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NaNoWriMo Tips & Tricks (updated 2021)
I recently talked on Twitter and Instagram about how I might not be an author today without National Novel Writing Month. It’s absolutely true, and it prompted me to revisit this old post with my favorite NaNoWriMo tips and tricks. Nothing works for everyone, but hopefully you’ll find at least one thing in this freshly updated list that helps you on your binge writing adventures. Good luck and have fun!
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The hour is nigh! It’s October 31st, which means NaNoWriMo is less than 24 hours away. Here are my favorite last-minute tips and tricks for Wrimos and speed-drafters alike:
Aim for halfway. Seriously, that 50k can feel like A LOT, but the first 25k is the uphill climb and after that you’re coasting downhill toward the finish line. Forget about 50k—commit to hitting 25,000 words in the first two weeks. It will be painful, it will suck at times, and you will hate your writing occasionally, but if you can hit 25k, you will have pushed through the worst of it!
Write your first page BEFORE November 1st. You can’t count any words written before November 1st toward your 50k goal, but getting the intimidating blank page staring contest over before the read deal starts can be a huge confidence booster! Turn some of that nervous energy you’re feeling into an opening scene. Just make a note of your wordcount before you start writing on November 1st so you can subtract it from your overall total.
Write the first sentence of each chapter. If you’re enough of a planner that you have a chapter outline, like I do, you can go one step further in conquering Blank Page Terror and write the first sentence of each chapter either before NaNo starts or on day one. This prevents me from getting stuck as I suddenly forget how to write a book all over again with each new chapter. It’s a bit laborious, but it saves me tons of time and self-doubt.
Use placeholders to keep momentum up. You should avoid stopping to research things as much as possible. Don’t know what to call that city? @CITY. Can’t come up with a name for that character? @DUDE1. Can’t remember how many bones are in the human body? @RESEARCH LATER. Can’t get over how bad a sentence sounds? @DO BETTER. Literally anything that will cause you to break your flow as you write, just throw a placeholder there and keep writing. Once you’re done with your first draft, you can use the ctrl+F (or cmd+F on a mac) feature to find every single instance of that placeholder in your doc. I always use the @ symbol, since I rarely write fiction that has lots of e-mail addresses in it, but you can use any character that doesn’t show up in your story.
Stay in the story between writing sessions. Carry a notebook around and always have those characters cooking in the back of your head while you do other things. When you sit down to write, you’ll be ready to go!
Reward yourself. Set mini goals along the way, and give yourself mini rewards! A cookie every 10k words? Video game time for each week you make your goal? Whatever motivates you!
Use 4thewords.com. Speaking of what motivates you—I am a huge proponent of 4thewords.com and have used it for years. It’s gamified writing. The basic concept is you write words to defeat monsters and progress through a story. Having to write X number of words within a certain time limit to defeat a monster really helps me stay on task and helps me get those last few extra words I might not have written otherwise. It’s free for a month, and very cheap or free after that, so try it out during NaNoWriMo! (If you sign up using my referral code, we’ll both get some free subscription time out of it: NJNRS64299)
Let your draft be rough. Real writing is rewriting. You’ll make it pretty and readable and entertaining later when you revise your novel. For now? Its only job is to exist. Make it exist.
Do you have any tips or tricks that help you survive NaNoWriMo? Post ’em below! Best of luck to all the wrimos out there. We will be victorious!
NaNoWriMo Prep – Even for Pantsers!
(Originally posted in my region’s forum on nanowrimo.org)
NaNoWriMo is less than a month away! Do you have any idea what you’re going to write yet? If not, that’s fine! I’ve got some suggestions to help get you going. Even if you like to totally fly by the seat of your pants when you write, you can really benefit from having at least some vague points in your head before you start.
You don’t have to go all dystopian-YA-novel and declare your faction. It’s not plotters vs. pantsers to the death. It’s not “start without a single idea” vs. “20 pages of meticulous notes”. There’s tons of middle ground between those options, and you can find a balance that will work for you and keep you motivated and inspired throughout November!
If you do nothing else, it can really help to elevate your NaNo plan from a vague idea to a premise. Larry Brooks talks about this in his book Story Physics, and in this Writer’s Digest Article. Here’s an example using The Hunger Games:
- [Idea] I want to write a dystopian novel about reality TV
- [Concept] (add conflict and tension) I want to write about an annual televised event where poor kids are pitted against other poor kids for sport
- [Premise] (add character and themes) A girl named Katniss volunteers for The Hunger Games to save her sister from participating and has to fight to the death against other kids—including a boy from her own district who has always shown her kindness.
Look for that hint of conflict inherent in your basic idea and start questioning it. Want to go a bit more in-depth into the plot than just the basic idea? Larry Brooks also has a book called Story Engineering, and just about every story in the western world* ends up falling into this structure, whether by instinct or by planning.
What’s great and useful about this style of outline is the focus on when characters learn new pieces of information, which makes you think through what bits of info the characters need to learn over the course of the story to achieve their goal, which in turn gives you points to write toward. What does Harry Potter need to know to defeat Voldemort? What does Luke Skywalker need to know to embrace the Force and blow up the Death Star?
The very boiled-down version of the structure is:
- Part One: The Setup (the orphan) — Introduce your characters, have the inciting incident, foreshadow things that will be important later, introduce your antagonist in some small way. At the end of part one, at approximately the 25% mark of your story, include Plot Point One: The clear statement of the quest/goal/major obstacle, our first full view of the antagonist, and the statement of the stakes. What do you characters stand to lose? Make sure we know why it matters to the characters.
- Part Two: The Response (the wanderer) — Your characters have their very human reactions to the quest. Run, hide, seek information, get help, find an advisor. At about the 50% mark, you’ll have the Midpoint, where the character learns something new that changes the context of the quest. The game has changed, and it shifts the character from reactive mode to proactive mode. Time to DO STUFF.
- Part Three: The Attack (the warrior) — Your characters attack the problem/obstacle/antagonist head on. They can’t totally succeed yet, because we’re not at the end of the book yet, but they can make progress. At about the 75% mark, you’ll have Plot Point Two: The final piece of information the characters need to conquer the obstacle/defeat the villain/begin the final chase. It’s ON.
- Part Four: The Resolution (the martyr) — No new information can be introduced after this point. It’s time to defeat the obstacle/villain, resolve the conflict, let the stakes come into play in a big way, and make the character sacrifice something to achieve the goal. Make it happen, cap’n.
Come up with as much of this as you can ahead of time! If that’s just the big four basic sections (Setup, Response, Attack, Resolution), then great! That still gives you some good direction. If you can, add in those plot points. If you want to go even more in depth than that and plan out chapters, go for it. The level of detail is up to you.
Or, maybe you want to approach things from a character standpoint, rather than plot. Consider: How will your character change over time? What kind of person are they at the start, and how will they be different at the end? Why does the conflict matter to them? What do they personally have to lose?
No matter where you start (plot, character, idea, or even worldbuilding), look for that source of conflict and change. No conflict, no story!
And if you want to do a bit more in-depth prep, don’t forget that NaNoWriMo puts out some excellent workbooks through the Young Writer’s Program. The high school one is great for adults, too!
Do you have any NaNo prep strategies to share with your fellow wrimos? Post ‘em below!
Happy writing,
M.K.
* – except literary fiction which, by its very nature, is about experimenting and subverting expectations.
Three Kinds of Writer’s Block
…and how to beat them
It’s NaNoWriMo season, which means everyone has speed-writing on the brain.
(That’s not how you do it, John.)
Writer’s block is oft spoken of in groaning complaints and hushed whispers like it’s a thing that sneaks up on writers to ruin their flow and steal away their creativity. In reality, though, I don’t think “Writers Block” is really any one thing. In my own writing experience, I’ve found I’m affected by at least three distinct types of writer’s block:
Totally Lost Block: This block usually comes from a lack of prep work. Not sure what comes next in your story? Even if you’re a pantser (you write by the seat of your pants), it’s time to stop and brainstorm. List your core elements: Main characters, central plot conflict, stakes (what the character has to lose if they fail). What’s the end goal for the central conflict, the problem to be solved, or the farthest point forward where you know what happens? Make a list of 10 potential ways to get there, then pick the most interesting one. What information do your characters need to get to that point? Brainstorm interesting ways for them to get that information. Keep breaking it down until you have several points to write toward. You don’t have to obey those points if you come up with something better along the way, but it helps to have a light at the end of the tunnel. Or, is there a point later in the story where you DO know what happens? Write that first, and go back to connect the dots later.
Depression Block: Not in a good place mental health-wise? That can have a big impact on your writing. If this is the case for you, take some time for self-care. Give yourself permission to do something you love to recharge your creative batteries and mental energy. Consider seeking professional help and reaching out to a friend. Once you’re in a better place, set reasonable but challenging goals, manage your expectations for yourself, and re-dedicate yourself to your writing. If you haven’t already sought help for anxiety or depression, definitely do! Taking that first step can be a huge load off your mind in and of itself.
Motivation Block: This is the most common type of writer’s block. You’re not actually blocked, writing is just HARD and it takes a lot of time and effort and it can be a struggle to get motivated. Even seasoned writers get this kind of block sometimes. Sit down at your computer or open your notebook and commit to writing one sentence. You can manage that, right? Once you’re over that hurdle, it’s surprisingly easy to keep going. You’re already there, so why not make it a whole paragraph? How about a page? And there’s no rule that says you have to write all your daily words in one sitting. Write a little in the morning, a little at lunch, and a little in the evening if you need to. Or, binge it all in one sitting and enjoy your free time afterward. Also consider small rituals that tell your brain it’s writing time: Light a candle, get dressed like you’re going to work, put on comfy PJs, whatever works for you. You can do this! Just remember BICHOK: Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. Make it happen.
Have you experienced any other kind of writer’s block? Any advice for overcoming? Tell me in the comments!
NaNo Printables – 2016 Edition
I’m serving as a Municipal Liaison for National Novel Writing Month again this year, whoooo! Last year I made some printable NaNoBingo and Frequent Writer Cards that wrimos got stamped or stickered at events they attended, and they were a big hit in the South Jersey region, so I’m hoping they’ll be similarly received in Charlottesville. This year, I’ve included an alternate version of the NaNoBingo card for use in schools and libraries. Differences are minor, but they exclude any mention of donating to the NaNoWriMo organization, distance travel for write-ins, and making characters kiss. Please feel free to print these out and use them at your own events, though I’d prefer it if you could leave the credit line in.
NaNoBingo Card – standard version
NaNoBingo Card – classroom and library version
Frequent Writer Card
The FWC currently has six spaces, which could be filled if a wrimo went to one write-in per week, plus the kickoff and TGIO parties. Regions with particularly ambitious wrimos may wish to edit to add more spots by circling the smaller stars in fun colored markers.
For prizes, I’m using my library’s button maker to make 1.5″ pinback buttons again, though this year they’ll be Virginia-themed instead of South Jersey. Check your local library to see if they have a makerspace or equipment check out—you may be able to do the same!
Happy novel planning, wrimos! November is almost here…
Book Deal Announcement
So, funny story. The public announcement for my book deal went up two weeks ago. I celebrated on twitter, I finally told facebook, I announced to my coworkers, and so on. Aaaaaand I forgot announce it on this website.
Uh.
LET’S FIX THAT.
Those who have been around for a while might notice the new title. It’s true—Space Academy Rejects is now THE DISASTERS, and I love love love this new title! I also love the way my rockstar agent, Barbara Poelle, pitched this book. She makes it sound so awesome, so now my job is to make it live up to her pitch while revising with my new editor, Abby Ranger. I’m thrilled to be working with Abby and HarperCollins to bring these space nerds to you, and I hope you love these characters as much as I do.
For those interested in the mechanics of all this, I’ll be posting about my own path to publication soon.
Follow me on twitter @Geektasticlib for updates!
Pitch Wars Homework Assignments
Last year (2015) when I was waiting for Pitch Wars mentee selections to be announced, I was chomping at the bit, wanting so badly to get started on a new round of edits. Sure, I did some half-hearted planning for NaNoWriMo to distract myself, but what I really wanted was to throw myself back into my PW manuscript and make it better.
One of the first things my awesome mentor, Sarah Glenn Marsh, did last year was give me homework assignments right after I was selected. They were designed to help me analyze my book so I’d be in a better position to hit the ground running with revisions. And you know what? There’s no reason you can’t start on those right now, before Pitch Wars really begins, before you know if you’ve been selected or not. These assignments are great for anyone with a finished MS in need of revision, whether you’re participating in Pitch Wars or not, whether you get in or not.
So, without further ado, here’s your homework. Get as much done as you can before 11:59pm on August 24th.
- Make each chapter title a heading in Word for easy navigation (more info here). Even if you use Scrivener (which I love), you’ll need a word doc to share with your mentor or critique partners.
- Make a list of all chapters with chapter wordcounts. Variation isn’t a bad thing, but if you have some major outliers, those might be chapters to look at for pacing issues, bulking up, or breaking into two parts.
- Make a character arc chart for all major characters: who are they at the start, who are they at the end, how they get there, what their role in the cast is, what they want, what progress they make toward their goals, etc.
- Do a goals & stakes analysis for each chapter. Look at how each chapter progresses the characters toward their goal, and how the stakes come into play depending on their progress. If a chapter doesn’t address the goals and stakes, it likely needs to be cut. If you have trouble with this, summarize each chapter in only one sentence listing the most important things that happen, then think about how those tie in to your overall plot arc/goals/stakes. Don’t force it—if a chapter doesn’t fit, it might need to be significantly rewritten or cut.
- Start on your revision outline. This will change a lot if someone takes you on as a mentee, depending on the feedback you get, but it’s good to start brainstorming fixes based on your own analysis while remaining open to mentor suggestions. Note overall changes to make throughout the manuscript as well as chapter-by-chapter notes.
- Read my post on Critiques and Cultivating Self-Awareness. It’s important to understand your own reactions to receiving critiques and be prepared for the emotions that come with. Developing this self-awareness is one of the most critical things you can do as a writer.
Here is your starting ctrl+F list, a list of things for you to look for in your MS using the ‘find’ feature of your word processor. These are common crutch words and bad habit red flag words that apply to pretty much any manuscript. This isn’t to say you should delete every single instance of these words, only that you need to look very closely at the usage and decide if it’s absolutely necessary. If Jamie and I decide to take you on as a mentee, we’ll also provide you with a customized one with any crutch words/phrases that are unique to you (for instance, I tend to overuse ‘a bit’ and ‘grin’).
- That
- Just
- Filtering phrases (she saw, she heard, she smelled, etc.)
- Thought phrases (she realized/understood/knew/wondered/remembered/thought)
- Feeling words (sad/happy/angry/nervous/etc.)
- Started/began
- Really/very/extremely/absolutely + other empty modifiers
- is/are/was/were (potential passive voice red flags)
- Suddenly
- Basically/practically/almost (I am so guilty of this)
- ly (will help you catch adverbs)
- If writing in past tense: this/now/here (words that imply present-ness)
When you’re using Ctrl+F to catch these filtering and thought phrases, don’t forget the sneaky constructions that slip under the Ctrl+F radar: I can see, I can hear, I suddenly realized, etc. For advice on fixing these errors, check out Pitch Wars class of 2015 alum Rebecca McLaughlin’s Show Don’t Tell series on her blog in which she reworks passages of her own writing.
Reading List (Choose One or More):
- The Elements of Style by Strunk and White OR Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Truss
- A book in your genre you haven’t read before
- A book on the craft of writing. Ask for recommendations if you need them!
Best of luck to everyone awaiting Pitch Wars decisions, and major props to anyone tackling a manuscript revision right now! You got this. You are great. I believe in you.
…now, back to trying to pick a mentee. *sweats*
Report back with your thoughts and progress!
Synopses Are Actually Awesome
I honestly never thought I’d say those words.
It’s true, my attitude toward synopses has evolved over the years. At first, I utterly loathed them. Then, after my crit partner’s synopsis revealed a major plot issue I’d failed to spot while reading the actual manuscript, I acknowledged that though they sucked to write, synopses could be a useful analysis tool.
And now, after reading Pitch Wars submissions? Synopses are beautiful and valuable and should be written with care.
We requested synopses along with the full manuscript from every contender, and they’ve been so enlightening, illuminating issues with the manuscript that are difficult to see at ground level. Here are some of the most common problems we’re seeing with manuscripts via synopses:
- No self-contained plot arc. This is the big one. Even if your book is planned as part of a series, the first book must be able to stand alone. Readers hate it when the core plotline of a book doesn’t resolve at the end. More importantly, though, you can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to sell the whole series. You might only sell the first book. The publisher might want it as a duology rather than a trilogy or quartet. Wrap things up in the first book and leave some intriguing threads loose to pick up. If your book is bought as a series, your editor will help you revise to reflect that.
- Mushy middle. You get off to a great start, and you knew where you wanted to go, but you didn’t know how to get there and there were no tentpoles in the middle propping the story up. Critical things need to happen throughout the book.
- Too convoluted. There seems to be a real push to make things too complex: Too many characters, too many new ideas or concepts crammed in, too many subplots, etc. Sometimes these are due to poor synopsis writing, which hey, it’s hard, I forgive you. But sometimes, those same issues are reflected in the manuscript, and the synopsis just makes it easier to see. It’s no fun getting to the end of a synopsis and thinking “…I have no idea what just happened”.
- More love for worldbuilding than characters or plot. Jamie and I LOVE cool worldbuilding. We really, really do, and it can make a book shine. But your world is the stage for your characters and their actions. Make sure your worldbuilding always serves the characters and the plot.
All of these are fixable, and a dedicated writer CAN fix them in the two months allotted for Pitch Wars, but you have to be open to the kind of large-scale rewrite that these problems require. Are you willing to gut entire chapters, chop off your whole ending, and eliminate dead-weight characters? It’s fine—take a few days, cry, feel grumpy, curse our names, and do whatever else you need to do to mourn and digest the feedback.
Then sit down at your keyboard, crack those knuckles, and make your book the best, shiniest book it can be.
Sometime in the near future, I’ll write a post on non-painful ways to write a synopsis. In the meantime, check out THE classic post on synopsis writing over on pubcrawl.
How do you feel about synopses? Do you have lots of angry feelings about them, or have you kind of come to terms? Vent your feelings in the comments.
Pitch Wars Live Video
Last night I was on Pitch Wars Live answering your questions from Twitter about Pitch Wars wish lists, submissions, and the craft of writing. It was a TON of fun, and we got some really great questions! I haven’t been able to go back and watch it because I know I make incredibly stupid faces when I talk, but if you want to be entertained by my face, you can watch below, or on youtube here.
If you want to follow up on any of the questions I answered, or get answers to any of the ones I skipped, let me know in the comments!
Now Available:
