So, with just a few more days til NaNoWriMo starts, what is your best advice to succeed? I don't mean the stupid petty word-boosting tricks people use, like spelling out character names and titles in full each time they're mentioned, avoiding abbreviated words like don't in favour of do not, and giving characters stutters. I mean genuinely helpful advice that won't just create work at the editing stage.
I've succeeded two times and failed four times, so I've an idea of what works for me and what doesn't. Here are my tops dos and don'ts.
DO: have passion for your story. Work out what you like about it and keep that in mind while writing.
Inversely, DON'T: scramble for something to write just because it's NaNoWriMo. Passion is important. What's important is finishing a novel that's worth finishing. NaNoWriMo isn't the goal, it is the means to achieve the goal, namely a completed first draft.
DO: get involved in the community - attend write-ins, chat on the forums, take part in online word wars and so on. Moral support, the ability to bounce ideas off someone else and the knowledge that you're part of something bigger than yourself are good ways of maintaining motivation, and it stops you from getting too introverted and lonely during November.
DO: make a concious effort to write. This is a big challenge, especially for those who have had a bit of a flat spot in recent months or even years. Make a point of writing rather than defaulting to when you feel like it.
DO: understand your writing process and play to your strengths. If you're a pantser, prepare conditions to best allow yourself to work out where you're going as you write. If you're a planner, make outlines and character sheets. If, like me, you're somewhere in between, make the kinds of preparations and outlines you will need to write the story. If you write best in the morning, make time for a good length session. And so on.
And inversely, DON'T: try to force yourself into a schedule or approach that doesn't work for you. That's the fastest way to lose motivation and passion. If you don't know what works yet, try different approaches and if they don't work, try something else instead. Don't try and write the whole month to a schedule that makes you miserable.
DON'T: be lazy. Not reached the day's goal yet? Write a hundred more words, or for another ten minutes. DOn't just give up for the day, not yet anyway.
So, what are your tips, strategies and approaches that work when trying towrite a lot in a small time frame?
I've succeeded two times and failed four times, so I've an idea of what works for me and what doesn't. Here are my tops dos and don'ts.
DO: have passion for your story. Work out what you like about it and keep that in mind while writing.
Inversely, DON'T: scramble for something to write just because it's NaNoWriMo. Passion is important. What's important is finishing a novel that's worth finishing. NaNoWriMo isn't the goal, it is the means to achieve the goal, namely a completed first draft.
DO: get involved in the community - attend write-ins, chat on the forums, take part in online word wars and so on. Moral support, the ability to bounce ideas off someone else and the knowledge that you're part of something bigger than yourself are good ways of maintaining motivation, and it stops you from getting too introverted and lonely during November.
DO: make a concious effort to write. This is a big challenge, especially for those who have had a bit of a flat spot in recent months or even years. Make a point of writing rather than defaulting to when you feel like it.
DO: understand your writing process and play to your strengths. If you're a pantser, prepare conditions to best allow yourself to work out where you're going as you write. If you're a planner, make outlines and character sheets. If, like me, you're somewhere in between, make the kinds of preparations and outlines you will need to write the story. If you write best in the morning, make time for a good length session. And so on.
And inversely, DON'T: try to force yourself into a schedule or approach that doesn't work for you. That's the fastest way to lose motivation and passion. If you don't know what works yet, try different approaches and if they don't work, try something else instead. Don't try and write the whole month to a schedule that makes you miserable.
DON'T: be lazy. Not reached the day's goal yet? Write a hundred more words, or for another ten minutes. DOn't just give up for the day, not yet anyway.
So, what are your tips, strategies and approaches that work when trying towrite a lot in a small time frame?