(Article first appeared today in Writing.com’s Drama Newsletter, of which I am a contributing editor.)
NaNoWriMo will come to a close tonight for another year. Though I won't have a badge to display, saying I "won" by reaching the contest benchmark of 50,000 words in the month of November, I DO have a 25,000-word start to a brand-new novel that I'm very excited about. What's more important, I learned a lot about penning a first draft by taking part during the NaNo insanity.
NaNo is good for a writer like me. Typically, I brood over and revise each sentence before moving on to the next. My over-enthusiastic inner editor would argue that that approach is fine. And I tend to agree, when we're talking about writing short fiction. But when staring down the dark tunnel of novel writing, when only a pinprick of light is visible at its end, I'm the first to recognize that my painstaking approach to writing won't work. NaNo promotes writing fast drafts that force your focus forward. To win NaNo, you have to embrace the absolute separation between writing and revising.
There are a couple strategies I learned during NaNo to help a writer silence her inner editor and just write -- fast and furious -- with the intention of getting the first draft, in all its messy and creative glory, down on paper. And these ideas are not necessary for barfing out a first draft in one month. I will use these strategies throughout the year, no matter how long it takes me to write a draft.
Get outside your regular writing routine. If you write at a desk, try sitting on the floor. If you have a laptop, go outdoors to a park or a coffee house - someplace where you've never written before. I usually need quiet to write, but I tried playing Christmas music softly in the background one day. It made me feel instantly happy and relaxed, and I eked out an extra 700 words during that writing session.
Have your writing totem with you for every writing session. A writing toten is an object which inspires you or imbues you with inspired energy. It can be a figurine, a stuffed animal, a hat you wear, a picture or photo - anything! My writing totem is a small, solid brass figurine that looks a lot like Pumba from The Lion King. I bought him at a copper and brass artisan shop in France about ten years ago. It just looks happy and reminds me of good times. "Pumba" is small enough to sit on my laptop keyboard near where the top and bottom hinges together. When I feel stumped and want to stop writing, I look at him and remember my goals for the writing session. And his jolly belly and goofy stance remind me to have fun while I'm at it!
Challenge yourself to writing sprints. A writing sprint is a set short amount of time during which you refuse to let your fingers stop tapping those keys or your pen to lift from the paper. My favorite sprints are fifteen minutes long. (I find these are great practice for Leger~ 
's "15 for 15 Contest " 
) I am also a big fan of 1K-in-1Hr sprints (1000 words in an hour).
Find friends with which to stage write-ins. I did my first write-in a week and a half ago, and it was fabulous! Summer Frey lives a half hour from my house, and we get together every few weeks to hang out and talk writing-and-blogging shop. Since we were both doing NaNo this year, we decided to meet in a funky local coffee house for a five-hour write-in. We'd wish each other luck and hit the keys, for a while. At some point, one of us would need another cup of coffee or a bathroom break, and we'd stop for ten or fifteen minutes. We tweeted from our couches and updated our Facebook statuses, and laughed a lot. And I wrote 5000 words that day. 5000!
My inner editor feels like she's back from the spa, relaxed and muscle-knot-free. I may not have won NaNoWriMo, but the benefits I reaped from playing along this November made every minute of the crazy chaos worth it. I'll use these and other strategies while I finish my WiP, and for future drafts too.
What's your favorite strategy for powering through the first draft? Maybe you wear a certain shirt or pair of socks? Do you dangle reward-carrots in front of yourself for motivation? Something else?
10 comments:
Ooo, I like the idea of a writing totem. I might have to find one.
I've learned that if I know what I'm writing (i.e. plotted out in my head and/or on paper), then I write the scene much faster than if I have to think what comes next.
Congrats, Nicole! It's always satisfying having a novel begun, and being 25,000 words in is awesome.
I don't have a writing totem. I need to consider choosing something!
Inspiration is so important for me, especially musical inspiration. :)
To me the most important thing is that for one month, you gave yourself the opportunity to concentrate on your writing. It is sometimes so easy to let other things come it the way. You gave it the priority it deserves this month.
The most words I had after Nano was 35K. But like you, it's so exciting to have a starting point!
A great start on a new novel is a big deal, 50,000 words or not!
I just told myself 1700 words a night. Just do it. And last year, I finished three days early.
I set rewards for myself for some days this month when I really felt like I couldn't write--usually in the form of more Internet time later. :P
I love your writing totem! Pumba is so cute. :) I'll have to see if I can find one for my own writing . . .
I think just pushing yourself during NaNoWriMo is a huge success! It's my favorite time to spread my wings and just fly!
I used to fly by the seat of my pants on a first draft. This round I plot for weeks, then write chapter by chapter. Both are beneficial, just depends on the mood. When in doubt, I grab candy.
YA Tournament of Heroines: Hermione is my Heroine... Care to join?
I'm glad you considered NaNo a positive experience despite coming up short. I believe that's what is most important. My writing totem is this one particular hat I wear, but I turn it around backwards when I sit down to write. The family knows that if my hat is turned around I'm in writing mode and they do their best to give me privacy. :)
@DL Hammons ~ I like your hat backwards approach! I've considered setting mines in front of my office door to keep the pests away while I'm 'writing here'.
"Mom, can I eat that thing in the fridge?"
"I don't know. Does it have hair growing out of it?"
"Mom, can I go to this thing? Btw, I need a ride, and we need to pick up Thing One and Thing Two on our way."
"No. Yes. Maybe. Ask your pop!"
This is Life. Grand, I tell ya. I need a totem to help me focus. Perhaps a pair of headphones (ear plugs haven't worked). Perhaps with a sign on the back that says, "Speak to, Use Sign Language in front of, or Touch and you will get no dinner."
A Totem. Maybe I'll write a Post! Maybe we should have a 'Deja Vu Post About Your Totem Day'.
Post a Comment