Are you crazy enough to write a novel of 50,000 words in a month? (Don't forget Thanksgiving and the Thanksgiving weekend are in there as well. So, it's actually shorter than 30 days.)
I am. That crazy. So crazy indeed that I have now done it three years in a row. (Pray for me.)
This year, I know the genre. I even know the subject. It's the Jamestown Settlement in 1607 here in Virginia. Beyond that, I have no idea. None. Zilch.
I am still trying to write the last half of a novel I am writing right now and haven't had much time to plan at all. Then again, I didn't realize NaNoWriMo was just around the corner until this weekend.
So, if you are like me, how can you prepare for NaNo in 33 very short days?
The answer is carefully.
The reality of the situation for me is this: I laugh. I really won't have a clue what I am writing about until Tuesday, 01 November. That's the reality of the situation. All of my head space needs to go to "Yorktown's Dawning" between now and then. I will set a few days aside in October to devote time to planning, for strategy, and hopefully meet up with a few people to start turning my mind in that direction. I will try to do a rough and very thin outline.
If I were to start to prepare for NaNoWriMo today, this is what I would do:
1 I would try to come up with a one-sentence hook.
2 Then a paragraph hook.
3 Then, the back cover material for the book.
4 Then, I would write a rough and thin outline for the book. What I mean by that is I take a piece of paper and fold it in thirds. Each portion represents the 3-acts of my novel (the beginning, the middle, and the end). Then, I write a couple of sentences for each scene in each of those acts. I get the character names, setting, and a couple of words or a sentence of what happens in that scene.
5 I walk into NaNoWriMo (or sit at my computer to be more precise) on 01 November and start.
6 As time allows, I try to get more of an outline prepared.
50,000 words in a month can be as simple as we make it. It's been simple for me. I refuse to have it any other way. Sure, complications come up. It seems like everyone and everything fights to divide my time in November of every year. However, I make it through. I finish. Why? I refuse not to.
Just like, I do NOT believe in writer's block. I refuse to succumb. It is a choice I've made. I worked and wrote for 7.5 years and I've written full-time for 2.5 years. I've never had writers block. I can always find something to write. I may throw some of it away later, but I keep writing.
However, I also leave room in there for me to not make it and get 50,000 words done. I cut myself grace and tell myself I have the next month or two to finish writing a real novel of 80,000 words on average. Rome wasn't built in a day, as the old cliche states. And a novel is no exception. If I don't finish in November, there are indeed eleven other months.
I write full-time now. But, that wasn't always the case. I worked and wrote for years. How did I find time to write?
The answer is simple. I STOLE time.
What do I mean by that? It's something that I still do today. I write when I can--wherever I can.
How do I steal time?
~ I have a voice recorder in the car. I write as I drive--through talking into my phone or mp3 player. Red lights are my best friend! I get the most done then. Then, when I get home, I type it up.
~ I carry a journal with me at all times.
~ I write if I am on hold while on the phone.
~ Doctors office waiting rooms are down-times and I write.
~ If I am standing in a line, I write.
~ I get up earlier--as necessary.
~ I stay up later--as necessary.
~ I limit my tv time and my reading time.
~ As I cook dinner I write.
~ I write in the bathroom as I get ready.
~ If my husband goes to do something, I steal a few minutes to write while he's gone--even if it's for 30 seconds.
~ As my husband watches tv, I write by his side.
~ I jot down ideas in the middle of the night--as necessary.
~ As I exercise, I am writing and planning in my head. I write everything down when I am done exercising so I don't forget what I came up with to add to my book.
~ Wait time to get my hair cut.
~ In the shower. That's the best time to come up with ideas. Keep a notepad in the bathroom at all times (or your cell phone so you can text yourself messages of your writing ideas)
~ I email myself my writing from my cell and send myself texts as necessary.
I am sure you get the idea.
~ Stacy Duplease
Author of Historical Fiction (of Virginia and the U.S.) & Journalkeeper
of Remembering Your Present, LLC
Latest Book: "Yorktown's Dawning" (Book 1 of 7)
Latest Historical Fiction Series: "The Chronicles of the Siege of Yorktown"
Next Book Planned: Jamestowne (Book 1 of 3) (NaNoWriMo Book 2011)
Email: hisfiction@gmail.com
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