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Survival GuideBy Julie Gabrielle Upshur

What Is NaNoWriMo?NaNoWriMo is an acronym for National Novel Writing Month, an annual international challenge for both veteran and beginner writers to write 50,000 words of fiction in 30 days.

Note: 50,000 words is the minimum to be considered a novel.

What’s in it for Me?O Lots of people want to write a novel but don’t know

where to start or think they have no ideas. O NaNoWriMo is designed to drive you to write,

regardless of experience, regardless of how the novel turns out.

O Once you’ve written one novel, it gives you the confidence to write another!

More Reasons to Join the Madness

O At least 103 NaNoWriMo authors have been published.

O The NaNoWriMo website (www.nanowrimo.org) creates a great environment for first time writers to test the novel-writing waters.

O You can make amazing friends who stick with you long after November is over.

O IT’S SUPER FUN.

The NaNoWriMo Website:Creating a Profile, Exploring the Forums, and Finding

Buddies

1. Create a Profile

2. Create a Bio Page

3. Check Out the Forums

4. Update Word Count

5. Add Buddies

PRE-NANOWRIMO:

To Plot or Pants

PLOTTING

Plotting: the act of creating a story arc for your novel prior to 12:00 am on November 1.

O Plotting your novel beforehand means you’ll always know what to write next.

O If you’re adventurous, you might get bored knowing exactly what happens next.

O A plot is your road map, so you’re less likely to get wildly off track, which means less editing later.

Plotting MethodsO Index cards: write major plot points on individual

index cards and fill in the blanks as you go along.

O Scrivener: a plotting software that lets you outline chapters, scenes, character arcs, etc.

O Synopses: write an entire synopsis of everything that happens in the novel.

O Myriad more.

5 Tips for PlottingO Your first ideas aren’t always the best. Keep asking

yourself “what-if” to generate new ideas. O Have a main plot and multiple subplots so you’ll

never run out of stuff to write about. O The more action going on, the easier it’ll be to gain

and keep momentum while writing. O Comic relief is always good. O You don’t have to plan every moment of the novel,

but it’s better to have too much raw material than too little.

PANTSING

Pantsing: the act of attempting NaNoWriMo without planning the novel beforehand.

O Pantsing lets your imagination run wild and lets you write whatever pops into your head.

O If you get stuck in the middle, you don’t have a road map to help you get back on track.

O Some writers thrive on the excitement and mystery of not knowing what happens next.

Tips for PantsingO When in doubt, add ninjas. This is a time-honored

NaNoWriMo tradition. O Visit the adoption forums on the NaNoWriMo

website to pick up abandoned plot threads or characters left by other writers.

O Incorporate the Traveling Shovel of Death. O Never discard ideas as too crazy. O Write early in the morning or late at night when your

mind is less inhibited. O Push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

How to Incorporate NaNoWriMo Into Regular Life:

aka Say Goodbye to Down Time

When to WriteO In order to finish 50,000 words by November 30,

you have to write 1,667 words a day. O Q: When should you write? A: Every moment that

you can. O Don’t stop after reaching 1,667 for the day. You never

know if you might fall behind later, so always seek to get ahead.

O If you’re a morning person, try to get up earlier to write. If you’re willing to sacrifice sleep, stay up later.

If You Want to Go All the WayO Become an overachiever and write 50,000 plus

words. O Ignore tasks like laundry and dishes. They eat up

valuable writing time. O Become a master at watching TV and writing at the

same time (some shows you just can’t give up). O Carry a notepad at all times to write by hand when

you’re away from your computer. O Dream about your novel for new ideas.

Tricks of the TradeO Make a music playlist for your novel. It’ll help you get

into the right head space for writing. O Do word wars/sprints. O Change the color of your words to white so you can’t

see the words you write. It’ll help you to keep looking forward instead of getting distracted by what you’ve already written.

O Reward yourself for reaching 500 or 1,000 words. Candy is great for this. Make sure to stock up when all the Halloween candy goes on sale.

Dealing with the Inner EditorInner Editor: an annoying little voice inside your head that tells you you’re a failure.

O Lock your inner editor up for the duration of November. You are not allowed to criticize yourself during the writing of your novel. Do not read back over what you’ve read, because that is a prime opportunity for your inner editor to attack. For 30 days, you’re allowed to believe you’re a super genius writer. Enjoy it.

Post-NaNoWriMoWhat Do I Do Now?

Life After NaNoWriMoO Pat yourself on the back. You’ve joined the hall of

NaNoWriMo heroes with a finished novel!

O Collect your winner’s badges and coupons.

O Start thinking about NaNoEdMo, ScriptFrenzy, AugNoWriMo, and JulNoWriMo!

O Tell everybody. You earned the bragging rights.

ImagesO www.nanowrimo.orgO www.images.google.comO www.literaryjamandtoast.blogspot.comO kayedraper-writeme.blogspot.com