NaNo for the New and the Insane
A Guide to Surviving NaNoWriMo(sm)
By
Lazette Gifford
Copyright 2011 Lazette Gifford
An ACOA Publication
ISBN: 978-1-936507-06-1
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
Dedicated to all the crazy people who really love NaNoWriMo --
And especially to Chris Baty, who started us all along this insane path!
Please take note:
This book is distributed for free and can be copied to anyone, as long as it is done so as a whole. The articles are copyrighted and cannot be made available on any site or in any print format without my written permission. You do, however, have permission to print the book out for your own use if you like.
Copyright © Lazette Gifford, 2006, 2011
Cover Art by Lazette Gifford with DAZ Studio and Corel Photo-Paint 9
Some of these articles have appeared in Vision: A Resource for Writers (http://visionforwriters.com) or have been part of posts on the NaNo boards and elsewhere.
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Insanity
For those who haven't heard of NaNo, or aren't certain they want to get involved, I've put together this collection of a few short articles on the basics. NaNoWriMo is not for every writer, but heading into it with the proper preparation and attitude can make it a great adventure and a lot of fun.
This book covers my personal approach to NaNo and offers ideas, hints, tricks, and thoughts on how to make it through the month. You might find some helpful, and if so, I'm glad I could offer some aid to get through the madness.
Many of these sections have been on the NaNo Boards at various times so they may seem familiar. I've gathered all of this in one place to make it easier to access, especially since the boards change every year. With that in mind, remember that a few of these things are outdated and might not work in the way they did when I first wrote this collection five years ago.
Also, always remember that writers are individuals, and just because I do something one way and have success at it, doesn’t mean it's the end-all answer for everyone. You can use my ideas as a guidebook but in the end you'll have to find your own path.
This is not the same approach as in the wonderful No Plot, No Problem book by Chris Baty. It may be that his approach works better for you, and I recommend that everyone who takes part in NaNo by his book!
Introduction to the 2011 Edition
Things have changed since the 2006 edition of this book. The biggest change is probably in the publishing world, where Indie Authors are making their mark in the self-publishing world, and I have updated some of the pieces to reflect it.
NaNo still remains insane, however, and much that was written in the original book still applies. I have, however, added a few more articles (marked with NEW by the titles) and edited the work. By publishing it through the Smashwords site, I can now easily make this available in a larger number of formats.
I hope you enjoy the book and have fun at NaNo, whatever year you join in!
What is this Madness?
National Novel Writing Month: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
NaNo is an adventure for writers. This is the premiere event of its kind, which has since been copied by many but never bettered. For the month of November, thousands of creative people from around the world join together to leap into the joyful chaos of the creative mind as they write novels. There are other dares and challenges throughout the year, but none like this. The goal is to write at least 50,000 words in 30 days. You have to start with a brand new story -- no working on something already begun. You can have an outline, character worksheets, sketches, and anything else except for any actual writing on the story.
Many people think NaNo is for the person who has never attempted to write anything of this length before. And it is -- but they aren't the only ones who can benefit from this month of madness. I have seen published writers use it to write a quick first draft of something they will later edit to fulfill a contract. I've seen troubled writers use it to force their way past a block and find the joy of creation again.
Everyone should remember the cardinal rule for taking part in NaNo: Have fun. If you think writing a lot of words in a short time sounds enjoyable, then this is something you might want to try.
First let's talk about the people who won't enjoy NaNo. If you hate writing (want to publish a book, don't want to write it), just stay clear of NaNo. The enthusiasm alone will drive you homicidal when you start reading about all those people who actually love to write and can't wait to get started. If this is your idea of the school assignment from hell, keep a good distance from the site!
If you're convinced the only way to be a true artist is to burn every bit of fiction you created, and to write more words about your Writer's Block than you've ever written in fiction, you will swoon at the first day word counts and likely need years of therapy. The sheer joy people have as they head into NaNo November will drive you crazy. Stay clear.
If you think that deathless prose is all that should ever be allowed to be written, and you tend to linger half a day over the proper placement of a comma don't even look at the site. You'll froth at the mouth over posts on the boards long before the actual novel writing starts. This is not a site for you. Erase from your mind the mere idea of NaNo and all those writers racing through their novels before your head explodes.
So, what kinds of people are crazy enough to willingly throw themselves into this insanity?
Writers.
Some participants may not know they're writers yet, but they are. Some may not be the type of writer who will do well with the pressure of NaNo, but they're willing to try. A willingness to attempt different things, from new story ideas to new ways to write, is the mark of someone looking beyond the ordinary for this art and inspiration. They're the ones who are going to do well because they'll never settle for the easy answers and mistake writing angst for talent.
NaNo can be a great help for those who are well into the addiction of writing, and even for those who have sold pieces of fiction. NaNo is all about goals and forcing yourself to write without any constraints. A writer who has a project due to the publisher can find this a great prod to get moving. A writer who is procrastinating on a novel can use the infectious joy and insanity of NaNo to get the first 50,000 words -- or more -- done on their material.
Or a writer might use NaNo to explore a different genre and dedicate the month to try something new. This can be an eye opening experience. Limiting the time you'll allow yourself to waste on a project that may not appeal to you can be the deciding factor to try something different.
Writing during NaNo isn't about quantity-versus-quality, as many people seem to think. It's about letting your muse loose to run wild for a few days and seeing what your imagination can do when the muse has broken free from the restrictions we place on ourselves when we believe something has to be perfect the moment it hits the screen. Nothing is ever perfect the first time through, no matter how much you edit as you go. (And people who believe that editing as they go will save them from editing afterwards are almost always disappointed.)
Some people will write good sentences and dialogue on the first draft and some won't. This rarely has to do with how fast or slow they write. You may not write as fast as some of the others who take place, but that doesn't matter. Anyone who joins in and manages to write more in November than they normally would is a winner, in my opinion, whether they reach the 50,000 words or not.
NaNo is for anyone who wants to experience freedom when they write, no matter if they are a new writer or one already working in the field. All you need is a willingness to leap in and have fun!
The First Step in a Crazy Journey
Once you have signed up for the current year of NaNo one question immediately pops into mind:
Am I crazy?
Well, yes you are. And the odd thing is that people who repeatedly come back to NaNo ask the same question every year, though by the third or fourth year it's sounding rather rhetorical.
You are crazy to join NaNoWriMo. But now that you're here, there is another important question to ask yourself: What do I want from NaNo?
This is more important than you think and it's the one question many first time NaNo-ers don't think to ask. What is it you want to achieve during the month of November? This answer comes in three parts, and the first two are givens --
1. I want to have fun.
No one should join NaNo if they don't think it's going to be fun. You can write any time. NaNo is for the crazy people who think writing something this quickly is going to be enjoyable.
2. I want to write 50,000 words (or more) in November.
This is the goal that you signed up for when you joined. Your plan is to write 50,000 words in November.
3. What do I want by the end of NaNo?
This one is the part you get to decide for yourself, and what you choose will help define the way you work. There are three major choices and a lot of lesser ones. The big question is what you expect from the book when you're done.
Writing for the fun of it is a great choice. There is a special subculture of insanity on the NaNo boards that cater especially to this kind of writing and everyone there seems to have a great time each year. In this choice, you aren't worried about something as simple as the plot! You have dares to take on, challenges, and silly bits of the story to add in!
You might be writing fanfiction (material based on someone else's original work), which can't be published so you don't have to worry about what you're going to present to a publisher later. Fanfiction has a huge readership and you'll have your own decisions to make based on the world you choose to write in. (But, I am obliged to write, fanfiction is infringing on someone else's copyright and some of these people don't appreciate it.)
Or, the final choice -- the more difficult one -- is that you may want to write something you can later send out as a submission to a publisher. This means you'll want a coherent story, though not necessarily by the end of November. You will have time later to edit the book and prepare the manuscript to send it out. These people spend some time before November making preparations for their novel, whether they write outlines or not.
Once you've made a decision on what type of material you intend to write, the rest is easy! You know the general direction you want to go, and the choices each one offers.
There is no wrong choice. Even if what you decide doesn't quite work the way you think, it's all right. NaNoWriMo and November is the chance to experiment. You never know what you're missing if you never try anything new!
Most of the articles in this book will be of help to everyone, no matter what they are writing. There will be some sections aimed specifically at people thinking about publication, however.
How to Go Crazy Once a Year
Imagine yourself as part of the largest collection of writers ever gathered in one place, nearly all of them excited about their upcoming projects and bubbling over with ideas, plans, and suggestions. You get to talk to them for weeks prior to the starting date and exchange ideas, help out with plot problems, and encourage each other.
Imagine sitting down, waiting for the clock to tick over to 12:01 am November 1st, knowing there are thousands of others who are doing the same thing, and that you are all are part of a huge creative flow that can be found nowhere else at any time.
If you talk to people who know me, they'll tell you that I'm really crazy all the time, especially where writing is concerned. I write every day and generally average about eight novels, twenty or more short stories, and dozens of articles every year. So, why does someone who writes this much already still look forward to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)?
Because it is fun being part of something involving so many writers. In 2003 NaNo had around 25,000 people sign up, and about 3500 made it to the 50,000 word finish line by the end of the month. Many continue to work on their novels throughout the year and diehards hang about the boards throughout the year. Around September there's a definite upswing in posts and interest.
If (like me) you think writing not only can but should be fun, NaNo is a wonderful way to be silly, have a bit of crazy fun, and get some writing in as well. You can write something silly, you can write something serious; you can go for a straight 50,000 words or go for a completed novel (or two). It doesn't matter. Even if you don't reach the goal of 50,000 words by the end of the month it doesn't matter. No one, including you, is going to die from not writing enough words.
Why I Wrote This Book
In my real world life -- if you can call it that -- I am a published author, an editor and a publisher. I also run a huge site for writers (www.fmwriters.com) and I've written several nonfiction books on writing.
But that's not why I'm a good choice to write a book on how to tackle NaNo.
I've participated in NaNo since 2001 and completed every year, sometimes spectacularly. I'm a fairly steady writer during the rest of the year, but during NaNo I drop everything (at least for the first week) and do nothing but write. It's my little vacation where I allow myself to do the one thing that I love more than anything else.
Let's look at my track record:
2001:
Return to Faneh-Tenyal/70,436
(2001 total: 70,436)
2002:
Freedom and Fame/101654
Whispers of Winterwood/75101
(2002 total: 176,755)
2003:
Mirrors/72081
Journey to Winter/84264
(2003 total: 156,345)
2004:
Bad Connections/106042
Darkness Falls/84123
(2004 total: 190,165)
2005:
Kat Among the Pigeons/102619
Feather in the Wind/50191
The Time and the Place /51185
(2005 total: 203,995)
2006:
Summer Storm/67769
The Servant Girl/102085
Dancer/98258
(2006 total: 268,112)
2007:
Mirrors 2: Reflections/65382
Storm/51703
Working for the Guild/51134
Gift/52536
(Total for 2007: 220,755)
2008:
Broken Journey/76653
Written in the Wind/50221
(Total for 2008: 126,874)
2009:
Autumn Storm/74111
Silky 4 (became part of 3)63874
Wildlands/62795
(Total for 2009: 200,780)
2010:
Devlin's Team 1/82599
Devlin's Team 2/83085
Devlin's Team 3/84250
Devlin's Team Wasting Time (short)/6441
(Total for 2010: 256,375)
Total for all Nanos: 1,870,592
Obviously I have the ability to write under the time pressure of NaNo. In fact, I enjoy the rush of the one month deadline. So this little booklet is going to be about learning to love the fun and rush of NaNo. If you take this month too seriously, you lose the most important aspect of taking part in NaNo which is the pure love of creating stories with no other pressures except the time frame. The stories can be serious, silly, intended for publication or just for you.
Someone once told me it's condescending for someone who does well in NaNo to give hints to others. Let me explain this using a running metaphor: if people are taking part in the same marathon, and some go two miles, but others go to ten, does that mean the people doing ten shouldn't give pointers to the ones doing two miles? It doesn't mean the others all want to do more, or that they need to follow the advice. However not offering help to those who might want it would be self-centered and rude.
This book will offer a few tricks which might help you write more, and enjoy the process. Take what works for you, and don't worry about the rest.
But mostly, remember to have fun!
The NaNo Question for Zette
I had my moment of NaNo Fame when I was featured on the site's Question and Answer of the Day section. Here is the question and my longer answer.
"Can you give us any insight on your freakish speed? Is it all in the typing, or do you have a fast brain as well?"
This probably says it all:
"But you are a writing animal. I'd be afraid to get between you and a sheet of blank paper if you had a pen in your hand." -- Timothy Clarke, writing about me in my newsgroup 11/17/99
I like to write. It's both my profession and what I do for enjoyment, and you can't get much luckier than that in life. I can type at almost the same speed as I think, so the trick is to keep thinking in terms of the novel story -- and kill anyone who interrupts me.
My husband stays out of my office while I'm working on my NaNoWriMo novels. Even the cats go on discovery tours of the rest of the house during November. People at the various sites that I run know that unless the entire site has died, I don't want to hear about it. And even then they might be wise to wait until December 1st.
During November I have only one goal: write.
I usually write an outline in October and tape it to the wall beside my desk. During November I mark off each section as I work through it. Outlines are like cue cards. They jog the memory and keep the story moving along without having to stop and wonder what to do next.
Actually, there is one very important facet to writing fast that most people don't consider: You have to love what you're doing. If you aren't enthralled with telling the story, you'll start looking for other things to do, and then you're doomed.
The trick -- the real trick -- is to sit down and write. Don't talk about writing, don't sit down and write posts about writing -- and don't look to others to make you write. Just get in there and do it.
It also helps to board up the doors and tear out the phone, but some people may find that excessive.
Good luck to everyone this year and have fun.
An Interview with Chris Baty
NaNoWriMo Madness: The Man Behind the Curtain
This interview was originally published in Vision: A Resource for Writers
Chris Baty has been both idolized and vilified for starting NaNoWriMo -- National Novel Writing Month, a thirty day writing frenzy that seizes thousands of people around the world. Each November (and for a couple months before) the writers converge on www.nanowrimo.org and begin their hopeful rush toward . . . well, writing a hell of a lot of words in a very short time.
Some come armed with extensive outlines, and others start only with a vague idea of what writing a story even entails. Some come hoping to write the minimum number of words needed to 'win' and others start out intending to write an entire novel. Many people from both groups fall short of the goal of 50,000 words, but that doesn't diminish the fun of joining in with thousands of others on the starting line at midnight, November 1.
Other people have claimed that anyone who joins NaNoWriMo can't be a real writer, that we are flooding the world with horrible manuscripts, and that apparently we should all be taken out back to the wall and shot rather than allowed to continue this travesty.
But it's all great fun and anyone who doesn't 'get' that part is maybe taking writing -- and probably life -- a little too seriously. No, NaNo will not turn out thousands of ready to publish novels -- but it has helped many people work their way past the fear of writing, and allowed others to run wild for an entire month without fear of their inner critic telling them they're not taking this seriously enough.
And it's fun. That's the part the detractors really don't get. If you can't have fun writing, it's just another job. NaNoWriMo isn't for everyone. However, joining in isn't going to ruin you as a writer any more than joining in the Boston Marathon would ruin a person for jogging.
Even as this interview hits the Internet, the 2003 NaNoWriMo will be getting underway. It's not too late to join the insanity fun. Come over to the boards and ask how we're doing. Just don't expect anyone there to be truly coherent for the month of November. . . .
So, what does the man who started this think of it all?
Vision: Are you a writer, or is this something you just wanted to inflict on people who annoyed you in school or something?
Chris: Ha! Well, I'm a freelance writer by trade, covering music, travel and culture for various publications. Before starting NaNoWriMo, though, I didn't do any fiction writing. I had always loved to read novels, but I never felt talented enough to actually try to create one of my own. Discovering that you can have fun writing novels even if you're not particularly gifted at it was a real "eureka!" moment for me.
Vision: Did you think it would become this popular?
Chris: Never in my wildest dreams. The second year, when we had 140 people sign up, I was astounded. I was sure it was going to be a dwindling turn-out from there.
Vision: Do you have any idea how many words the participants of NaNoWriMo amass on their manuscripts during November?
Chris: It's hard to say. We had about 2100 winners last year. If you assume all of them wrote 50,001 words and then collapsed, that alone is over 105,000,000 words. Combined with the output of the other 12000 participants, I would say 150,000,000 words is a safe estimate.
Vision: Do you see any particular genre as being more popular than others?
Chris: Not so much. I know sci-fi and fantasy are both popular. Because I don't get to read anyone's novels apart from my friends', so I think I have a skewed notion of what people are writing. From my end, it looks like everyone is writing vaguely autobiographical, character-driven fiction about people who have just turned 30 and are still confused about what they want to be when they grow up. I've gotten emails from people though, asking if NaNoWriMo is only for romance writers. So I think there's a real diversity there.
Vision: Do you participate in NaNoWriMo?
Chris: I've done it every year since 1999, amassing four deeply mediocre manuscripts along the way. One of the nice things about leading NaNoWriMo is the fact that I HAVE to write a book each year or feel like a dismal failure as a program director.
Vision: What has most surprised you about the people who join?
Chris: I've been really surprised and delighted by how supportive Wrimos are of one another. I feel like NaNoWriMo is a really unique writing community, because we are, for better or worse, deeply uncritical. It's all about just losing yourself into the creative process; the book that results from it all is almost irrelevant. Because of that, there's a lot of energetic support in the air during November. You can see it on the message boards. Someone will write in saying they're exhausted and are thinking about giving up, and five total strangers will write back and cheer them back to their computer. It's really wonderful to watch.
Vision: What do you think of all the spin-offs that are using the NaNo name to expand on the idea -- NaNo Edit, NaNo Year, etc.?
Chris: Anything that provides people a structured opportunity to be creative is a good thing in my book. We could all use more deadlines that encourage us to make neat stuff.
Vision: Do you know of anyone who has participated in every NaNo since it started in 1999?
Chris: I think there are four of us who have won each year. We're all stubborn as mules at this point, and will likely write a NaNo novel every year until carpal tunnel kills us.
Vision: How much does it cost to run NaNoWriMo each year, and how much of that is funded by contributions? (And when and where can people contribute?)
Chris: This year we're looking at $35,885 in non-recoupable expenses, and another $24,900 in recoupable costs (like t-shirts). The financing of NaNo has gotten a little more tricky as the costs of the event have grown. Since I don't want to charge an entry fee and I'm dead set against taking ads, we depend on participant contributions (about 70% of the budget) and t-shirt sales (about 30% of the budget) to make ends meet. We have a $10 suggested donation for all participants, and make about $3 in profit per t-shirt (which goes right back into the organization). NaNoWriMo participants are a generous, thoughtful lot, and raising the money for the budget each year usually happens without too much browbeating on my part. ;) If people want to help support us, they can find our PayPal link and mailing address at http://www.nanowrimo.org/index.php?s=4
Vision: NaNo Writers seem to live in many different countries. Have some of those places surprised you? Where do the majority of NaNo people appear to be?
Chris: I think reading the announcement for a NaNo Thank God It's Over Party that was being held in a South African national park was the most "oh my god, this thing has gotten out of hand" moment.
The majority of participants, though, live in the US, Canada, and UK.
Vision: People who attend intensive writing camps like Clarion often claim it's a life-changing experience. A few have even given up writing. What do you hear from people who have participated in NaNoWriMo?
Chris: I think people come away from NaNoWriMo feeling really excited about writing. We've had some people get so inspired by what happens to them in November that they quit their jobs and head back to school to study fiction. For most people, though, the effects are less dramatic. Participants tend to feel more confident afterwards, and are more ready to risk trying their hands at other projects. Giving yourself permission to write horribly is a really liberating process. It immediately turns off that stultifying, self-critical voice that has a way of dooming creative undertakings.
Mostly, people come away from NaNo realizing that writing can be more fun if you stop trying to get it perfect on the first go-round. You can get it perfect in the rewrite. The first draft is all about making wonderful messes.
Vision: What would you wish for the people who join NaNoWriMo this November?
Chris: I hope that everyone gives themselves enough time to see the project through. I tell everyone that if they set aside two hours a night, five nights a week, the book will write itself. People who give up because they don't think things are going well in Week Two are going to miss out on the amazing breakthroughs that always happen in Week Three. So my wish is that people give it time, and stay disciplined about writing, even when it becomes exhausting and tedious. It will get better. And nothing compares to that feeling of crossing the 50,000 word mark.
Vision: Any words of wisdom for hopeful NaNoWriMo people this year, like how to deal with crazed family members, unsympathetic bosses, and neglected pets -- not to mention how to get those words written?
Chris: I tell everyone to send out an email to everyone they know before starting, explaining that they're taking part in this crazy writing escapade and that they're looking for at least one other person to write with them. Having someone in your area to write with makes the whole experience so much more fun, and will end up keeping both writers on track when the going gets tough. If you REALLY want to stay on track, get a sibling to do it with you. Nothing brings out those (very helpful) competitive urges like gloating calls from a sister or brother saying they wrote 4,000 words the previous night.
Vision: What do you do with the rest of your year?
Chris: The months around NaNo are so hectic for me that I usually spend January just reconnecting with friends who I haven't seen since September. And hanging out with my long-suffering girlfriend, Elly, (who does an admirable job of tolerating all the distracted nights I spend at the computer in autumn). I also start the freelance writing work again, writing CD reviews and working on guidebooks to various cities. Mostly, though, I spend time telling myself that I really need to get started on my novel rewrite. ;)
Chapter 2: Preparing for NaNo
You've signed up for NaNo in October, or you've been thinking about it for several months . . . and yet, somehow, November 1st still seems to sneak up on you!
Getting ready for the month of November is an important first step for doing well in NaNo. This means more than doing some pre-work for the manuscript!
Attitude
NaNo can be frightening the first time you consider the idea, especially if you aren't used to writing on a regular schedule. This doesn't mean you can't do it, however. You just have to be in the right frame of mind.
And that frame of mind is to embrace the insanity. Step outside the norm for writers, who are often told to take their time, think through everything, don't rush the story -- which is good advice, most of the time. However, for NaNo you have to do the opposite. You have to be willing to let your muse run free for an entire month and see what you can write.
This also means you need to give up expectations of producing a great piece of literature. It might turn out to be just that by the end, but this isn't what you're trying to achieve. You are trying to write 50,000 words in 30 days, which means some of you will write stories that meander everywhere and have no coherent plots. You'll use the forum boards to take up challenges and adding weirdness into your story, and you'll have a great time.
Others, however, will want to tell a story they have imagined in their heads already, and perhaps try to create something they will eventually submit to publishers or even self-publish. They'll take a more structured approach to NaNo and have at least part of their story idea worked out before November 1.
You do not need to complete the 50,000 words in order to enjoy NaNo. This is the goal, but that doesn't always mean you are the type of write who is going to have fun writing so many words in a short time. There is nothing wrong with learning the forced word count aspect of NaNo isn't for you. Writers come in all kinds. It doesn't mean you can't still enjoy NaNoWriMo, though. It all depends on your attitude.
For NaNo first-timers the lure is usually just to find out if they can write a novel. Many who join have never written anything this long, let alone in a single month. After they've signed up their moods general range from 'let's get going!' to 'what the hell have I done?'
The odd thing is that's usually the same reaction the next year . . . and the year after that. . . .
NaNo isn't about proving anything. It isn't about writing the great novel or about perfection. It isn't about winning. NaNo is about enjoying the act of writing just for itself and letting yourself fly for a whole month without worrying about anything else. It's about joining in the only intellectual activity of its kind along with thousands of others from around the world.
For some people NaNo has rekindled the joy of writing they'd lost somewhere along the way. For a few professionals who join, Nano is either a way to get a good push on a new novel they have under contract or the chance to write something just for themselves.
I'm going to have fun during November. While the weather turns cold and the leaves fall off all the trees, and everything looks bleak and dreary, I'm going to be typing away in my office working on a novel -- or maybe two.
Attitude is the important part. You have to be willing to admit this is fun and to share the joy others feel without getting upset if they outstrip you. There are those who think writing is, and must always be, angst-filled work. NaNo will never appeal to them.
Challenges
Everyone joins NaNo has something that challenges them as a writer. For many it will be the basics, which is something we've all had to face when we started. This can include everything from trying to decide how and when to write to the best way to name characters and how to decide on a title. After you manage those you face the more difficult decisions -- Fanfiction or original? Erotica or romance? Point of view? How many words per day? How many days per week?
Some will answer the problems instinctively and not worry. Others will linger over these details because the answer is not obvious for them.
Your personal challenge might be just making yourself believe your story is worth writing. This is one is the hardest to overcome. But here is a little truth: All stories are worth writing. No, they won't all be perfect. Who cares? No story is perfect, no matter how well-lauded or award-winning they might be. For every word of praise about the perfection of some piece of fiction, you will also find someone who disliked the work and lists all the flaws. You cannot please everyone, so write the story you want to tell and one which you will enjoy reading.
Also, a first draft story is apt to be less perfect than others, but it doesn't matter. The first draft is just to get the storyline down so you can look at it and decide what didn't work or why. After you've written it you can decide if you want to fix it or not, or if just learning from the experience is enough and you'll do better on the next one.
And you will do better. If you are willing to learn, you will write better from one manuscript to the next. Like any other art, you learn from doing with writing. You can read all the writing books in the world, attend classes, and hang out at on-line writing sites, but until you apply yourself to the writing, you will not learn what it really means.
I can't make you believe your writing is important, but it is. Everyone who has that urge to create a world in words is a storyteller, and that's an aspect of our world that is often overlooked. It's your creativity, and it's your gift, and you deserve to have some fun with it.
There is no failing at NaNo. At worst, you learn something about yourself.
Many of you know that actually writing words is not a challenge for me. However, that doesn't mean it isn't difficult to get to the point where I can write the words. I know from experience that I do best if I have my story idea neatly laid out so that I can glance at a few words in an outline and know what it is I'm going to do next. If I had to stop and think about 'what next' and 'oh that didn't work, better get rid of it' then I wouldn't do as well. This is how I work, and I've learned it by facing the challenges, which deal mostly with limited time and learning to curb my imagination so stories don't get away from me.
So my challenges have to do mostly with the pre-work and arranging for a few days of vacation from my other jobs. I, obviously, must get a viable outline down or I'll flounder on those few free days I have to really fly with the story. I don't get to do this very often, and in the last weeks before NaNo I start worrying about everything from my basic story premise and whether I'll like the characters enough to wondering I can get enough other work done in time to do a real rush of words in the first few days.
Yes, I will write a lot more than 50,000 words in November, at least if all goes well. My personal challenge is to see if I can turn out two or more decent, completed first drafts during NaNo. It's not easy, but the challenge makes it more fun for me.
Staying focused in the last few weeks before NaNo is difficult. I try to get everything else caught up in outside work. Outlines and world building drives me crazy as I move things from one point to another and then back again, trying to fit bits and pieces in. I will have notes in paper notebooks, on scraps of paper, on my PDA and in various files on my computer. Getting it all organized is a challenge all on its own.
Doing NaNo is not easy. No writing of this kind is, no matter how many words you end up doing.
Face your challenges and don't let them scare you off!
Pre-Writing Work and NaNo
The official NaNoWriMo rules say you can do any amount of pre-work you like, but you cannot actually start the story before November 1. This means you can't continue working on a novel you've already begun and legitimately count it for NaNo. Many people still do write on not-new material, and most participants don't mind as long as you admit to it -- and don't lie about the word count of what you've actually written during NaNo. (There is now a 'rebel' NaNo section where people continue older stories, but I'm a traditionalist and will stick to the basic rules.)
However, if you really want to have the best experience at NaNo, you should follow the rules and try to write something totally new for November. Have some good ideas of what you are going to work on, although that doesn't always mean an extensive amount of background material. A story alive in your head, with characters clamoring to get out and have an adventure, is far more important than any amount of pre-work you do.
Preparation isn't just about what to write, though. I spend the last week of October making certain I've done all the nagging little other-work things that absolutely have to be done and that would drag me out of writing. I always find time to write anyway, but I like it better when I don't feel as though I have something else that has to be done right now.
Students would be wise to look ahead and see if there is anything on their schedule that they can do ahead of time. It's not always possible to clear those obligations, and it's important to remember that NaNo is not more important than school work.
There are two groups of writers who go into the November madness. One group refuses to think of anything story-related before they start. Sometimes after midnight on November 1st, they sit down and start writing whatever comes to their head. It's fun to work that way, but if you are not the type who can keep coming up with ideas, especially under pressure, you might want to take a little time to work out some plot points for the story you are going to write.
Prepare yourself. In the next section I'm going to talk about outlines!
Outlining for Fun
If you intend to write a book which is not based on random material from the boards, I encourage you to write at least a simple outline for their NaNo novel. An easy outline is to list of 30 points in your story which can be written in about 2,000 word clumps. You only need 1,667 words per day to reach 50,000. If you have 30 things and write one each day, you'll reach your goal. It's that simple.
In some cases you may write more on one of your points and find yourself ahead of the game, which is also good. If you think your novel is going to be more than 50,000 words (which is really too short for most publications, but may fit exactly what you want to tell) you can either work toward the 50,000 that month and finish the novel later, or you can try to write the entire novel that month. Aiming at a novel of 90k, for instance, will take 3,000 words per day.
Some people write detailed outlines for NaNo. For my first NaNo book each November (yes, I usually do more than one that month), I almost always use a very detailed outline. For the second I often have either a very short outline or none at all.
The big trick with NaNo is not to get stuck. If you have no idea what to do next, you are in real danger of stopping completely and with the time constraints, you may not have enough time to get started again. NaNo requires momentum to make it through the entire month.
And always remember, NaNo or not, a first draft is just that and not something by which a finished novel can be judged. The first draft is a wonderful tool which many new writers don't appreciate. It means we get to tell the stories in a way that flows for us, and worry about the technicalities of making the story presentable later.
I use different types of outlines for various projects -- whatever strikes me at the time. The format of the outline is not as important as getting a few notes down. Sometimes I'll write a couple lines per chapter (Feather in the Wind was like that), other times I'll write out a line our two for each step of action, and maybe throw in tidbits of dialogue I don't want to forget, along with world building notes and reminders to stress things. The outline for Kat among the Pigeons was closer to this kind of outline.
An outline doesn't mean one of those silly things they force people to write in school. You can use such a format, of course, if you like it . . . but I know people who outline on notecards so they can move pieces around without any trouble, and people who use post it notes in much the same way. What they write in the outline also varies according to what helps them move the book along.
All professional novel writers have to learn to outline in one form or another. Once you hit the big times you no longer write a book and try to sell it; instead you write a synopsis, which is just an outline of a story you want to write, written in paragraph format. Agents and publishers decide, based on the synopsis, whether or not they want to buy the book. This saves professional writers the trouble of spending months on a book that might not sell. When writing is the way you're making your income, you can't afford to waste time on something no one wants.
An outline isn't a set-in-stone tool, either. It's just a map. You use it to see where you want to go, and if you find something interesting that's not quite on the map you move off and explore for a while. However, with an outline you still have the map to get back to so you know what you need before the end.
Phase Outlines and NaNo
This is a reworked version of It's Just a Phase from Vision: A Resource for Writers.
I've also tried several different types of outlining for NaNo. I've even written without a net -- no outline at all -- and enjoyed it a great deal. However, I've found that having at least a basic outline helps me move through the story without the long pauses trying to parse together the next moves. Those pauses don't work during the NaNo Month.
A few years ago I started a new type of outlining I've called the Phase System. It helped me write Kat among the Pigeons -- 102,610 words -- in ten days. Because of the amount of detail in the phase-outline, I wrote 10,000 words a day without ever having to pause or fret over does this work or what comes next problems.
The phase-outline for that particular novel ran over 10,000 words. I can see many of you wincing. An outline so long? Isn't that a waste of time and energy? It depends on what you get out of it in the end. Every one of those 10,000 words gained me about eleven words in the novel's first draft. The two weeks I spent writing out the phase-outline cut the time I wrote the novel from about fifty-five days (at an average of two thousand words a day -- about where I write under normal circumstances) to eleven days. Even adding the fourteen days it took to write the outline, that's still forty days less than it would have taken me normally.
Yes, I write quickly anyway, and fifty-five days is not a bad length of time to write a novel . . . except it would have taken me longer. Without the detailed phase-outline, I would have hit difficult spots which required me to sit back and think the actions out a little more carefully. I would have had to back-track the story now and then when something didn't work quite right. I know this because I've faced that sort of problem with other novels, both 'flying without a net' ones and ones using shorter outlines.
So, do you want an outline which will take you straight through the story without worry? Never mind the speed at which you write it -- that doesn't matter. This is about organization and plotting.
Okay, so what exactly is this method?
Phases are written out as key phrases that will bring the action into focus. A phase can be clues to dialogue, if that's what the section's focus is centered around, or it might be a little bit of description, or a set of actions . . . anything which will make the story move another few hundred words.
Usually a 'phase' will only run from twenty to fifty words in the outline. For instance, this is an example from Gathering (Book 7 of the Dark Staff series -- and this is first draft with only a little touch up).
Phase Outline section:
1. Tristan in the room aboard the ship, resting, thinking about going home, feeling the world changing. It feels like traveling between realities, without any of the work. (28 words)
These few words translated to this:
Going somewhere else. . . .
Tristan rested on the soft bed, feeling out the ship around him and the power beyond it. The metal shell moved through the same space where he and Abby had traveled so often before. Each time they had slipped from one reality to another, leaving friends behind.
Their quest had come at such a cost to them that sometimes he wondered if the Goddess really understood the needs of flesh and blood, whether human or elf. He wondered what she expected, in the end. Did she understand what she asked of her son, and what he paid that she could never give back?
Or could she? They were going home this time.
He pushed that thought away as quickly as it came.
He could feel the magic brushing against the craft, whispering through the walls and calling to him with a seductive offer of power that he knew, from experience, he could not wholly control. Dangerous power, a dangerous passage . . . he had never fully understood this place that stood between realities.
The one thing he did know, however, was that this was far less work. He could rest this time, he and Abby both, before they. . . .
He shivered a little.
Tristan?
Abby, somewhere else on the ship, had felt his worry surge up through the crowns.
I'm all right. (222 words)
Here is something more from later in the book (Phases 196 and 197):
196. Voices call him back. Mother -- What the hell is that? Get your bows ready! Praise Gods for her. She never wavered, never panicked. Kills the creature. Lehan? Open the door. Takes a moment, and then the door flies open and he is knocked back. (46 words)
197. Wounded! Not bad. Bad enough to put you down! You knocked me down. Didn't have to kick the door open. What was that? Anyone know? No one does. Others take bows and torches to scout the trail near the village, but not far before light. (46 words)
And here is what those two phases became:
Lehan closed his eyes, trying to get his wits back, trying to think of something helpful he could do. The world wanted to slip away from him. He held on, even if his mind wasn't working quite well. He needed calm. He needed to do this right, because he wasn't going to get yet another chance --
And then he heard sounds that gave him hope: Voices, and one in particular that won a smile from him even now.
"What the hell is that?" Elliora shouted. "Give me that bow!"
Gods praise his mother. She never wavered, never panicked. He heard the creature shouting but the bow twanged a moment later. It bellowed again, and another twang. He heard it fall, slide down, and hit the ground outside.
Safe.
"Lehan, I assume you're in there?"
"Yes," he said, almost breathless.
She tried the door. "Put the bar up. Let me in."
He had to put the sword down, and he fell against the door, managing to do little more than gasp at the pain. Getting the bar up proved far more difficult than it had been to put it down, but it finally slid off and clattered on the floor.
He hadn't time to step back before the door flew open and knocked him down. (215)
"You're wounded!"
He had not seen his mother worried like that before. She tossed the bow aside and dropped to her knees, her face pale in the torchlight the others had brought to the open door.
"It's not that bad," Lehan insisted, though his voice slurred a little more than he would have liked just then. He didn't want to be weak in view of the townspeople. He had never trusted them much.
"It's bad enough to put you down," she said, shaking her head and gently pulling at the bloody cloth at his shoulder.
"You --" He stopped and caught his breath. "You put me down, mother. You could have given me a chance to back away before you kicked the door open."
"Ah." She took cloth someone offered with a nod of thanks. "My apologies. I panicked. What was that creature?"
"I have no idea. But Liora met me on the trail and warned me that something was wrong." He kept the other part to himself just then, but he thought his mother could see more in his eyes. "If she hadn't I wouldn't have been on guard and gotten away from it."
"Have any of you ever seen or heard of such a creature?" Elliora asked, looking out toward the door.
No one had, and they didn't sound any happier about it, either. A few had taken out their bows and looked worriedly toward the dark hills. Lehan saw them as his mother helped him up. (250)
When I change phases I often change colors, which helps with the word-counting part of the writing. I look at what I think the novel's length should be and try to work within those parameters. For instance, a young adult mystery might only run 60,000 words. If I have 300 phases written out, then I only need 200 words per phase.
On the other hand, if I'm writing a space opera, I know that I'll likely need the final word count to be at least 125,000 words. If I've only written out 300 phases, that would mean about 417 words per phase. In a case like that, I would likely go back through the phase outline and start looking for areas to expand. If I can add another 100 phases, then I only need 312 or so words per phase. If I can get the number of phases up to 500, then I only need 250 words per phase. This can be a real help during NaNo, where you can look at writing short pieces and making headway on the story. Obviously for NaNo most of you will want to reach 50,000 words. Here is how this might break out for you:
60 Phases in the outline -- 834 words per phase -- 2 phase sections per day
120 Phases in the outline -- 417 words per phase -- 4 phase sections per day
150 Phases in the outline -- 334 words per phase -- 5 phase sections per day
300 Phases in the outline -- 167 words per phase -- 10 phase sections per day
Phases rarely ever come out at the exact word count assigned to them. If you assign a lower word count than you expect to do, you're more likely to go over what you need, and that's good from a morale point of view. It will help you move on to the next phase. I've had 200 word phases go to over 1000 words, and I've had some come in at less than 100 words. Don't make your story line fit to the phase word count, though it if is short you might consider adding some details.
When you work on a phase in the outline, get key words and actions into the line. Then let your mind flow to where the character/story would go next. Write it out. If it doesn't work, erase it and try again. Drop in descriptions and clues to dialogue.
Don’t worry about grammar, perfection of prose, or any other 'story' related problems for the outline. When I work in phases like this, all I'm concerned about is the story's forward movement and the crisis points. It helps to write what you think will be the turning points of the story before you start the outline. Yes, think that far ahead. Where does the story start? What major conflict do you imagine? Where will it end? These are things anyone starting a novel should at least consider in passing before they start. They don't have to be set-in-stone answers. Endings, for instance, are notoriously flexible. You might have started off with an 'everyone dies' scenario in mind, but a study of the market shows those types of stories are very hard to sell. Readers invest time in characters, and they often feel short-changed and annoyed when they die at the end. So, as you near the last section, you might find yourself modifying that original ending.
Try to do this sort of modifying, and any other, in the phase-outline before you start writing. Once you begin the novel, don't stop and second-guess your outline. You might rewrite sections of it during novel editing, but right now you have this story to write, not the one your mind starts playing with as soon as you commit to writing.
You might -- as I have from time to time -- find that some phases need to be cut, or others need to be added in. Do it. Don't worry about it. What looks clear-cut during the outlining phases sometimes shows a few holes later. Adding and subtracting is fine in limitation. Just don't rewrite the entire outline.
If you have had trouble sticking to a story, or making it all the way to the end, this might help. Try it, adapt it to your own style of work, and see what happens. A few years ago I never wrote with an outline. Today I find myself as anxious to start a new outline as I am to start a new book. You never know when you might find something new that works for you.
On the other hand, if you are just doing this for fun, it's not going to matter. This type of outline helps people who are interested in the mechanics of the story as much as the word count. Some people will find it utterly and completely useless for what they want to do with NaNo.
To be honest, I tend to fall somewhere between the two extremes. I have used a full Phase Outline more than once, but I often use something a bit less detailed. Having the 'points' numbered is probably the most important part for me, as well as having an idea of how many total words I want to write, so I can try to get close to the proper number of words per section. It's always interesting to see how much the story deviates from what I thought it would be in the planning phase.
Characters and Other Nuisances
For most writers, plots and characters arrive as a package deal. An imagined event sparks a scene, often with someone affected by the actions of another . . . and there they are: hero and villain. Okay, sometimes it's hard to tell which is which at first glance, but they still exist.
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