NaNoWriMo Tips

How do you figure out what you are going to write if you are participating in National Novel Writing Month? Choosing what you are writing about is difficult. You need to lay the foundation for your plot, your characters, and who it is you are writing for.

“Write the book you love, not the one you think you should write,” says Nathan Bransford, author of the Jacob Wonderbar series. “If you’re creating something you aren’t head-over-heels in love with, you’ll peter out before page 50.”That said, if you’re hoping to eventually publish your novel, you’ll still want to incorporate elements that appeal to your target market. This is why it is important to read contemporary publications in your genre and age target.

Witch Tip: This is very true. My first book was disjointed and took me almost a decade to write. On and off, on and off, I would write and change things and rewrite. The amount of times that I completely rewrote the story and changed characters was ridiculous. It is why it took me so long to finally finish. Once I had figured out the plot, the characters, and where I want the book to end, everything was smooth sailing.

It is important to know your characters intimately. Know them better than you know anyone else in your life because getting to know your characters will naturally make them stronger. The more familiar you are with their personalities and motivations, the more quickly and easily you will be able to write about them. Write a single-sentence story concept before you start. Make sure your premise is compelling enough to deserve a full-length story. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time.

Expand it from there into a chapter-by-chapter outline. Once you have your idea and characters in mind, take the time to plot your story from beginning to end — before you start writing. This allows you to know the purpose of each scene and streamlines the writing process. Or maybe a “skeleton outline” will work better for you. Sketch the main dramatic scenes and major points of conflict, so you’ll have a basic roadmap to work from, Hit those major scenes so the story will have purpose and direction. Then you’ll be able to spend your time writing, not trying to figure out what happens next. A little planning on backstory, geography, culture, specialist knowledge, or working out the technology for a sci-fi novel can go a long way. When you outline a character’s motivations, you’ll uncover what situations would cause them the most conflict.

Witch Tip: My first novel takes place in the Hoia-Baciu haunted forest in Romania. My best friend is Romanian. GOOGLE CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH. When I sent it to her for edits (she hella smart) and also for authenticity (her ENTIRE family is Romanian and she goes home to visit every other year for weddings and such). I thought I had done a great job researching but man did she bust it apart. BUT it helped to fix a lot of mistakes for anyone else of Romanian descent that may read it in the future.

Join some Facebook groups or start your own where everyone posts their daily word count.Not only will it keep you writing, but it will also give you an immediate endorphin rush when you post your word count wins!

Witch Tip: I do this constantly. My friends will randomly get text messages that say something like “41K words! 130 pages!” which helps hold me accountable because when I don’t send an update, some of them ask me what the hold up is that day.

Set aside a certain amount of time each day, whether half an hour or two hours, to write — and then show up. Sit down, do it, and move on. Don’t worry if you don’t write enough words in the first few days. The creative juices will start flowing, and you’ll make up for it by the end. Make sure friends and family know this is your writing time: you are not to be disturbed. “Have a plan,” suggests editor Maria D’Marco, “and make your choices about that plan before November arrives. These decisions might include no writing on holidays, no writing on weekends, no writing when exhausted, etc.” Avoid the temptation to edit or perfect your work as you go along. Just write now, and revise later.

The point of NaNoWriMo is not to write a perfect book or stick to your outline; it’s to break through mental barriers and release your creativity. Grab pictures of actors or models that fit your characters. Add pics of your scenes, houses, towns, objects or places of interest. Find art that matches the mood of your story and makes you feel the way you want your readers and characters to feel. Pinterest and Google images are great resources for inspirational photos.

Witch Tip: I have a file on my computer for each book with photos of inspiration. It really helps when I am stuck on a scene!

“Avoid too much introspection and the dreaded info-dump,” editor Laurie Johnson recommends. “Try to weave the backstory into the present story using dialogue or mini-flashbacks. These are both much sharper ways of delivering info than simply telling the reader, as they allow you to keep up the pace and show how the character feels about it now.” When your language gets too flowery or stressed, it becomes inauthentic. Like Charles Dickens, it may take two pages to say the main character turned the door knob and no one wants to read that mess. The man was paid by the word and that is why there were so many. The same does not go for you.

Witch Tip: Man am I bad about this. So much detail. Everyone who beta read my stories has all told me this time and time again. I am really good about giving detail but it is important to give some detail and let the reader imagine the rest. This is how you draw them into your world. Just think of Harry Potter. You have a few key details such as messy black hair, green eyes, round glasses, and a lightning bolt scar. Just about everyone has the exact same image of him from that description. (The movies help obviously, but I had read the books when there were only 3 and they had not yet become popular. What the movie did was just give me an actor that fit the description well)

Accept that there will be delays, interruptions, and times where you are brain-dead. If you get stuck writing a specific scene, then don’t continue staring at a blank page. Try writing the next scene and then come back. You can bridge the two scenes together later and iron out the small details after. Author and self-publishing guru Mark Dawson has a simple tip to offer: “If you get stuck, start with dialogue and see where it takes you.” If nothing else, dialogue is often more fun to write than pure plot! So if you’re feeling stuck or frustrated with your novel, try a few pages of light banter between your characters; you’ll most likely feel more inspired afterward.

One of the products of quick writing is something called front-running, or heavy foreshadowing. Often the writer doesn’t even realize they’ve given away too much too early. But readers are more astute than you might presume, and they want to figure out the plot over the course of the novel. Let the twists and turns of your plot be revealed in the action, rather than alluding to the impending doom long beforehand. Being hyper-aware of your foreshadowing will truly help you with tension and pacing, and make your story a thousand times better.

Witch Tip: Man oh man this is true. One of my beta readers for my first book had narrowed it down to two people early on and then the reveal just confirmed it for him. I wanted it to be a surprise, someone not even considered. But apparently, the character’s reaction during one non crucial scene gave it away. I went back and changed it so that future readers would not have the same experience.

Once you are done, reread your first and last chapters so you can compare your original intentions to where your story actually ended up.

Hopefully this helps you if you are planning on participating in NaNoWriMo with me this year! My username is Lady Witch Yumiko if you want to find me and encourage me. I will be happy to encourage you all back! If you have a story you would love to put to paper, it doesn’t have to be 50,000 words, then come join me this November for a creative time participating in NaNoWriMo!