or that. They became like wild horses as the story developed but that was fine with me. Sometimes I found it best to let them go, and wait around for them to come back. They wanted to let up on the bit, so I went ahead and let them have their way. It's ok if you do the same. Seriously.
I didn't have much time to plan, so I went back in time to find a plot that I had thought of but never use. It is best to plan a few days in advance--if not more. Everyone has a different way to plan ahead, especially for a 50,000 word novel that could become a masterpiece. Of course, aren't all our babies masterpieces?
I would also suggest that you pick a genre that you enjoy; and in that genre, a topic that interests you. Take, for instance, a sci-fi or fantasy. Does space travel thrill you? What about alien domination? Or do you lean more towards a story about elves and hobbits and a powerful ring? The first would interest H. G. Wells; the second fueled my NaNo; and the third belongs solely to J. R. R. Tolkien. Write what you read with relish and the writing will flow just the same.
Throughout my NaNo, I had to study, go to work, and socialize with family and friends. You have to make time for everything, even what you think you can do without. For instance, if there's a show that you enjoy watching, and you don't feel as if you can reach your goal before it comes on--take a break. Don't force yourself. Pace yourself.
Also, set a time for you and your muse to discuss ideas, and make sure it's the same time every day so your muse will know where to find you. My best time last year was in the morning (when no one else was up). Write for as long as your life allows. You are attempting to do NaNoWriMo. Don't let it attempt to do you.
Be inspired by what all five sense detect in your world and somehow capture that inspiration and mold it into your story. For example, I was watching Dr. Who and really liked the energy of David Tennant. I captured that energy and enthusiasm and molded it into my characters. I even managed to use John Simm's "Master" to my advantage--he's so cocky and evil. You will be surprised where you find inspiration. Just don't forget to use it.
As a final note: find someone to struggle with you. I had my brother and sisters. In talking of stress, which there's probably going to be a lot of, one quote comes to mind: misery loves company. I hope NaNo isn't a struggle for you, nor do I hope it's a miserable experience. Still, find someone to talk to...compete with...and run with them to the finish line--whether you drag them or they drag you the entire way there.
There is a group here (yes, on our very own Storywrite) filled with people who will be attempting NaNo. Join, if you like. I have.
Adding your comment:
Of course, it meant lots of coffee and sleepless nights, but I still had to go to work, socialize, remind my boyfriend that I existed 
You know, important stuff 
Thanks! You really inspired me to try NaNoWriMo sometime (that is, most likely next year in the Summer or some time in my life when I'm older 
) 
