putting the NANO in NaNoWriMo
By Jael McHenry | November 1, 2010 |
It’s November 1st, 2010! For some people, that just means it’s Monday, or the day the rent comes due. For others, it’s the day the Halloween candy goes on sale (grab me a bag of Pretzel M&Ms, wouldja?).
But for certain passionate, ambitious, creative, and optimistic people, it is the first day of National Novel Writing Month, better known as NaNoWriMo, or just NaNo for short.
I’m not doing NaNo this year, mainly because I’m already well into the first draft of Book #2 and NaNo requires beginning a book afresh, going from absolutely not a single word written to 50,000 of them completed by November 30. But I’ve done it several times, and I recommend it to a lot of writers, particularly if you haven’t completed a full draft of a novel before.
Some years I’ve found it to be a wonderful way to generate a first draft without getting caught up or bogged down or distracted.
Some years I’ve found it so frustrating I’ve ended up breaking down in tears somewhere around November 21st.
And so on this first day of NaNo, I want to share a few things I’ve learned that help crank up the joy and ratchet down the pain. They also happen to spell out NANO, which should help them stick in your mind during a time when you feel like the words you can’t get out of your fingertips fast enough are running out your ears. My NANO NaNo tips:
Now. When is the best time to write? NOW. You have a big goal: 50,000 words. If you parse that out into a daily goal, you owe the machine 1,667 words a day. For a lot of people, that’s an hour or two of work, and if you’re keeping pace with that for the first few days, you’ll be feeling good. But something will come up, and you’ll miss a day, and it’s very easy to get behind. Get ahead instead. If you have five minutes to write, write. Do it now. Maybe you’ll have a 10K run — a single wondrous day where 10,000 words flow right out of you — but do NOT count on it. That way madness lies.
And. It’s an old improv trick, the guideline of doing improvisational comedy with a partner or team: you never say “No.” You don’t contradict what someone else has said. Instead you accept their statement and build on it with an “And.” As you’re writing, if something’s already on the page, leave it there. Build on it. Don’t spend any time second-guessing what you’ve already written, or you’ll put your goal in danger. You don’t have to go in order, but you have to go forward. And, and, and.
Next. It’s tempting to stop writing for the day the moment you hit the end of a scene or a chapter. You feel a sense of completion and satisfaction. But don’t stop there. Take an extra minute or two to set yourself up for the next day — where will you start when you sit down at the computer tomorrow? What character or event will you work on next? Pick your starting point and mark it. Very simple, but it works.
Others. What has often made the difference for me between a successful NaNo and a painful NaNo is the company. If you join the NaNo site to track your daily word count, and ask some friends to do the same, you can race each other to the finish. We’re all going to have bad days. Our enthusiasm, at some point, is going to flag. There will be days when we think we’re not going to get there. And while the optimistic and positive “you can do it!”-type motivation is great, there are also days when the “I’ve got to hit 40K before Russ does!”-type motivation is a whole lot more effective.
So for all NaNo’ers, GOOD LUCK! You can do it! And feel free to share your own tips and tricks for making the most of NaNoWriMo in the comment area below.
Jael McHenry is the debut author of The Kitchen Daughter (Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books, April 12, 2011). Her work has appeared in publications such as the North American Review, Indiana Review, and the Graduate Review at American University, where she earned her MFA in Creative Writing. You can read more about Jael and her book at jaelmchenry.com or follow her on Twitter at @jaelmchenry.
I’ve never done NaNo 1) because I’ve always been tied up in existing projects and 2) because I can’t write straight through. I have to fix as I go. However, I can write and tweak 1000-2000 words a day, and that’s what I try to do when I’m writing. However, if a writing day becomes research, I don’t punish myself by saying I’m ‘behind’ because it’s still going to end up as part of the book.
I like the suggestion of not starting at the end of a scene–it’s always easier to get going the next day if you know what’s coming next, and since I don’t plot, often my scene endings are as much of a cliff-hanger for me as for the reader.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Great post. :) Good luck to everyone participating this year!
Thanks for the tips. This is my first NaNo and I’ll take all the advice and encouragement available! My word count is up to a whopping 26 so far…
Love the idea of starting the next chapter or scene at the end of the writing time…I’d forgotten that strategy for a quick next-day start. THANKS!!!
I’m going to start in a couple of days because I’m anal and I have to edit the bits I’ve already done before I can “move forward”. If I can get 20,000 semi-okay words down this month, I’ll do a happy dance in Dec.
Great post! Now I better stop procrastinating and get to my novel NOW! ;)
This is my 2nd time doing NaNoWriMo. I decided to stop work on my current novel to tackle a new book for the month. If there’s time, I’ll go back to the other novel, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to work on something new for a month along with so many others. Writing can be lonely, and anything that makes me feel like part of a community is worth the time and effort, no matter how tough it is!
Good luck to all!
What an awesome acronym of tips!! I love it. And the “And” and the “Next” are pretty good advice for writing in general. Actually, I guess all of NANO is pretty applicable to writing, whether in November or otherwise…
Btw, this — “Some years I’ve found it so frustrating I’ve ended up breaking down in tears somewhere around November 21st.” — is exactly why I don’t usually participate in NaNo. Nov 21st is my birthday!! :P
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ThereseWalsh, ThereseWalsh, Tracey Baptiste, Carleen, Jan O'Hara/Tartitude and others. Jan O'Hara/Tartitude said: RT @ThereseWalsh: RT @intrepidmedia Make the most of #nanowrimo w/ tips from @jaelmchenry at Writer Unboxed: https://bit.ly/bsBlYo […]
Thanks for the great post. I will not be doing the NaNo but I’ve posted today the challenge I set for myself for the month of November.
What’s different in November than the other eleven months? Nothing.
Nora Robers and Stephen King have the same advice. Sit there every single day, your birthday and anniversity, he even writes on Christmas morning.
If NaNo can teach young writers this lesson then by all means go for it. Otherwise, why not consider the other eleven months NaNo month?
Make this the beginning of NaNo year and have fun :)
What great practical suggestions for those taking the challenge!
I will file this for the future!
Patricia
[…] Writer Unboxed’s Jael McHenry gives us NaNo as an acronym, elaborating on some good writing tips to keep your novel […]
I’m cracking my knuckles and staring at a blank page… Going to start now… Okay, NOW… NOW…
Thanks for the advice and encouragement!
Some great advice here!
I’ve started a club on my website so you can receive daily emails with inspirational quotes about writing to keep you motivated! More info here if you’re interested: https://blog.quotabl.es/post/1453304685/join-the-quotables-nanowrimo-club
Best of luck!
Nicola
Great post! I love the idea of looking at the experience as a comedy improv session, never say “no”! It will be my NaNo mantra. This is my third year doing NaNo and although I have yet to make it to the 50,000 goal. Every year I get a little closer though. Good luck to all of you who are NaNoing along side me and feel free to add me to your buddy list. You can find me under reidabook.
[…] Putting the NANO in NaNoWriMo Over at Writer Unboxed, Jael McHenry turned NANO into an easy-to-remember guide for writing, and I think it applies far beyond November. […]
Great ideas! And I’m SO envious of the NaNo acronym thingie for the tips. LOL
I finished NaNo the first time I attempted it, which made me think I could do it every time. NOT! LOL However, I finished one of those NaNo books later, and it got me my agent, and it is on submission to editors right now. :)
I plan to get started sometime today — if I can decide which idea I want to stay with for the next month. LOL “All the Way to 50K!” is my rallying cry.
Thanks for all the feedback and thoughts, folks! (Kristan, your birthday sounds like a very good reason to abstain!) Donna, it’s great that NaNo was a start for your book (and good luck on submission) — I think so many people think they’ll write a novel and it’ll be done by November 30, and that’s not really the goal, is it? Big picture!
Months ago — you know, when the flowers first started blooming — I had decided to turn a screenplay I wrote into a novel. The leaves are now turning and falling from the trees and I have yet to type a single word. I always meant to do a NaNoWriMo, but was busy on other projects. Even though it’s not a new story, I think I’m going to use NaNo to motivate me to write the novelization of my script. My butt is chafed from dragging it for so long. ;)
Thank you! Brilliant post- I’ve written my first 2500 words of my first ever first draft of first novel, first year of Nano.
Great advice – will take it.
Thanks for a great post. This is my first NaNo month. I’m recuperating from a heart attack and hadn’t been able to write for a couple months. A few weeks ago, the muse started talking to me again. I don’t think I have the concentration to stay on one idea. Rather than not try, I decided to write as much as I can on any of the ideas I’d written down earlier. If I get stuck on one, I’ll switch to another. Anything to keep the muse talking to me! I’m still going to attempt 50,000 words.
The great thing about NaNoWriMo is what that kind of writing does for your creative self. When I plod along at 1000 words a day, I don’t often feel the magic of having words flowing through my fingertips so fast I can’t stop them 1000 words a day makes you think (and want) to control your characters (or at least for me). My first year of NaNoWriMo, I wrote the first 15,000 words of my book, gave up, and then had a brainwave 2 1/2 weeks later that prompted me to start again, not really intending to finish. But managed it anyway, writing 35,000 words in 6 days. It was awesome and amazing and felt like flying.
Fantastic tips! I’m tackling Nano for the third time – and I’ve actually started this time!
Some great and inspiring stories here! Good luck with your projects, everyone!