NaNoWriMo Tips

[Jo Raskoph]

Hey everyone.

 

I'm attempting Camp NaNo this July and to overcome my almost petrifying respect of this challenge I was browsing all the ressources I could find. I have to admit, every new piece of information made me a little more apprehensive as I'm only starting to grasp the sheer enormity of this endeavor.

 

Among other things I came across this very interesting .pdf where someone has compiled all the tips they could think to fit on two sides of an A4 sheet of paper: Novel Writing CheatSheet

 

And this list of thirty people's NaNo experiences, which act as a prep talk for each day: 30 tips to writing a book in 30 days

 

Most of all I would love to hear how NaNoWriMo was for those of you who have done it before. And what advice you would give a complete NaNo newbie like me?

[Guest Rumpelstiltskin]

I might give Camp Nano a try as well!  That's an intensely impressive cheat sheet!  I really want to print out a giant version of that and paste it to my wall. 

 

Tips from my experience with NaNo: write.  Write, even if you can't think of anything to write about. Also, have a cohesive plan before going in.  It's a good idea to bring two or three plans, in case the first one fails you.  Utilizing rat races was my saving grace.  Try not to be too-nit-picky while you're writing for NaNo.  Rough drafts can be rewritten, but it's important to get the words down.  Lastly, utilize your friends and the NaNo Nest here on the site, because they will help keep your sleep-deprived brain somewhat sane.

 

^.^ Thanks for starting this thread, it's a great one -- especially with Camp NaNo just around the corner!

[Jo Raskoph]

I'm glad you like the cheatsheet - to be honest I feel a little lost looking at it but I thought I might use it as a random promps generator by pointing my finger and concentrating on whatever it it lands on...

 

Planning ahead was an important tip Mallory gave me too - I'm trying to get my notes in a format where I have 31 sets of detailed instructions of what I want to get written. But... I'm afraid I won't stick to them or plan wrong, or change plans. So yor advice to have a backup plan sounds very reasonable

[LooneyLizzie]

I've done NaNoWriMo once and Camp NaNo once, and I loved it both times!

 

I found that rat races don't work all that well for me, and I have a hard time writing for short periods of time multiple times a day... it's much easier for me to get in "the zone" and crank out words over the course of several hours. When I first started, I started to figure out how long it generally took me to write 1,000 words (when I'm on a good streak), which I then used to help me plan out things in my RL schedule. Knowing that it took me about two hours to crank out that many words allowed me to schedule that block of time in every day, rather than trying to squeeze in little bursts over the course of the day.

 

Of course, if you work well in little bursts, then by all means do that. The point is, make sure your RL schedule allows for the writing time. It's one thing to say that we're doing NaNo, it's another to make sure we've got the time to do it.

[Bat Stitch Crazy]

Plan! Plan! Plan!

 

You have to have a plan. Know your characters, know your plots and subplots, know the story you want to tell. If you deviate from the plan or plans change that's okay but it's easier to go in and change a plan or a characteristic than it is to jump in with no clue what you want to accomplish.

[Diogenissa]

Nano is so much of awesome!

 

One thing also for Camp, you can go in and adjust your Word Count goal (it doesn't have to be 50k like with regular Nano - hell I had to do that myself back in April when I had to trim it down to 25k b/c of RL and you can do that at any point in the month).  You can tailor it to suit your time and needs accordingly

 

One thing I do want to bring up is the dreaded inner editor - omg I can't begin to tell you how many times when I am writing during Nano that I have an itching that when something doesn't sound right to immediately go back and redo it -- like Rumpel said -- keep going and get the words DOWN and OUT!

 

The other thing I've found that's helped me (and help me that I can't remember where or who I got the tip from) is keep it all in one document -- you can always break it down into chapters later on.  I'm finding that this has helped me tremendously.

 

Lastly (and perhaps most importantly) --- HAVE FUN!!!!

[Aphoride]

NaNo! Okay, so I'm not gonna claim I'm the best at NaNo, but I've been doing it for a while, and I know which things I do are the ones which make me fail, so I guess it sort of counts as advice?

 

First thing is it's really helpful and almost necessary to be organised in real life. Of course, things might crop up unexpectedly, you can't predict everything or anticipate everything, but simply having a plan for your time outside of NaNo will help to show where and when you have time to write.

 

Write whenever you can. If you can't - your muse is gone, you're struggling with the next scene, your plan's run out - for whatever reason, then plan instead. Look over it all and tweak it a little, if needed, make sure it's what you want to do, maybe plan out the next chapter in more detail. And don't feel bad about not being able to write or not having the inspiration for it. It happens to everyone.

 

Don't forget about the other things in your life. NaNo is great fun and you'll spend so much time online, on HPFT or the Camp website or twitter or wherever, so it's important not to forget about your friends and family and people outside of that online life. It can often be really refreshing and freeing to go outside and avoid thinking about or worrying about NaNo, and who knows - inspiration can be everywhere, right?

 

Definitely seconding what everyone else said about the inner editor. Mistakes can be fixed, betas can be acquired, errors can be sorted - it's all good

 

As well, I think one of the most important things is to find a way of doing NaNo which works for you. Some people are night owls and stay up late writing, and then sleep in or nap during the day to make up for it; some people take notebooks and pens everywhere they go to write on the sly; some people do nearly all of their writing on the weekends because of work or school; some people plan every detail of their story out whereas for others that doesn't help so much. Take the first few days or so to experiment, see what helps you and what doesn't, and keep the bits which do. Once you get into some kind of rhythm or way of doing it, whatever that is, it'll become that much easier

[Selene]

-Write.  Write every day.  Write even if you think you'll cut that bit.  Silly or serious, makes sense or no sense.  Write everything.

 

-Have a plan.  It doesn't have to be in depth and planned to the detail.  It can be Character is traveling to wedding and shenanigans ensue in route, resulting in arriving at alter dressed like Mickey Mouse.

 

-VIVA LA RAT RACES

 

-Have a support/buddy system.  People you can vent to, bounce ideas off, cheer, etc.  I've made lovely friends during NaNo seasons.

 

-Set time aside during the day.  We're all busy with lives and schedules.  Set aside a chunk of your day that is writing time.  That doesn't have to be the only writing time of your day though!

 

-Reward system.  This helps me.  I get little treats that I earn when I hit a target goal, be it a word count or a certain amount of chapters.

 

-Take time away from writing.  Go outside and get some sunshine.  Curl up with some tea.  Don't worry about walking away and taking a break.

 

-Get some music going, if you like the noise.  Music can help set a scene or get you in the mood to hammer out those words.  Try and get your playlists ready before the starting line though, or you'll spend more time looking for THE song than writing.

[Bat Stitch Crazy]

Remember this is supposed to be fun. Don't stress if you don't meet your word count goal or write daily

[Stella Blue]

if anyone struggles with how to stay focused and not get distracted while writing, this may help: Recently I downloaded this app thing on my computer that sets 25 minute timers - and it ticks while it's counting down. I actually find that really useful because if I'm about to watch a cat video/get distracted in any other way, the ticking reminds me to not do that - it's always in the back of my mind that I'm on a timer. I also work really well with some sort of white noise like that going on (can't work in silence at all.) So far it's been really helpful in getting me to focus.

 

it's called Tomighty if anyone else is interested.

[mydearfoxy]

Thank goodness for NaNo tips!

 

First of all, if you haven't yet done so, put yourself up for adoption, and then "pester" your NaNo parent(s) as much as you want! They like it. I promise.

 

This may be obvious, but you really must have daily word count goals! Of course, the easiest way is simply to divide your goal by 30 (31?), but I love this website for making a more personalized plan: https://pacemaker.press/plans/create/new

It lets you set a pace and specify when you want to write more or less during the month. Very cool!

 

Another online resource (someone on HPFF told me about this but I can't remember who) is this free app called SelfControl that locks you out of distracting websites. Sadly it's only for Mac, but there might be similar programs for other computers. https://selfcontrolapp.com/

 

SCRIVENER. Yes, it IS worth it. 

 

Similar to what Aph said, I think the other really essential thing is to get your world as calm as you can prior to NaNo. For example, I always try to have my apartment clean, my laundry done, and my fridge full when NaNo begins. Also, since dirty dishes are my personal ultimate foe, I buy paper plates during NaNo for desperate moments. (I know, I know, I am a terrible environmentalist.  :-[ )

[scooterbug8515]

It has been a while since this thread has seen some love but I thought I'd help to dust it off as Nano is just around the corner.  There is a load of great advice here such as having fun and write every day.  Other pieces of advice only apply if you are that kind of writer such as 'plan'.  Far be it for me to knock it because I'm not.  Some people that is the key to Nano, plan, plan, plan and then do an outline.  But that is that is the kind of writer you are.  I know a large number of people who have succeeded in Nano who are pantser.  I am a pantser.  I typically get an idea of what I want to write close to November.  I will have nothing much more than the start of the story a plot point midway in and the end of the story.  Sometimes I have nothing more than a generic idea. 

 

Every November that I've actively participated in I have won, but I don't think all of it is based on skill, determination or a plan or lack of a plan.  I think for me it is the community.  I have tried camp many times and have failed every time.  The difference is the community.  In November, I am surrounded by people with the same goal as me and these people help to encourage and push me to win.  Camp everyone has their own goal and there are fewer people working and encouraging. So my advice is community.  Surround yourself with support and get invested in the project with people and success will be all the easier versus going it alone.  There are a lot of people I know who have lived and died in Nano based on the community or lack there of.

[Rhaenyra]

Get ahead on Day 1.  This will be my 10th NaNo and I have a tradition of doing what I have dubbed "5k first day" every year.  One year I didn't start until 2pm and didn't think I'd make it, but I did.  The momentum of week one should be used whenever possible.

Write every day.  If you go one that's one thing, but two or more?  That's harder to come back from.  Momentum really is key.

As Chris Baty says: lower your expectations from best seller to would not make somebody vomit.

Don't delete.  If you want to redo a scene, you can change text colour to white but don't delete.  This doesn't mean don't edit typos - that would drive me insane - but don't delete paragraphs at a time.

I agree with @scooterbug8515 that the community aspect in NaNo really is key.  It is very different in November than it is during Camp.  Make the most of the forums and people cheering you on, whether that be on Twitter or by buddies.  People in-person at write-ins are also great.

Word crawls are amazing.  You get tons of words in, but they tend to be broken into reasonable chunks.  I only really got into them the last couple years and they do help.

This is also important: no excuses.  You can be busy, but that doesn't mean you can't do NaNo if you make time for it.  Another Baty-ism: when you have 99 things to do in a day it's easy to make room for one more, but when you have nothing it can be rough to get out of bed and shower by two in the afternoon.  I've found this to be true.  I've done NaNo in a bunch of situations in my life (my first year was my last year of high school, university, a month of unemployment, and an adult job).   Being busy helps.   I'm too competitive to let myself fail, especially when competing with people I know who have similar word count goals and speeds.

Week 2 blues are a thing.  As in, the NaNo book and forums both recognize the week 2 slump after the impressive week 1 go.  Push past them.

I am a big time NaNo advocate of NaNo.  I have nine consecutive wins under my belt, so if anybody wants a "been there, done that" experienced buddy or assurance that they can do it I am happy to keep in contact during November!

[Slytherinchica08]

I am a big fan of NaNoWriMo and while I have yet to win the 50k in 30 days, I always find myself a winner at the end of the month as I have written something. For me, I think thats huge. Don't stress it so much that every day you worry about the amount of words that you are behind, instead, celebrate the words that you have already written. I know that sometimes it can be hard to celebrate your own successes when you see that so and so has already written 20k words and you are still only on the first 5k. Try your best not to be jealous of where that person is at because for me that is a sure fire way to make sure that it becomes harder to write even one more word because what's the point when I'm so far behind. 

Take things at your own pace. If you only have one hour each day to write then use that to the best of your ability. Know what works for you and what doesn't. Are you able to come onto a busy and hyped up site and set up rat races or will the hype and conversations distract you during your small window that you can write. It's not a bad thing if you are unable to come on some days because you know that all it will do is distract you and suddenly you are looking at cute cats (or in @Selene's case giraffes). 

I also find setting up goals and rewards for making those goals really helpful. Set aside things at the beginning of the month that you find very rewarding. This could be things like money to go to Starbucks/Caribou/your local coffee shop, your favorite kind of tea/candy/pop. These things can be very helpful to keep you going even if you are unsure where exactly it is you are going. The rewards don't have to just be edibles but other items as well maybe you decide you can read a chapter or two of the amazing fanfiction or book that just came out. Or a pack of brand new pens and notebooks. Really whatever motivates you works here. Just make sure you have enough strength to resist these items if you have yet to reach your goal. 

Also plan ahead for your month. Do you know that there is for sure this one particular day you wont have any time to write? Maybe you're traveling for Thanksgiving. Maybe you have to work a double or have a really busy week at work or school. Keep a note of these days. Remember that these days are coming up and if you find yourself with some spare time in the days before it try to get a little extra writing in. Something you can do to help on these days (if you are the cooker in the house) is to plan out your meals before the month. You know that your time on day three is going to be extremely busy so on that day maybe plan for pizza or a slow cooker meal. This way the time that you would have spent making that meal can now be spent guiltlessly writing and clean up can be easy too. If you've got littles that you can pass that chore off to that's great. If not, it's time to break out the good china, you know the one I'm talking about, the kind that is paper or plastic. And if you're feeling really fancy it even comes patterned. Yep that's my favorite kind of china to use. Everything just goes right into the garbage when I'm done eating. 

Friends are a great resource to have during this time as well. We are here to love you and support you during this crazy hectic month. Maybe you need a rat race or two to get you back on your feet. Or maybe you just need an email or gif sent your way. Your friends are here for you. I definitely recommend signing up to be adopted by our loonies for NaNo and I also strongly recommend adopting some loonies. We need all the love and support we can get and this is a fantastic way to get to know some of the amazing people we have to offer on this site. I've made new friends by adopting loonies and have loved every minute of it. You can bet that my name will be on that list come sign ups, both to adopt and to be adopted. 

I also like to carry a notebook and pen with me during this time of year (and really every time of the year) so that when those pesky plot ideas sneak up on you, you have a place to capture them. There is nothing worse than being at work and suddenly an idea floats in your mind that would be just perfect for the next chapter of your story and not having a way to write it down. So as soon as you have the next moment that you can write something down you've got it right there and wont have to wish that you brought something with you. 

[victoria_anne]

I couldn't imagine a NaNo without this progress calendar (12+) It allows you to cross off ever 250 words, so it feels like tiny victories that are easy to reach.