Friday, October 31, 2014

FRIDAY STIR FRY - Missing For The Next 30 Days



Yep, it's almost here. November or as I like to call it Insaneber. Because anyone who thinks they can write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days has to be insane right?

Believe it or not it is possible but it takes a lot of energy, courage and caffeine. Here are a few tricks and treats I've learned over the last 6 years I've participated. (notice how I referenced Halloween there?) Happy Halloween/Samhain! Now to my tips.


  • Absolutely no editing. This is the first rule of NaNo. Lock that editor in the basement. You have no time for his nonsense this month. 
  • Do not use contractions. Don't is one word - do not is two. You can fix it later with find and replace. 
  • Everyone has at least two, three or more names. And they repeat their names a lot. Not only does this up your word count but it helps your brain remember all your characters. Again, you can fix later. 
  • Have a music play list. This not only sets the mood for your story, but, at least in my case, the words flow easier if there is music in the background. 
  • Lots of caffeine and chocolate. Self explanatory. 
  • Set a timer for 10, 15 or 30 minutes. Write non-stop until that sucker goes off. You'll be surprised how many words you will get.
  • Finally - and this is very important. BACK UP YOUR NOVEL AT LEAST EVERY DAY. I can't tell you how many horror stories I've heard of people losing all their hard work. Don't be that person.
 
I hope you join in, but if not please understand if you don't see or hear from me, I'm probably okay, just busy trying to wrestle a novel out of my brain. You can track my progress by coming by and checking the word count widget to the right.






4 comments:

  1. I'd love to participate. I have lots of ideas that need to be put into text, but right now my current WIP is taking my time. Maybe next year.

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    1. You should try it some time Chuck. It sure gets the words out.

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  2. Love your list of NaNoWriMo tips. I confess, I've avoided using a contraction more than once! I've also gotten rather loose about what's "real" writing (as is, will it appear in my final manuscript?) and what's "pre-" writing (as in, what do you *mean* I can't count those words?) Any writing I do during this month, on the designated project, gets me closer to my destination--it's progress I wouldn't be making without the NaNoWriMo cheerleaders to encourage me to keep writing just...one...more...word at a time.

    Happy writing!

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    1. That is the secret. One word at a time. If you start looking at the big picture it can be a bit scary.

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