We’re at Day Three of NaNoWriMo–National November Writing Month. Good luck to all this year’s participants who will be finishing a novel over the next 27 days!
There’s a lot of advice floating around the web for NaNoWriMo participants, and I thought I’d gather up some links. I’m currently writing my 11th novel (BITING BAD, CV8, Aug. 2013), but I still love learning new tips and tricks for making the manuscript come together a little easier.
1. Chuck Wendig – 25 Motivational Tips for Writers
The blank page is your world. You choose what goes into it. Anything at all. Upend the frothy cup that is your heart and see what spills out. Murder plots. Train crashes. Pterodactyl love interests. Vampire threesomes. Housewife bondage. Demon spies! Cake heists! Suburban ennui! You can destroy people. You can build things. You can create love, foster hate, foment rage, invoke sorrow. Anything you want in any order you care to present it. This is your story. This is your jam…
Chuck also put together a great “secret to writing” image (used with permission):
Such a great, but simple reminder about the true key to finishing a novel: FINISHING. THE. DAMN. NOVEL. A little bit at a time, every day, one day after another.
2. Erin Morgenstern – 2010 NaNoWriMo pep talk
If possible, get a running start. It gives you flexibility for later in the month when you desperately need to do something, anything that doesn’t involve writing once in a while….
3. Huffington Post – 3 Essential Elements of a Book’s First Page
Any character you present in the opening pages of your essay, short story, or book manuscript should be intriguing. Don’t waste any time; show the reader quickly why it’s worth getting to know the character. If he or she is clever, altruistic, or creative, then readers will be happy to get to know someone they can admire. If your character is dark, dangerous, or unpredictable, readers will be interested to find out more about a multidimensional villain or anti-hero.
4. RT Book Reviews – NaNoWriMo: A Dozen Tips
#5 – Don’t be afraid to plot. If your novel isn’t flowing like it should, stop to plot. While outlining will take time away from writing, in the long run it can help speed things up because it gives you a roadmap to follow. Also, don’t forget that plotting can be done while doing other things — cooking, waiting for a traffic light, talking on the phone with your mother…
5. LA Times – NaNoWriMo: One piece of advice. Period.
So there are many people who seek — and offer — advice onhow to make it happen. I’m one of them, and I’ve got all you need: Get off the Internet. You still here? That’s all right. Let’s continue.
6. Some of my thoughts: Stop complaining and start writing | Completing the Manuscript
So, we accept that some days we’ll write well, and some days we won’t. Some days we’ll have majestic ideas; some days we’ll struggle. How do we cope with this roller coaster? The classic solution, I think, is to write anyway.
Are you a NaNoWriMo veteran? Do you have tips and tricks you’d like to share? Feel free to note them in the comments.