Tips for NaNoWriMo

Well, October is over the half way mark and for a lot of people that means gearing up for this year's NaNoWriMo. If you aren't familiar, November is National Novel Writing Month. Every year thousands of people sign up online and pledge to write a 50,000 word novel in thirty days. With daily word counters, a supportive online community and pep talks from some fantastic writers, it's a great way to blow your writer's block right out of the water. After all, there's no better silencer for the inner critic than a looming deadline. Unfortunately, I won't be participating this year, I'm deep in editing land, but I was a winner for the June Camp NaNoWriMo and so I thought I'd share a few of my tips and tricks for anyone who's considering giving it a try this year.

1) First off, do not fall behind. Hit your targets every day, right from the start. Don't assume that you'll be able to catch up on the weekend when you have all that free time. You won't. Believe me. You just won't.

2) However, if you do fall behind, don't give up. Yeah, I know what I just said, but falling behind doesn't mean you get to throw in the towel. Dig deep, throw in a few very late nighters and you'll be back on track.

3) Have an idea of your story before you start. No, you don't have to have it all mapped out ahead of time (unless you want to) but have a general idea of the characters, the plot. It'll keep you from staring at a blank page, wondering where the hell you're going with all this. Use this time before the start date to chew on your story, let it start building in your head and then let the momentum take you.

4) If your story just isn't working, change it. NaNoWriMo is the perfect chance to experiment with your writing. Think about it, with no time to care about the rules, you can be free to just create. (Because really, that's what it's all about.)

5) Please remember: Although it's called National Novel Writing Month, at the end you will NOT have a finished novel. What you will have is a rough draft and a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment. Don't get me wrong, completing a 50,000 word manuscript in a month is extremely impressive, but don't forget that there's a lot of work to follow. I won in June 2012, and I'm still editing. And frankly, I will be for a while. Every rough draft needs a ton of work before it's suitable for an agent, a publisher and the general public.

6) Have fun! I know that sounds like a cliche, but it really is fun. Incredibly stressful fun. But as your fingers race over the keyboard, pounding out word after word, an undeniable feeling of elation begins to envelope you. It's magic!

All right, good luck and God bless! I'll see you on the other side.

Tornado Warning

Life has been rather hectic for the past five days or so. On Thursday afternoon, the internet went out at work, and they were unable to get it up and going until four thirty today. That made life especially stressful and difficult for my coworkers and myself, as about half our work requires an internet connection.

On Friday morning I woke up with a truly hideous cold (that I'm still fighting) that required me to go home early and forced me to publish my Five Sentence Fiction a day late. It also set me a day behind in Camp NaNoWriMo. The weekend was spent trying to catch up on all my writing, my housework and my responsibilities to my two bunnies and my darling dog, Maddie.

I've been unable to tweet much or make use of social media, so I'm still rather behind on that, but I was at least able to catch up on all my work at the office (even though it required staying two extra hours today). To top it off? Severe thunderstorms and a tornado warning tonight. At least life isn't boring.

In conclusion, I'm exhausted. I've been trying to get back on top of my workload for almost a week now, and it was good to finally make some headway on at least the office front. I've appreciated your patience, and I assure you, I will be far more entertaining from here on out. (Just as soon as I can kick this damn cold!)

*One last fun tip for you, if you're ever plagued with terrible sinus congestion and sinus pain, Extra Spicy Clamato Juice is your best friend. Seriously. Warm it up in the microwave and drink it hot. You'll thank God. It's amazing.

Camp NaNoWriMo - Week One

As you probably know, I signed up for June's Camp NaNoWriMo. So far, it's been going really well. I've managed to hit my targets every day and I'm really impressed with how my story is progressing. As it turns out, going in with a story line already in mind is a lot more effective than winging it.

I think what I like best about NaNoWriMo is the motivation that being part of an online community gives you. Without that little word counter showing my progress for all the world to see, I'd have no reason to finish. I'd probably peter out after the first couple of weeks, if I made it there at all. But here I am, 15,000 words in after just nine short days. And it feels pretty good! I'm also a big fan of the weekly pep talk emails and message boards. I have yet to attend an actual, physical function, but I like the sense of community.

What are your writing goals for June? The summer can be the perfect time for catching up on your writing. The world is bursting with colour and inspiration, not to mention the enjoyment of basking in the outdoors with a notebook and pen. That's what this weekend is all about for me, the writing. I'm working hard on my novel for NaNoWriMo as well as a few other projects in between. The only thing getting neglected this weekend is my yard, but luckily the rain's taken care of that problem.

Camp NaNoWriMo

Some of my newer readers might not know this, but in November of last year I took part in the NaNoWriMo challenge... and failed. At least, according to them. My word counter showed that I was well over 50,000 words, but theirs however, did not. Which sadly, left me without a shiny badge of completion. Not that I'm complaining or anything...

Sorry, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Allow me to explain. NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month, which takes place in November. The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel in just thirty days. And let me to tell you, it is quite the challenge. Especially for someone as concise as myself. But, I wanted to try it. I thought it would shake up my writing routine and challenge me to just free flow write. It sounded like a great opportunity to shut off my inner critic and write like a fiend for thirty days.

And it was! Despite the difficulty, I loved it! As it turns out, having an online display of my word count is a powerful motivator. There was something so utterly divine about logging on and updating that number. Ah, the delicious feeling of accomplishment. Of course, it's also incredibly high stress (especially if you already have a full time job). Did I always handle it like a champ? No. (Let's just say there was a lot of complaining. To my husband, my family, this blog and anyone else that would listen). But would I do it again? Absolutely! And guess what? I am!

That's right! I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo! This is the first time they're doing it in the summer, and they're doing it in both June and August. So, if you can't make it this time, you can always do it in August. I'm so excited about this round. I think I really have a chance of completing it this time. For one thing, I have a much more solid plot idea. And now that I already know how much time and effort it entails, I'm more prepared than last time. And I swear, this time I will not complain nearly as much to you guys. I'll put it all on my husband, don't worry. (Honey, if you're reading this, I apologize profusely in advance for how bad it'll get near the end. You know what stress does to my mood).

So hopefully by the end of this month I'll have a completed rough draft of a novel, a shiny badge of honour from Camp NaNoWriMo and a husband that still loves me. (I kid! Don't worry honey, I won't get that bad... probably). What about the rest of you? Are there any other Camp NaNoWriMo contenders out there?