5 Things I Learned from NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo starts in a week and a half, and I would like to wish good luck to all those participating. Last year was my first time to do the program, and I love the novel I wrote.  This year I won't be officially participating, but I will be trying to write 1,666 words a day. So since NaNoWriMo is about to start and everyone participating should be trying to get some sort of a plan together, I decided to share with you a few things that I learned last year while working on my NaNo novel.

It doesn't hurt to plan before you start writing. 

In NaNoWriMo, if you don't at least have some sort of idea of the events that happen in your story, you're in trouble. If you have to spend the first week of November hammering out the plot, then you're seriously behind in hitting your 50,000 word goal. You might not do this when you're working on something normally, but it's not likely that when you're writing the other 11 months of the year, you have such strict deadlines, so having an idea of where you're headed is always a good idea. 

Before I did NaNo, I thought that a was a pantser. I was sure that I didn't need a scene list, or even need to know how my story was going to end. I could just pluck along writing whatever I wanted to come next, and then sort everything out later if there were any gaping plot holes. When I finished the last book I wrote with that philosophy, I found so many problems. The characters weren't consistent, the plot dragged, and the ending wasn't emotionally satisfying. I had to scrap the whole draft and start over. I'm currently re-writing the whole book, and I'm doing lots of planning.  

If you know your characters as well as you know yourself, and you know everything that happens in the story, if you're sure of the subplots and the character arcs and everything else in your story, then you won't have nearly as many stops and bumps in the road. NaNo forces you to do a lot of planning beforehand, because you can't write the words: "Chapter One" until November 1.  

It's not as hard as it sounds to find the time to hit your daily word quota. 

I can write 400 words in twenty minutes. Sometimes I'm even quicker than that. For the sake of this illustration, let's just assume that you type at an average speed every time you sit down in front of your computer. That's 20 words a minute, 1,800 words in an hour and a half. That's your whole day's quota. In a hour and a half. What if you don't have that extra time every day? 

I think you do. 

Studies have said that the average American spends 3 hours on social media a day. So if you divert 1/2 of the time you spend reading tweets, you can easily hit the amount of words you need. Now, I know that most people don't sit down and spend three successive hours on social media, it's usually five minutes here, fifteen there, that adds up to three hours. Still, you can use the same process for writing. Any time you have a spare minute, use it to write. Write while you're waiting for a meeting to start, or when you're on the subway. Write during the commercials of your favorite TV show. Even of you just found four times during the day when you had fifteen minutes to write, that should give you the words you need, or close to it. And any catching up you need to do can be done on the weekends. 

Tell your friends and family what you're doing. 

When I first started writing, I would tell anyone who would listen about my book, and let them read it, even though it was nowhere near finished and nowhere publishing ready. Then I switched and didn't let anyone read my writing until it was completely finished and edited. I didn't even tell most people I was even writing. 

Neither of those approaches is really the best way to go. Since NaNoWriMo is going to kind of cut out some of your free time, your family and friends might wonder what's happened to you. Explain to them what you're doing, and tell them a little about your book. That way they don't feel like you're ditching them or being rude. They will understand when you don't respond to calls or texts right away, because they will know that you are busy writing! 

It also doesn't hurt to have some encouragement. Writing a novel is a huge accomplishment, and you deserve to be congratulated if you complete the challenge. Treating yourself is okay, but celebrating with your friends is even better. On December 1st, you can celebrate having your free time back by throwing a "I'm a Novelist" party. 

Don't forget to have fun. 

If you get a great idea for a scene that doesn't really seem to fit anywhere, don't toss it aside. Write it, and put it in a folder for scene pieces. I have a folder for each of my WIPs called 'bits' where I toss any scenes that I can't find a place for, but still really love. The point is,  NaNoWriMo isn't about crossing scenes off of a list until you have a novel, it's about exploring yourself and your imagination and your abilities. It's about seeing what you can do, and having fun with it. The book doesn't have to be perfect at the end, so if, halfway through the month, the book does a 180 and starts heading in a completely different direction that it did when you planned it out, don't stress. Go with it, and have fun. Getting the words out is all that matters, it doesn't matter if things aren't going exactly according to plan. 

Practice makes perfect. 

When I finished my NaNo novel, I read it and realized it was the best thing I had ever written. That's proof that writing isn't just a special talent awarded to some and that the others that don't appear to have the knack are just left out forever. 

Writing is like any other activity. Repetition makes you better. If this is your first time trying NaNoWriMo, don't expect Gone Girl to be sitting in your word file at the end of the month. No one hits the jackpot their first time, and you probably won't either. You might not even finish the challenge. But you will be better for your effort. And if this year isn't your year, next year will be. So get planning guys! You got this! (I'm getting started on the 'I'm a Novelist' party a little early, aren't I?)

Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? What have you learned from it before, and what do you hope to get out of it this year? 

What's Keeping You From Writing?

Personally, I have always struggled with writing every day. I'll get an idea, crank out a few chapters, and then stop.

This kind of writing style does not get a book finished, much less published. 

So let's look at a few common excuses for not writing, and I'll share a few tips I've learned to start writing and keep writing. 

Excuse #1

I just don't have enough time.

Yeah, well, almost no one does. 

Sometimes, you have to make time to do the things you really love. Even if you only get a few hundred words a day, that's a whole lot better than nothing. I've noticed that if I make an effort to write something every day, gradually the amount of words I write grows the longer I write consecutively. 

You may be different, but that's just how it works for me. 

Carry paper and a pencil with you everywhere. Write a few hundred while waiting to meet your friend for lunch. Write during the commercials of your favorite TV show(though if you have time to watch TV you probably have time to spend just writing). Write whenever you have a free five minutes! 

The point is, if you look hard enough for time to write, you'll find it. 

And if you try all these tips and still can't seem to squeeze in the time to write, maybe it's time to rethink your dream of being published or finishing that novel. Or maybe you just need to take a break and stop writing to see if you really love it enough to put effort into making time for it.

Because if you don't love writing, then no one else will love reading it. 

Excuse #2

I don't have any inspiration/anything to write about.

The problem of not having anything to write about is a common one. 

The remedys are also quite simple. 

Doing a little bit of plotting for your book can be a huge help, even if you usually wing your stories. A little bit of plotting goes a long way. 

Character development can also help you in more ways that one. It will probably give you some new ideas for scenes, and help your characters appear more well-rounded (and we all want that).

You don't have to plot J.K. Rowling style (i.e. detailed lists of everything that happens in a single chapter), but a simple plotline helps a lot.

For the book I finished just a few weeks ago, I made a chronological list of things that needed to happen in order for the climax to occur. Usually, I'd come up with an idea for a fun scene and write on it for a day or two, and during that time I'd come up with another idea for a scene. If I got stuck or the story was dragging a little, I'd refer to my list and choose the next crucial moment. I also made a little list of things that needed to reappear in the book. For instance: I need to see these characters developing a relationship, x character needs to gradually reveal her backstory, mention the necklace a few times (because that will become important later on). 

Excuse #3

I don't have the materials I need to write. 

Yes, I know this is an extremely weak reason not to write. But, as hard as it is for me to admit, I have used this excuse several times. 

Usually when I don't feel like writing, or am really tired.

 "Oh, my notebook's downstairs and I don't really feel like getting it." 

"None of these pencils have lead in them." 

"My laptop is about to die, and I can't plug it up right now."

All really bad, really lazy reasons. 

But the good thing is that these are extremely easy to fix. 

Don't let yourself be put in a situation where you have a lack of tools. 

When your pencil gets worn down, go sharpen it. Running out of paper? Go get some more when you notice it, not when you're tired enough not to feel like it. 

Another thing that helps me write is signing up for something that commits me to writing x number of words a day or x number of words in a certain amount of time. Knowing that I've promised I will accomplish something gives my brain enough of a nudge to go get those words out! 

National Novel Writing Month is a great example of this (speaking of NaNo, who's participating this year? I am!). If you have any friends that are writers, you could help keep each other on track by checking to see if your friend has written every day, and encouraging them if they have. Ask them to do the same for you. 

Word wars are another great way to boost your word count. Racing with someone else really gets you motivated!

So what about you? What excuses do you have for not writing and how do you push past them?