In this Issue:
NaNoWriMo - a tip a day (Part 1 of 2)
NanoWriMo - A Writing Tip Every Day…
So NaNoWriMo — the annual ‘competition’ in which writers all over the world try to write 50k words of a draft during the month of November — is over, and if you took part this year I hope you achieved what you wanted to and had some fun along the way.
I don’t do NaNoWriMo myself, but I did decide to share a few writing tips (on Twitter) during November, in the hope that it might help those who were. I thought I’d collate them here, too….
1. It's never a bad idea to listen to advice. Other people may have tips that are invaluable. But you must learn to discard at least as much advice as you take. There is no 'right way' to write fiction, there is only the way that works for you, right now.
2. Some stories are character driven, some are driven more by plot. But at the heart of all stories is desire. Someone wants something. Can you say what your character(s) want? What will make them feel whole?
3. Don't wait until everything feels perfect before you start the day's writing. Sometimes, even if you're just not feeling it, you have to sit yourself in the chair and get it done.
4. A daily word target can be important, but don't beat yourself up if you don't hit it, and more importantly, don't forget that a lot of the work happens away from the page. I write about this more here.
5. Your writing brain and your editing brain are different, they work independently. Trying to edit whilst writing is like driving with the accelerator and the brake both engaged. Find a way to disengage the editing brain while you're writing. Writing longhand can be good for this. Or use an app or device that makes editing more difficult (e.g. @getfreewrite or 'Write or Die' ). I like to make the font huge on my screen, so I can only see a word or two at any one time. Experiment. Whatever works for you.
6. The first page or two of your book might ultimately be the most important, but don't spend ages getting them right before you move on. Endlessly editing the first chapter will get you nowhere if the rest of the book remains unwritten. Get it all down, then polish the first few chapters to your heart's content.
7. "Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in. Go a little out of your depth, and when you don't feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about in the right place to do something exciting.” (David Bowie)