Hey! @[Molly Looby] here, NaNoWriMo survivor and – dare I say – extraordinaire?
I’ve taken part in NaNo four
times so far but more importantly, I’ve won four times. Now, I can’t tell you
how to win – that’s down to you – but I can help you survive and have a
fantastic November.
First of all: put your butt in
that chair and write. I know this sounds stupid but this is basic NaNo etiquette.
It doesn’t matter if your words are full of typos. It doesn’t matter if they’re
not in order. It doesn’t even matter if the story isn’t working or isn’t making
sense.
Just. Write. The. Words.
I know this is hard, especially
if you’re plagued by your inner editor, but this is how to survive. If you sit
in the chair and turn off your internet connection, at some point you will
start writing. What takes down most Wrimos? Falling behind. Whatever is
happening, you must do your words.
Think of it as life homework that’s due in tomorrow. (This is not an excuse not
to do your actual homework!)
Putting yourself in that chair
and forcing the words out, even if it’s painful, is a must I’m afraid.
Survival step two: have fun. Get
excited! I’m being serious. I have so much fun during NaNo and it’s the main
reason I do it. It’s great to do something this crazy once a year. It reminds
you that you’re human and there are thousands of people out there as crazy and
passionate as you are. Write through laughter. Write through tears. Write
through caffeine buzzes and fatigue. NaNoWriMo is all about the fun. You’ll get
pep talks and emails throughout the month spurring you on and making you laugh
and giving you the encouragement you need to do step one: put butt in chair.
If you make it fun, you’ll keep
coming back day after day and that’s half the battle.
My third tip is to live and
breathe your story. Now, don’t laugh, but I do some weird stuff when I’m in the
middle of a novel. I like to pretend I am my protagonist. No laughing! It
honestly is a lifesaver. Whenever you’re not writing it’s great to do this. If
you’re waiting for a bus, think about what your protagonist would do while
waiting for a bus. Would they chat to the people around them? Would they disappear
under a hood and pretend they were somewhere else? This allows you to truly
know your protagonist inside and out and once you know that, the whole writing
thing is so much easier. And sometimes plot points wander into your head while
you’re doing this too because what if something dramatic happened while they
were waiting for a bus?
If you live and breathe your
story, you’ll feel the need to get the words out no matter what.
My las tip is a sort of extra. It’s
something I discovered last year that helped me complete NaNo in record time.
(This and a particularly intense word war situation). I covered up my word count.
I know, that sounds too easy, right? But honestly, it’s incredible. I would
just sit and write and write and write. By the end of the day/writing session,
I’d always written way more than I
would with my total uncovered. I realised last year that I had become obsessed
with my word count and exhausted as soon as I reached my target for the day. By
covering up my word count, I wrote so much more because I was terrified of not
reaching my target. It is the most satisfying thing to rip off the post-it-note
and discover that you’ve written over
4,000 words! Honestly, I felt like I had a superpower.
To me, these steps are all you
really need. Character outlines or no character outlines. Plot ideas or no plot
ideas. As long as you put your butt in the chair, have fun, and live and
breathe your story, you’re in for a great chance of lasting till day 30.
It’s not all about winning, it’s
about battling the NaNo demons until you pass out and achieving what you never thought
you could.
See you at the finish line, I’ll
be the one cheering and hugging everyone.
First Blogged on Movellas.
Read my NaNo Pep Talk from 2014!
Want to be NaNo buddies? Me too! I'll add everyone. NaNo is more fun with friends.
Molly Looby
Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready
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