Nanowrimo 2014

You have 30 days to pump out 50,000 words. Go!

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     Thankfully the truth about Nanowrimo isn’t so terrifying. When participating there are some general guidelines to follow that help accomplishing the 50,000 word goal so much more attainable.
     General guidelines include:

          --1--Before November begins = novel planning time. Use this time to get your idea, characters, and world sketched out. There are some methods available out in the web that can help you. My favorite is the Snowflake method. (Snowflake Method)I also try to know all the details possible about my characters. Jody Hedlund provides great advice about developing characters here: (Jody Hedlund Character Chart)

          --2--You’re not allowed to actually begin writing bits of the story before November 1st. If you do, then it can’t technically count towards your goal. (but it can count to personal goals!) 

          --3--The Nanowrimo webpage has loads of useful bits of information, communities, forums, etc. for your use. The website is a valuable asset. Use it to it’s full potential!

          --4--Find writing partners through Nanowrimo webpage or among those you already know. It’s easier to accomplish your goals if you’re not the only one working towards it. Chat through problems in your writing, have word count races, or get inspiration from each other. 

          --5--Turn off your inner editor unless it helps you produce more words. Your goal is to produce writing, not squabble about wording. Don’t delete anything! If you do you’re working against yourself and the goal of participating in Nanowrimo. (Which is to write 50,000 words.) You won’t get there if you’re always cutting out words or scenes along the way instead of actually writing new materials.

     Bernard Cornwell said that story is the most important thing to a novel. I completely agree. Get your story written. You can always add or cut or change things later. Write until your story, the purpose of your writing, is finished and then you can fill it out later on.
My friend Sarah and I are participating in Nanowrimo this year. We’ve tried writing a few times before and have reached various levels of completeness. We’ve created a system where we’ll have Skype chats on the weekends to help trouble shoot and during the week we’ll have a couple 10 minute talks for encouragement/ word count exchanges. I really hope that we can all reach our word count goals! Have you ever tried doing Nanowrimo? Any methods you like using?