NaNoWriMo Tips & Resources (Penny Rader)

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NaNoWriMo starts in a few hours. Need a few tips? Check out these links:

National Novel Writing Month

From their "About" section: What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.


NaNoWriMo: Quick Preparation Tips and Resources (Suzannah Windsor Freeman)

Lots of tips, resources, articles, and a last-minute checklist!


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NanoWrimo Tips (Simon Haynes)

Write in 500 word chunks, 4 per day. Should only take 20-30 mins each. One first thing, one at lunch, two in the evening with a break.
If you write less than 1700 words one day, don't stop until you've written 1700 + double the difference the following day. That way, when you're thinking of giving up for the day you know you're getting double the work for your reward.
Each evening, after you've written the daily 2k or so, outline a few scenes for the following day.


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NaNoWriMo Tools & Tips (Nienke Hinton)

Neinke has links to several tools and tips on the link above and here.


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NanoWriMo Veterans Share Their Secrets

Sakrua – Having a simple ten to thirteen point outline (one page) will keep you on track and inspire you when you get lost in the intricacies of your plot and run out of words.

Deanna – …never, ever, stop having fun. NaNoWriMo is a race to write, not a road to perfection.

Kelly – Write something every day, even if it’s only one sentence. Read the forums for entertainment and encouragement. Have fun!\

Jenn J – Take breaks once an hour. Don’t get eye strain or muscle fatigue. Drink lots of water. Getting dehydrated is easy.


Top 10 Tips for NaNoWriMo (Dina Ely)

10. Write longhand
  9.  Go on the road.
  8.  Don’t be yourself.
  7.  A rest is OK.
  6.  Eliminate distractions.
  5.  Prep your environment.
  4.  Write without editing.
  3.  Write every day
  2.  Research first.
  1.  Make an outline.

~~~

Anyone here going to participate in NaNoWriMo 2011?  Go forth and NaNo.  May you all win.

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13 comments:

Hales said...

great post. I know authors who only write novellas who will do more than one to attain the 50k mark. I don't have time this year I have too many deadlines but enjoyed participating in Nano in the past.

Rox Delaney said...

I added a NaNo word count meter to my blog last month to keep track of a proposal I needed to write. I've always counted pages, but this time I decided to give word count a try, hoping that a change might help. I think it did!

I've never NaNo'd and considered participating this year to give me a shove, but decided not to. I think I'll do it UNofficially and see how that goes.

Penny Rader said...

Thanks for joining us, Hales! What a terrific idea, doing novellas for those who don't write novels.

Penny Rader said...

Hi Rox! I've never NaNo'd either. Thought about doing it unofficially, too, to see if I can get a few pages knocked out on one of the stories that I've started but haven't made much progress on. When I get braver I just might ask you how to get one of those count meters.

Joanie said...

Penny, marvelous post, and (as usual) outstanding resources. I saved a copy of the calendar to use as my desktop wallpaper this month. Not only have daily inspirational points, but includes the number of words I should have each day to stay on track. Always used an Excel spreadsheet for that before, but this is a much nicer way to guilt me when I don't write enough on my NaNo project any one day. Thank you!

Joanie

Angela Hood-Ross said...

Great post. Yes, I am all NaNoWriMo-Ready. This is my 5th year participating.

Melissa Robbins said...

I'm unofficially doing Nanowrimo, too. I even dragged Fran and another writer friend into the madness. I doubt I'll get the 50K words, but I have a new story idea that has been dying to come out.

Penny Rader said...

Hi Joanie! So glad you like the calendars. I had no idea they even made them till I stumbled upon them. Good luck with your NaNo project.

Penny Rader said...

Wow, Savannah, 5 years! You go, girl! Thanks for dropping by.

Penny Rader said...

Good luck with your unofficial NaNo project, Melissa. Looking forward to hearing more about your new story. I imagine you, Fran, and your other friend will kick some NaNo behind. :D

The Word Place said...

This is my fifth year to NaNo. The first year I lost my cousin who was like my sister the middle of the month and just threw in the towel, but the next 3 years I made 50K. This month is going to be a busy one, but I have notes for plots and subplots (this is the 5th in a 6-book cozy mystery series) and have the first four chapters sketched out. Have to get up early tomorrow to write as I have a book signing in the afternoon out of town and will be late getting back.

Loved all the tips--quite a few I hadn't thought of! Thanks to all who shared!

Good luck to all NaNoWriMo-ers out there!

Penny Rader said...

Thanks for visiting, Judy. I wish you a fun and successful booksigning and a NaNo win. Sounds like you're more than ready. :D

Mackenzie Crowne said...

Great post, good info. This is my first year. Day one - so far, so good. LOL