Off to the Races: NaNoWriMo Begins

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that November is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as it's affectionately called. Each year, more and more writers take on the challenge to write a novel (50,000 words) in a month--in the very  month that the holiday season starts for many nonetheless. 

And this year, 2011, is off with a bang. If the activity on our Twitter and Facebook pages are any indication, writers are enthusiastically typing away at their keyboards and  meeting their daily word counts. Some are even exceeding. Here are some comments from Twitter:

• @womenonwriting Yes! On track for day 2 also. Thanks for the support! ~~@CaroDonahue

• @womenonwriting I greatly surpassed my word count for today which gives me confidence. Hopefully I can meet at least the min each day ~~@catherineebanks
 

• 3146 words and counting! ~~@SCSilk

I've decided that's one of the hooks of NaNoWriMo--it's not just getting a novel done in a month, it's not just the rush that writers get from creating characters and plots on the spot--it's the community of participants and the social networking and even meeting in person to write. It's camaraderie! It's the "we are all crazy writers, but we are in this thing together" spirit that makes this program so wildly successful.

So, if you are already signed up for NaNoWriMo, then great--are you also following the hashtag feed--#nanowrimo--on Twitter? People who are participating will tweet each day about their progress or plot and put the symbol #nanowrimo after their tweets. If you have a search open for this hashtag, you will see the tweets, whether or not you are following those writers.

There's also a NaNoWriMo Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/nanowrimo. As of this writing, there are 74,901 fans of the page. There were 1086 comments to the question: "How are you kicking off NaNoWriMo?" This is an active page! So, like it and join in the fun--add in your two cents and interact with other Facebook users who are also doing NaNoWriMo. You never, ever know whom you might meet or interact with. 

And of course, make sure you've checked out the official NaNoWriMo site at:  http://www.nanowrimo.org. You can track your progress, get pep talks, meet other writers, and offer or get support. 

If you're not signed up yet, and you're thinking, Boy, I would really like to do this. I have the perfect idea for a novel. It's not too late to sign up--you'll just need to finish 50,000 words in 27 days instead of 30. 

Heck, no problem!

post by Margo L. Dill

For more tips and ideas for using social networking to connect with other writers and further your career, then consider taking Margo Dill's WOW! class, "Social Networking for Writers," starting on November 16. There's still plenty of time to sign up! Go here for more information.

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7 comments Margo L. Dill, NaNoWriMo, social media, WOW Classes, writers on Twitter

The Rights and Wrongs of NaNoWriMo

Here it is, just two days from the start of NaNoWriMo, and I feel compelled to offer my annual advice concerning this November writing event. But first, for the uninitiated, a quick look at National Novel Writing Month:

National Novel Writing Month started twenty years ago and I suspect that in the beginning, it was just a fun writing challenge to give a group of coffee shop writers a way to get out of holiday preparations. Preparations that twenty years ago began—if you can believe it—on November 1st. “Sorry, hon, can’t put those lights up, got a novel to write!” Or “Oh, sweetie, I’d love to fix Thanksgiving dinner for your extended family of ninety, but this darn old novel is not gonna write itself!”

Fast forward to today, where thousands—thousands upon thousands—of writers from all over the world join together via the internet, challenging themselves to finish a 50,000 word novel before November 30th. There are virtual and actual writer meet-ups, lots of pep talks from famous writers, badges to be won, and products with the NaNoWriMo logo to be bought.

So here we are, writers, pondering or perhaps already planning, our NaNoWriMo. And here I am, throwing out my thoughts on what’s right and what’s wrong with this challenge:

What makes NaNoWriMo fun and incredibly helpful and right for a certain kind of writer is the community and the encouragement that one gets in participating. Accountability can be a strong motivator and there is nothing like a challenge (with bragging rights!) to get competitive juices flowing.

But that community can also be what makes it wrong. If you are the kind of writer that will get overly involved with the social side of NaNoWriMo, using all your time chatting and whatnot rather than writing and whatnot, then NaNoWriMo may not be a good fit for you.

Unless, the writing is secondary and you are looking at long last for community. Sign up right now if you want to meet (virtual or actual) writing buddies!

But if writing an actual novel is your primary aim in joining NaNoWriMo, we need to take a closer look at achieving that goal within this challenge.

Fifty thousand words is a lot of words, y’all, but it is not a typical adult novel. (If you’re writing a novel for middle grade or possibly even young adult, then whee! You’re done!) What is right about using NaNoWriMo is that it can get a writer who has a great concept and a good idea of where he or she wants to go with it, off and running, and even push him or her almost to the finish line of a novel. But a plan or outline prior to the challenge is really helpful. You’ll need 1,667 words per day to get ‘er done so this is where a plotter can shine whereas a pantser might write seven pages about the flowers in the park whilst working out what to do about the killer who was accidentally killed off 27,674 words ago.

Then again, pantser or plotter, both may indeed “win” the challenge. And here is what is wrong about NaNoWriMo: a writer is spending a lot of one’s precious working time to put words on a page but one can easily end up with a little—and by a little, I mean a lot—of drivel. So is it worth it?

Well, you might have a novel of sorts, not to mention that pretty legit-sounding excuse, at least for November, am I right?

(Or wrong? What do you think about NaNoWriMo?)

~Cathy C. Hall

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8 comments Cathy C. Hall, NaNoWriMo, November writing goals, plotter or pantser, writing challenge

On Your Mark…

The race to the NaNoWriMo finish
line is on! Photo credit | EKHumphrey

The race is on!

Today marks the start of NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month. I don’t know if you are like me, but I have signed up for NaNoWriMo each year for the past gazillion years. In fits and starts, I have tried to reach the finish line. This year is the first year I think I may actually complete my novel. Why? Well, besides the fact that I’ve finally added a couple buddies (and hopefully more!) to my account, it’s the first year I decided I wasn’t going to try to finish. I know, it doesn’t make sense to me either. But stick with me.

Each year, I sign up and I’ve set my expectations really high, which includes the idea that not only will I finish, but that I will win, be discovered, and…you probably can imagine the rest. Each year I’ve received the emails from the organizers for motivation or to check in. Many years I leave them unread. Some years I’ve read them and quickly deleted them, but with a sinking, guilty feeling.

What makes this year different? Three reasons:

• This year I have created no unwieldy expectations for myself. This is probably the key to my deciding to jump in because setting expectations almost always creates a place for me to step in and fail. With no expectations going into NaNoWriMo 2014, I have nothing to lose and only something to gain. Expectations can create an incredibly high hurdle and this year I vowed to simply try, which generally brings me a more positive outcome. (I’m not setting the expectation, as I have in the past, that I will reach the daily writing goals or that I’ll make it the full thirty days. Effectively, I’m hoping to trick myself into crossing the finish line.)
• Organic encouragement. Since my graduate school days, joining a writing group has been on my list of things to do. Instead, I signed up for NaNoWriMo each year and made excuses for not finishing. Now I have two capable and fun writing buddies—one who lives overseas and one who lives nearby—to encourage me and for me to encourage. (And it doesn’t hurt that my oldest child has discovered the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. She’s gung-ho, so now we can be in this marathon together.)
• Thirty days of writing: a beginning with an end. I search for writing retreats with the dream that I will finally have time to write. (See family obligations noted above.) It’s foolish to think my life’s schedule will change in the near future, so thirty days of writing in the midst of Thanksgiving and teaching editing and my daily job is a goal I can work toward. Keep my chaos going and I will conquer it! Even if I find time to write for only twenty minutes during the month, then that equals twenty minutes more than if I hadn’t decided to participate. And I need to start somewhere toward writing the novels that are in my head.

One of the best reason to do it this year? You. I’m kicking off the month of November writing on The Muffin, then I’ll be back in the middle of the month and then at the end of November. It seems like destiny!

Whether you are diving into NaNoWriMo or not, I hope you will check back on my progress. And if you are diving in, good luck!

Have you tried NaNoWriMo? Are you signed up for NaNoWriMo this year? If so, what keeps you going to the finish line?

Elizabeth King Humphrey is a writer, editor, and serial NaNoWriMo unfinisher living in North Carolina. She just realized that she needs to write about three times this amount daily for the next thirty days…and has fainted from the thought. :)

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4 comments achieving writing goals, balancing life as a writing mom, Day 1 NaNo, Elizabeth King Humphrey, NaNoWriMo

Who’s Ready for NaNoWriMo?!

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with National Novel Writing Month, fondly known as NaNoWriMo, since my first attempt in 2009. Tomorrow, November 1st, will mark the start of the 17th annual event in which writers worldwide attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in just 30 days.

No need to pull out your calculators because I’ve done the math for you: that’s 1,667 words per day.

My initial thought about NaNoWriMo was that it would be a breeding ground for a lot of terrible writing. Write, write, write, write, write and don’t think too much about it or you’ll run out of time! No time to contemplate or craft or agonize over the exact right word to describe the shape of your protagonist’s eyebrows.

But my friends were doing it, so I thought I’d try it, too.

I have tried – and failed – at NaNoWriMo twice. In 2012, I made it to about 30,000 words, my best attempt to date. And my initial thoughts were confirmed: it did elicit a lot of bad, bad writing.

But it also elicited a lot of really good ideas, a lot of excitement and energy, and it rekindled my fire for novel writing.

In bits and pieces over the next three years, I molded those 30,000 words into a nearly 70,000 words novel draft of which I am very proud. So did I “fail” at NaNoWriMo? I don’t see it like that. At least not anymore.

How many of those 30,000 words from the NaNoWriMo draft still remain in today’s draft? Well, I’m sure there are some similar words, as there are similar themes and similar characters, but the story now is very different, as it should be. It is the months (ahem, years) after NaNoWriMo in which you’re meant to craft and polish and shine the words that vomit from your pen (or keyboard, probably) in November.

So, who’s going to try it this year? Who has tried it previously? What have your experiences been like? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I’m still undecided if I'll attempt it this year, but I still have a few hours left to decide...

Here are some resources to help you make your NaNo decision:

• Official NaNoWriMo site
• NaNoWriMo YouTube channel
• Previous Muffin posts about NaNoWriMo

Ruminations by Anne Greenawalt

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1 comment Anne Greenawalt, bad writing, creative energy, NaNoWriMo

No NaNo?

Tomorrow is the day. The day. The day that marks the start of NaNoWriMo.

If you don't already know, NaNoWriMo is a worldwide challenge to write a novel (at least 50,000 words in length) between November 1-30. It's a short month. (One less day makes a big difference.) There are lots of reasons why you should accept the challenge (whatever word count you get down is more than you would if you didn't do NaNoWriMo, there is built-in support via encouraging videos/writing "friends" and it's a good thing to stretch yourself as a writer). However, there are also some obstacles (lots) and ways to avoid those obstacles.

Obstacle # 1  The frenzied pace. It's like stepping on a scale. The more you step onto it and look at that number, the more stressed-out you get. Just write. Don't worry about your word count on an every minute hour day basis. Check it only occasionally... unless keeping close track of your progress spurs you on. If that's the case, strap on the spurs and jab them into your writing psyche as frequently as you need to.

Obstacle # 2  The perfectionist syndrome. Yes, we all want our words to be lovely and lyrical and perfect when we get them down on paper. However, when doing NaNoWriMo, the pace is beyond fast. This is (probably) a first draft. Certainly not a final draft. As William Faulkner said, "Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good." This is the time to just get black on white (as Guy de Maupassant put it). Get the ink on the paper. Just write... and worry about getting it perfect later on.

                                                                    image by Pixabay

Obstacle # 3  Your competitive spirit. Do you look at some of your writing friends--you know, the ones who are so prolific and so successful and so darned talented--and try to keep up with them? During NaNoWriMo, you're competing with yourself. How many words can you get down this year? Last year, did you crash and burn right off the starting block? Well, this year you'll make sure and top last year's word count total. 

Obstacle # 4  Your weird and bothersome in-laws. Oh, sorry. That's just one of my problems. However, if you have the same strangeness going on with your in-laws, NaNoWriMo can help. With that incredibly huge word count looming over you, you cannot stay long on Thanksgiving. "Sorry. I have to gobble and go. I have to get over 1,600 words down today," and burn rubber getting away. Eat some turkey. Grab a gravy boat to go... and go.

Obstacle # 5  Your fear of failure. The only way you can totally fail at NaNoWriMo is if you don't try. Even a small amount of words is better than none. You may stumble and falter this year, but you never know... A tiny kernel from that small mound of paragraphs might lead to something huge next year. I started a piece during NaNoWriMo six years ago. Now it's a book, published by a traditional publisher. I didn't finish it during 2016's NaNoWriMo. It wasn't good at all when I did finish it. But during the next few years I revised and edited and queried. 

And now, I have to go and decide just what exactly I'm going to work on... beginning tomorrow. How about you? Are you doing NaNoWriMo? And if so, what's your project? Curious minds like Sioux's want to know...

Sioux Roslawski is a middle school teacher, a dog rescuer for Love a Golden, and a writer. Her debut novel, Greenwood Gone: Henry's Story, was published in April 2021. Currently, she's working on a screenplay based on the book. 

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6 comments NaNoWriMo

Camp Out with Your Writing (with Camp NaNoWriMo)

Most of us have heard of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Many of us have participated it in some form or another (me included). In fact, the novel I’m editing right now was born from the 2014 NaNoWriMo. Over the past few weeks, I’ve started noticing posts about Camp NaNoWriMo in my Instagram feed and decided to check it out. What I found is a pretty cool way to get motivated on your writing projects in a faux “rustic” setting.

What it Is:
Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writer’s retreat where writers are welcome to tackle whatever project they choose: short stories, scripts, novels, poetry, etc. Instead of November (which is always a pretty crazy time in everyone’s lives!), camp takes place in April and July. Word count goals can range from 30 to 1 million. To add to the fun, you can even choose to be part of a cabin, which is a virtual writing group where 20 or so writers can “bunk” together to create a cozy little community. Once you sign up for camp and create your profile, you can be sorted into a random cabin or specify that you want to be placed in one that features camps in your own age group, genre, or with similar word count goals. Or, you can invite a group of your writing buddies to “bunk” with you in your cabin and create your own tribe.

How it Works:
During each camp session, Camp NaNoWriMo has lined up a variety of authors ready to encourage campers and offer words of wisdom and support through scheduled Tweet chats. There is also a calendar chock full of virtual write-ins and chances to flex your creative muscles with non-writing projects.

The goal is to make the journey seem as much like a fun summer camp as possible. I read one blogger’s story about how he used the camp one year to write 70,000 words of his novel and another time he committed to writing 20+ blog posts with an average of 750 words each. You can customize your goal to whatever your main focus is at the time.

Sometimes being held accountable for your goals is the little push you need to get a project completed. NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo provide you with like-minded writers and other experts who are there to support you, cheer you on, and help you complete a writing goal you can be proud of. Plus, there’s also a fun camp store where you can pick up some pretty cool swag! (That alone is enough to tempt me to participate this year—who doesn’t love swag?)

The website also keeps an archive of useful advice, such as articles on research, making expositions exciting, etc. from previous camp counselors under their “Writing Resources” page.

To learn more, visit campnanowrimo.org for more information.

Are you itching to attend a virtual summer camp this year? What project would you focus on?

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and editor whose short story, "The Polaroid," won the Suspense/Thriller category of the 2017 Writer's Digest Popular Fiction Awards. If she participates in this year's Camp NaNoWriMo, she'll focus on a new novel idea or work on a series of true crime posts for her blog. Visit her website at FinishedPages.com.

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5 comments Camp NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, Renee Roberson, virtual writing retreats

Camp NaNoWriMo

I have something of a love/hate relationship with summer.  I love that my son has time off.  But I hate trying to get things (my writing) done around his busy schedule.  I'm writing this on Tuesday and he has this day off.  So do several of the friends that he works with.  That means my dining room is wall to wall life guards.  I don't think they have indoor voices!  

The problem is that I manage to meet hard, fast paying deadlines and not much else.  Writing for fun? Work on my novel or either of my picture books in progress?  Forget it.

Fortunately, I just read about a spring and summer time version of NaNoWriMo.  Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) takes place in April and July.  

Like NaNoWriMo, it is a great way to draw inspiration from your fellow campers.  Of course, since this is writing camp, you're fellow campers are all writers and most of them are in the same situation I am. They are trying to squeeze writing into a busy summer schedule.  

Unlike NaNoWriMo, you aren't expected to draft a novel in a month.  That's right - there is no 50,000 words in one month goal. Honestly, I have trouble even typing that.  I know I can write 15,000 words a month, but 50 thousand?  

If you feel the same way, you'll be relieved to know that Camp NaNoWriMo allows you to set your own goals.  Maybe you want to draft a chapter book for young readers.  Set an 8000 word goal.  Maybe you just want to get back into your novel.  Would 100 words a day do it?  200?  Set your goal to 3100 or 6200. 

The point is that the goal is up to you.  This is your camp.  

Speaking of camp - you even get to participate in a cabin.  This is perfect for those of us who are more than a little introverted.  Campers are organized into cabins.  This is a group of up to 20 people who are your "writing buddies" for the month of July.  You can register for Camp NaNoWriMo and be randomly sorted into a cabin with other campers.  Or, if this seems a little too like sleep over camp, you can join with a group of friends and form your own cabin.

Personally, I’m a lot more comfortable with this flexible program than the more heavily structured NaNoWriMo. If this sounds like something that would help jump start your writing this summer, you can sign up here.  Questions?  Check out their lengthy but informative FAQ page.

Me?  I’m just debating – duffle bag or backpack?

--SueBE

To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards' writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.  Sue is also the instructor for Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins August 14th. 

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5 comments Camp NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo, writing challenges

Friday Speak Out!: My NaNoWriMo Boyfriend, Guest Post by Melissa Gibson

My NaNoWriMo Boyfriend

by Melissa Gibson

National Novel Writing Month hit me like a hot romance.

The first couple days, I spent every opportunity in front on my computer, typing what was sure to be The Next Great Novel. Characters and story lines blossomed. I wrote thousands upon thousands of words. They came to me easily – even with the kids hollering in the background and the laundry piling up.

“This is so easy,” I said. “I’ll have 50,000 by next week. What’s so hard about this?”

On Day 3, I even got competitive. One of my writing buddies was close to my word count.

“Oh, I can’t have that!” I exclaimed and quickly typed up another thousand. I sat back in my chair with a satisfied smile across my face. I slept like a baby.

On Day 4, though, the story was stuck. My brain was exhausted of ideas, my fingers idled over the keyboard. I only pounded out 500 words – and each one was a chore. As Day 4 closed, one writing buddy demolished my word count, two others were hot on my trail. Even the stragglers weren’t looking so shabby. It was like NaNoWriMo was cheating on me.

Now, as the first week of NaNoWriMo wraps up, my inner editor is shaking her head and laughing. What am I thinking? I can’t do this! It’s too time-consuming. It’s too hard. The story doesn’t make sense anyway. It’s going to need so much work. I need a time line. I need to research pharmaceutical sales. I’m just not prepared enough. I should just give up. It’s not good enough.

But some little part of my original NaNoWriMo self is saying, I have five writing buddies who are in this with me. I love watching their word counts grow, regardless of how haphazard and nonsensical their story may or may not be. I want them to get their 50,000, and they want me to get mine. I can do this. It is time-consuming, and it’s not always easy. NaNoWriMo isn’t about ironing out the details, it’s about getting words on a page. That’s good enough. Also, Mrs. Ridiculous, NaNoWriMo is NOT cheating on me!

* * *

Melissa Gibson is a writer based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Originally from Northwest Indiana, Melissa is now a military wife busy with two little boys. When she catches a break from the craziness, Melissa loves to write, craft, read, and try her hand at green-themed projects like raising chickens and making laundry detergent. Presently, Melissa works as a tutor and is active in a local journaling group.



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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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1 comment guest post, Melissa Gibson, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month

What You Can Learn from NaNoWriMo Winners

National Novel Writing Month ends today, so I thought I'd share an article with some final thoughts about NaNoWriMo. How did everyone do with the challenge this year? Any success stories to discuss? :) --MP

by Rochelle Melander

...NaNoWriMo winners will finish a 50,000-word novel by midnight on November 30th. Earlier this month, I interviewed several NaNoWriMo Winners by email. Every writer can learn something from the success of these writers. Here are my favorite tips:

1. Busy is not an excuse. In fact, many of the NaNoWriMo Winners keep chaotic schedules. Winner Elizabeth McKinney from Winston-Salem wrote her novel while also writing professionally for her full-time job. Winner Nicole Gustasa from California said, “Not only did I finish National Novel Writing Month last year, but I did it while I was moving, finalizing my divorce and working a 60-hour a week job!” Never whine about being too busy to write. If you want to write, you’ll find time to write.

2. No MFA? No problem. Many of the wannabe writers I meet put off their writing careers until they can get more education or experience. Don’t wait. Educate yourself by reading and attending workshops. Get experience by writing. Winner Susan Drolet said, “When I actually finished an entire novel, I realized that you don't have to be a professional writer or have a degree in journalism to put words together to make a coherent story. I am so proud of my accomplishment!”

3. Success creates success. Every NaNoWriMo winner I talked to was proud of their 50,000-word accomplishment—and they should be. NaNoWriMo success boosted the winners’ writing confidence and spilled over into other areas as well. Winner Kristine Augustyn said, "Because I actually completed the novel I feel that I can do many more things. It has given me greater confidence and inspiration and in turn I have inspired others to try things." Kristine gained the confidence to start a new business, Badge of Intent. For me, the discipline of writing gave me the knowledge and the confidence to create and stick to an exercise program.

You don’t need to be a National Novel Writing Month winner to know what successful writers know. Take a look at your own writing successes. Perhaps you committed to and finished a journaling program. Maybe you finished a big writing project on time. Or you got that first big article published. Ask your self, “What practices led to that success?” Make a list. Do more of the same—and you will be more successful. It’s that simple.

Resources:
Visit the National Novel Writing Month website for more success stories.
Kristine Augustyn’s website is Badge of Intent.

Right Now! Coach Rochelle Melander supports people in writing to transform their lives and businesses. If you’re ready to establish credibility, make more money, and market your work by writing a book, blog, or Web site, get your free subscription to her Write Now! Tips Ezine at http://www.rightnowcoach.com

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6 comments Inspiration, Marcia Peterson, National Novel Writing Month, writing tips

5 Writer-ly Activities for the Post-NaNoWriMo Season

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay 

Here we are post-NaNoWriMo. What are you going to do with yourself now? Here are five possibilities.

Keep Writing. Whether you worked on a young adult novel, a memoir, or a cozy mystery, even the full 50,000 words is not enough for a full draft. For a cozy or a young adult novel, you need about 80,000 words. According to literary agent Rachelle Gardner, a memoir can range from 60,000 to 120,000 words with the sweet spot for new memoir authors at 75,000. Regardless, it takes about six weeks to write daily through Christmas. By then you’ll have built a solid habit.

Put It Aside. Whoa, wait? Didn’t I just say keep writing? I did, but if you’ve finished a draft you need to put it aside for a while so that you can approach it with fresh eyes. Draft something new to build those writing muscles but don’t rewrite your NaNoWriMo project until after the New Year. Many writers need at least four to six weeks to let a manuscript rest.

Rewrite Something Else. Once you have your NaNoWriMo project drafted and have set it aside, rewrite something else, something you haven’t work on in four to six weeks. Rewriting, after all, is an essential part of writing. It gives you the opportunity to create the manuscript that you meant to create in the first place.

Write Something New. What if NaNoWriMo was your first major manuscript? You might not have something else that you can rewrite. If that is the case, once you have completed a draft you can start working on something new. This might be a good time for you to get to work on something new.

Read, Read, and Read Some More. One of the best ways to recognize good writing in your own work and in that of others is to read good writing. Check out best-selling books and award-winning books in your genre. My library has a winter reading challenge that started December 1. To complete it, I have to earn five “badges” which include reading a best seller, a favorite author or an author who is new to me.

What am I doing? I never work on any single manuscript at a time. I will continue working on the cozy that was my NaNoWriMo project. Hopefully by the end of December I’ll have 50,000 words. I am also going to rewrite a picture book manuscript that I put aside about 4 weeks ago. And that reading challenge? No worries. One badge is for reading an author who is new to me. Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead, a translated novel by Olgo Tokaczuk is sitting on my bookshelf waiting.

NaNoWriMo may be a thing of the past but December gives us four more weeks of writing time in 2019.

--SueBE

To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards' writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.  Sue is also the instructor for  Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins  January 6th, 2020. 

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3 comments goals, NaNoWriMo, reading, rewriting, Sue Bradford Edwards, writing habit

NaNo Anyone?

NaNoWriMo begins in a few days (on Wednesday). I was terrified until yesterday afternoon.

I had no idea what I was going to write about. I was so unprepared, I started googling "YA novel plot ideas."

Last year I knew way before November rolled around what I was going to work on for NaNoWriMo. I'd gotten some research done, had chosen characters' names (which later got changed) so I was rarin' to go on November 1.

This year I worry because my students will have 45 minutes each day to work on their NaNo. I'll have an hour and  a half every day to work on mine. I would prefer writing during the classes, instead of acting like a police officer during each session. These are some of the things I've learned from doing NaNoWriMo:

• Size does matter. To " win" at NaNoWriMo means you've gotten 50,000 words down on paper. Last year, I wrote a historical manuscript for middle grades, which meant I didn't get close to that many words.

           I got to 25,000.

           Did I "win" at it? No. However, if I hadn't done NaNoWriMo, I wouldn't even have 25,000 words down. (I gotta look on the bright side, right?)

• Give the stink-eye to your internal editor.  To keep the words flowing, you can't stop and look over your work. You can't revise as you write--or at least most people can't. You have to write at such a frenetic pace that all the critics inside your head need to be silenced.

          During the month of November, just write, You can revise in January.

• Let yourself loose.  Most likely your piece will evolve as the month marches along. You might have a neat outline created or you may know exactly how your book will end. However, as you write, things change. The characters--if they're well fleshed-out--will drive the story and cause it to unfold with twists and turns. Don't be afraid to be flexible and surprised.

• Use your time in creative ways.  Because the word count goal is brutal every day, you need to make the most of your time. If you have 5 minutes before you have to leave for work, write for that short increment of time. See how many words you can get down in short spurts.

• Use it as an excuse (if you want to). If you want to get out of having to make Thanksgiving dinner, use NaNo as an excuse.

          "Oh, I have to write more than 1,600 words every day. I won't have time this year to prepare the holiday meal. Could someone else host the get-together this year?"

             How about you--are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? If so, what are you going to write about? If you're not, could you share why? (Unless I change my mind, I'm going to work on another MG historical novel, this one set in 1955...)

Sioux is looking forward to the first day of November. When she's not planning her NaNoWriMo, she's teaching middle-schoolers or rescuing dogs. If you'd like to read more of her stuff, go to siouxspage.blogspot.com 

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7 comments

No No NaNoWriMo?

There's definitely some benefits to doing NaNoWriMo in November. However, if you couldn't do it this month, don't despair. You can reap the same rewards in March. Or July. It just takes some creativity.

Think of these NaNoWriMo components--and create your own writing challenge:

• Accountability and Support--Let your writing pals know what you're embarking on (go public with it) and you'll be amazed at the outpouring of love and help you get in return.

This is one page from my 2016 NaNo.
I shared it at a writing retreat a few weeks ago.
Four different writers gave me feedback.
Those purple notes on the margin are going to be gold when it comes time to revise.

• Networking and Perks--Sure, when doing the official NaNoWriMo, you can network with other NaNo-ers all over the planet. However, if you're doing a DIY NaNo, you can create your own network. I'm working on a historical fiction project centered in the 1920's. A writing friend was at a teachers' convention a couple of weeks ago, and she snagged a free YA novel about the same era--just 'cause she knew it would fuel my fire. And yes, if you do NaNo in November, you can earn all sorts of cute badges and banners. But you can set up your own perks if you do your own version of NaNoWriMo.

When I add 800 more words to my manuscript, I'll treat myself to 1/2 a jar of Nutella.

When I finish this chapter, I'll mix up a batch of chocolate chip cookies... and I might even bake some of 'em.

Well, you get the idea...

• Competition and an Artificial Sense of Urgency--A bit of friendly competition never hurt anybody. Pair up with a writing colleague, and see who can make the most progress in a month. (Remember:  whatever headway you make means you're a winner, writing-wise.) And having a self-imposed deadline looming over your head? When word count is all that matters, you go into "down draft" mode.

What's a "down draft," you ask? These three draft stages come from Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. With the first draft, the ultimate goal is get the story down. Lock that internal editor in a closet. Who cares if your writing is horrid? It's all horrid in the first draft...

The next draft is the "up draft." Now's the time to fix your story up. Look at the down-and-dirty word choices, and revise. If you've got big chunks of telling, transform it into showing. Pretty it up with some rich similes. Fiddle around with the rhythm.

The final one is the "dental draft." Just like your dentist checks every nook and cranny in your mouth to make sure your teeth, fillings and gums are all in perfect shape, you should now be checking the tiny details of your manuscript. Punctuation. Typos. Missing words. Tense changes. Take your time and be thorough.

So, if you didn't take the NaNoWriMo plunge, it's not too late. Pick a month, any month... and dive in.

Sioux Roslawski is a St. Louis dog rescuer with Love a Golden, a grandmother and a writing teacher of middle-schoolers and adults. This month she was a NaNoWriMo loser, getting only an anemic 22,018 words down as of today--far less than the required 50,000 to be considered a NaNo winner... yet she's loving this WIP and will continue to plug away at it. To find out more about Sioux and her writing, please visit her blog.

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13 comments anne lamott, Bird by Bird, first drafts, NaNoWriMo

I'm Ready For NaNoWriMo. Are YOU?

So...how many writers out there have signed up for NaNoWriMo? I have. This will be my fourth year participating in this frantic month-long commitment to my writing craft. Many folks don't 'get' why we do this to ourselves. I mean, it's completely voluntary. You won't win any big prizes or cash. You don't win a publishing or agent contract. All you end up with is a completed, unedited, 50,000-word story. I think that's pretty awesome! Because, guess what? After you've edited that manuscript, you have a book-in-waiting that will help you win over that publisher or agent. It's not an easy road, though.

I read that you need to commit to writing at least 1668 words a day in order to reach the 50,000-word goal. That's not a light commitment for many of us. But it's possible. Really, it is! I figured out a few things that really helped me with getting on the NaNoWriMo train and I'd like to share them with you:

(1) Don't just think about it, DO IT! Make the decision to do it, sign up then pat yourself on the back. Yes, this is the easiest part about NaNoWriMo but so many don't even make that initial step.

(2) Surround yourself with NaNo Buddies. The one mistake I made the first year was thinking I could do it all by myself. Wrong. It so helps to have a few writing buddies going right alongside you. You can all cheer each other on, pull one another up when one is feeling low or give a much-needed pep talk.

(3) Have the support at home. If you're a 'Writing Mama' like me, it can be difficult to find the time when you have little ones afoot who need you. Tell your partner what you're trying to do and employ him or her to entertain the troop while you're typing away. That support is so important and it's awesome having a cheer squad on the homefront.

(4) Have a plan. I can't stress enough the importance of having some sort of plot plan and character sketches for each of your characters. Of course everything could change as you go along but having that initial plan really helps get you started.

(5) Set the time to do it each day. Okay, this is the difficult part. We all have busy lives. But if you're serious about this you need to set an hour or so each day to it. Personally, I can't dedicate the same time each day to writing but I can dedicate some part of each day. All I do is say, "Okay! This is Mama's NaNoWriMo time!" then take that time--whether it's early in the morning, while the kids are napping or late in the night (if I stay awake that long!)

(6) Find what motivates you and lean on that. What motivates me are my kiddos. Seriously. If my Jaimie and little man Xander can find the strength to get out of bed each morning and face what what the 'sensational' world has in store for each of them, I can darn well write 1668 words! Find what motivates you the most and draw strength from that.

(7) Give yourself little rewards. As you complete each chunk of your soon-to-be bestseller, reward yourself in little ways. Go to a movie, treat yourself to a little bevvie (unless you're having a few while you're writing), have a long, luxurious bubble bath. Whatever works for you.

(8) Keep your sights on the prize. Okay, so you won't win anything monetary. You will, as I mentioned, have a completed manuscript when you've finished. So many writers or authors-in-waiting start a novel but very few finish it. When you reach those lazy or frustrating moments, remind yourself of that.

(9) Plan a celebration party. It doesn't have to be anything big. Just a few big hugs by your support group and popping open a bottle of your favorite beverage of choice. Give yourself an ending celebration to look forward to.

(10) Join a local NaNoWriMo support group. There are many state, city and international groups listed in the NaNo site. Join on so you can get support from local writers doing what you're doing. Believe me, it really helps.

OKAY! There you go. Those are some of the things I do around here during November. What do you do to prepare, stay motivated, forge ahead? How many of you out there have 'won'? How did you get there? PLEASE share!!!

And guess what? Last year I 'won' NaNoWriMo for the first time and the manuscript I completed (Out Of Sync) will be released through Melange Press in March 2012. If I can do it...YOU can too!

See you there!

Chynna (Chynna_L on NaNo. Sign me up as a 'friend'!!)

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6 comments Chynna Laird, NaNoWriMo, writer inspiration

A is for Accountability

Watching my word count steadily increase keeps me motivated.

I don’t know about you, but I have to be held accountable by someone or something (an editor, peers, conference deadlines and workshops) in order to stay productive. While I wish I could say I’m one of those writers who rises before dawn each day to work on my craft, I’m not. I think part of it stems from problems with focusing, but mostly I’d say it’s just good old-fashioned laziness and the distractions I face daily working from home. I’m the writer who turns in clean and consistent copy, but it’s usually turned in on deadline day and not a day earlier. For the magazine I edit, I only have to answer to myself (and our printer deadline) so guess whose articles get turned into the design team last? Mine, of course.

I think because of my personality, writing marathons such as NaNoWriMo appeal to me. I wrote the initial draft of a novel several years ago after winning Book in a Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt as a prize in a writing competition. I decided to apply the principles I learned in that book and completed 60,000 words in March 2009. As so many eager writers do, I immediately rushed through revisions and started sending out queries to agents, even though I wasn’t even sure what genre the book fell in. After three or four rejections, I shelved the manuscript but went back and dabbled with it from time to time. In 2012 I participated in a modified NaNoWriMo and completed 20,000 words of a middle-grade novel that I’m still working on.

Last year, after re-writing several chapters of my first book in a children’s writing class, I decided to write a new draft during NaNoWriMo and completed 50,000 words (I had to scrap most of the original version, but those are the breaks). A few months ago I took the first ten pages of that YA novel to an SCBWI conference and got some very positive feedback from both an agent and a young adult novelist.

Even though I'm in the middle of a busy season with regular clients, when NaNoWriMo rolled around this year I signed up, all while telling myself I was crazy to attempt it again. But I’ve had an idea for a YA novel in my head for about a year and I figured now would be as good a time as any to try to get some of it down. I told myself that even if I only got 50 pages written, it would be a great start. I’ve gotten behind the past two days, but I plan on making up for lost time on Nov. 24 when one of the big deadlines I’m working on will officially be off my plate. Can I tell you I have had a blast with this new book? Every time I sit down at the computer to work on it the words flow. I’ve had not one inkling of writer’s block. I feel more comfortable writing dialogue than I ever have and even caught myself “info dumping” in places and immediately fixing it.

I give credit to all the writing marathons I’ve participated in before for helping me get to this point. When I complete this NaNoWriMo novel (and I will!) I will have three children’s books under my belt. I will finally have the confidence to start submitting to agents and publishers, and I will know that I have the stamina to churn out words in a steady fashion when I need to. I’m also posting my progress on social media so my friends and family can hold me accountable for completing this latest book.

How do you hold yourself accountable for completing writing projects? Do you rely on writing marathons, retreats, editors, etc.?

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and editor who also works as a blog tour manager for WOW! Women on Writing. Her son's unexpected bout with guttate psoriasis this past spring inspired the idea behind her latest NaNoWriMo novel, a contemporary YA.

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2 comments NaNoWriMo, Renee Roberson, writing marathons, writing productivity

Updates from a NaNoWriMo Battlefield

Photo | EKHumphrey

This is the blog post where I admit that I’m still on the battlefield, but I have no plans for winning the battle. (I refuse to call myself defeated.) Two weeks ago I braved jumping into NaNoWriMo without a plan, a story outline, or a writing schedule. (Thank you for all the cheering after my November 1 post! I appreciated it!) Diving into NaNoWriMo was less pressure for me than in other years, but I knew it would still require a commitment of my time.

I wish I could claim that I haven’t been writing for the contest because of some other fantastic project. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. In this time, the biggest realization I’ve come to is that—writing or no writing—I’m not putting aside enough time for me.

For example, those times when I had a spare moment, my focus shifted from writing to helping my daughters clean their room during a crisis—a buyer contacted us to buy their beds we were replacing and we would do some repairs. Or I was diving into the launch of my email list free gift. (That excitement was lessened by some last-minute editorial changes that took time.) These were not the only things that became a bump in the road. Unfortunately, I’ve let individual bumps grow into a mountain that was between me and my writing.

For the next two weeks, I’m going to shift my focus. Obviously, I’m not going to finish a novel in the next fifteen days. But I know I want to finish it. What I can do is I can put a plan in place to at least get writing during this busy time. And these are tips that are applicable post-NaNoWriMo.

• Refrain from reading (too much). Don’t get me wrong, I love to read. Lately  I find that if I check my phone or email, I start clicking on links. Thirty minutes later, I’ve started reading the longest article in the history of the world. It’s a sign of my procrastination, which I need to curtail.
• Plan better. The bed fiasco sucked more time than necessary because I let it. I could have stepped back and allowed my kids more autonomy while I supervised. I thought by jumping in, I would get return to writing time. Instead, I was pulled deeper into my kids’ activities. (Totally worth it, mind you, but I still could have planned better!) This weekend, we are throwing a birthday party...and I've been planning!
• Better buddy contact. I needed to check in with my NaNoWriMo friends and give them support. I find having those writing conversations energizing, but I haven’t made time for them…yet!
• Shuffle writing time. I’m a morning writer, so I often tell myself I can’t write creatively later in the day. So, for the next two weeks, if I don’t write in the mornings, I vow to write during my lunch hour or before bed at night. I will be writing, no matter the time of day.

What have you been doing to reach your writing goals, NaNoWriMo or others? What have you had to rearrange or stop doing in order to make progress on your work-in-progress?

Elizabeth King Humphrey is a writer, editor, and teacher. Her free guide, Harmonizing: Find and Communicate to Your Audience, helps health and wellness professionals communicate with their potential clients.

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2 comments achieving writing goals, daily writing, Elizabeth King Humphrey, NaNoWriMo, planning, work in progress