NaNo Prep 2011

Alright, folks. It's almost time for another edition of NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month! I hope you find this article useful in making your NaNo dreams come true this year!

I'm sure most people are familiar with NaNo but I'll give a brief overview just in case: You have 30 days to write 50,000 words. (I said it'd be brief.)

Why would you sign up for such craziness, you ask? Because the purpose behind NaNoWriMo is to get wannabe authors to write. Like, actually WRITE. When you have such a short amount of time, and trust me, the month flies by, you don't have the time to agonize over every word you put on the page. You just have to get them up there. Instead of not writing because you can't pin down a particular turn of phrase or all of your plot bunnies aren't exactly wrangled, you have to push through and write because you have a goal to achieve. 

Right. So now you're in. Now what? How are you supposed to complete this ridiculous task during one of the most hectic times of the year? Proper Preparation!

- The first thing you have to do to prepare for Nano is commit to it. You cannot be wishy-washy about it. If you break down 50,000 words over 30 days, you're looking at 1,667 words a day. (Some days you may write more words than that and some days you may write less or no words at all.) There are going to be days when that's no problem. In the beginning, when you're in love with your characters and your story, words can just burst from you onto the screen/notebook in wild literary abandon! The commitment lies in continuing to push out those 1,667 words (or however many you can) when the honeymoon is over. When your novel has plot holes big enough to swallow a small island, your characters seem to be wandering around aimlessly and you hate their dialogue. You have to find your resolve and keep pushing. That starts with commitment.

- Depending on your writing style, outlines are great for Nano. This can save your butt in so many ways. If you can't seem to squeeze out the words to write that boring scene that is necessary to give readers an understanding of what's going on, you can skip ahead and write the more interesting scenes. Another way outlines help is that you don't waste precious time trying to figure out what the heck comes next. If you know, you can write it. You don't have to follow the outline to the letter but it helps to know where your story is supposed to be going. Even if you don't like outlines, you may want to have chapter summaries or character bios to work from. Think WWMCD: What Would My Character(s) Do? Knowing who your characters are and what motivates them will save you a ton of time in figuring out what comes next in your story.

- When you're participating in something as mentally, emotionally and spiritually exhausting as Nano, you'll need a support system. You'll need cheerleaders to tell you that you aren't the worst writer in the entire history of the written word. You'll need the people in your life to understand that Nano will require you to sacrifice some things and they need to respect that. You may have to skip talking to your best friend for 3 hours every night. It's not personally, it's just that you have a goal to accomplish. And writing a "novel" in a month is a mighty goal indeed! Also, try to find your own personal writing buddies or write-ins. Write-ins are scheduled locally through Municipal Liaisons of the Office of Letters and Light (the folks in charge of NaNoWriMo) and I encourage you to get out and write with others! What's more inspiring that the collective clacking of keys?

- Set up your account on www.nanowrimo.org before November 1st. Take you account for a test drive and introduce yourself on the forums. (This relates to my last point of support.) Get familiar with the site beforehand because you don't want to spend time you could be writing trying to figure out how to navigate the site. If you have friends joining you on this journey, add them on the Nano site. It's really a boost when you have a little friendly competition. It can be just the kick in the pants you need when you see your friend's word count steadily increase and yours is looking a little lean. Find your local Nano chapter and keep a look out on their calendar of events. Yes, for the write-in dates but also for the parties!

- Bribes. You're putting yourself through a lot for your craft! You deserve treats and bribes! Bribes can be anything from cookies to an hour of reading/watching tv. When you're just not motivated to do a  zombie shuffle to your computer for another round of self-torture, set up a bribe. It may be the lifeline you need to get through the low points before you fall in love with your novel all over again and your word count picks up.

Those are just some of the things you can do to have a successful NaNoWriMo experience. Remember, though, that Nano is still supposed to be FUN. You WANT to write. It will feel like a chore at times but when you have that purple winner's bar on your NaNo profile and the sense of accomplishment that comes with "winning" Nano, it will all be soooo worth.

Happy Writing!
Tranette