How To Win NaNoWriMo Even If You're Behind (Without Cheating)

Okay, for you NaNoWriMo participants out there, we’re halfway through the challenge, and I hope you’re about halfway through your novel. If you’re not quite there, it’s okay, there’s time.

That being said, Hubby threw me for a loop after the first week. I told him I was scheduled to finish about the 18th or so at the rate I was going (things have happened since) and he said “Wow, I never thought I’d be ahead of you.”

What?

Hubby doesn’t write. He started a novel about seventeen years ago with a friend, they got fifty pages in and haven’t touched it since. I’ve encouraged him, but to no avail. It’s helpful though, he knows a little something about writing so he’s supportive when I lock myself away in a typing frenzy. He’s also unusually understanding about the whole “don’t talk to me in November” thing.

Whatever, I tried to suppress the shock and vowed to be supportive of Hubby taking up the writing challenge. A few days go by and I mention my plot has strayed shockingly far from my admittedly simple outline. I told him about what I wrote so far, and he offered to let me see what he had. Hubby was surprisingly vague about his plot, but said he’d show me. Okay. If he’s good with it.

We were out at the time, but when we got home, Hubby started his computer, hesitated, and turned it around to show me his masterpiece in progress.

Now I want it known that I had no intention of critiquing it. I am the supportive wife. I’ve finished twelve novels and several short stories, this is his first so I’m all about being supportive. Okay, that was my disclaimer.

I looked at Hubby’s first paragraph and it took a moment for what I was seeing to sink in.

Have you seen that text graphic circling the web about varying sentence length? That was the first thing that crossed my mind.

Although it really didn’t apply, not really. Yes, every sentence was the same length, but it was because they were all the same sentence! That’s right, he had typed, over and over “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

He had pages of it. Apparently he’d already hit 42,000 words. Yay? We had a little chat. This is not the way to win NaNoWriMo, although I have to tip my hat to Hubby for the prank.

Hubby’s distractions aside, let’s discuss how someone could win NaNoWriMo even if they were behind at this point. Some may even be critically behind.

The easiest thing to remember is Butt In Chair, Fingers On Keyboard. Seriously. Turn off the TV, close your internet browsers. Facebook and Twitter will live without you for two weeks. I promise the world will survive if you don’t +1 a picture of a cat or like some inspirational quote. Promise.

Next, once you type it, it’s set in stone. Don’t edit anything at this point. Typo? Deal with it on December 1st. Changing the name of a character? Do it on December 1st. Just realized your main character cannot possibly have been born the year you said because that would make her 982 and the story doesn’t allow for her to be a Time Lord? What did I say? That’s right, December 1st.

Now to be fair, some may not be in a predicament because of the inability to turn off their inner editor. This “Don’t edit anything” may seem a bit harsh. Correcting a simple typo doesn’t actually take that long. True, but “not that long” multiplied by a few times/page by over 100 pages adds up. (Those of us who’ve written 25,000 words, in theory have written 100 pages, with 100 to go. If you’re behind ... you have over 100 to go. Get it?)

Big one here: outline as much as you can, as detailed as you can, as quickly as you can. Also preferably somewhere where you wouldn’t be writing anyway. I like to outline in the car when Hubby’s driving (until I threaten to get car-sick), or relaxing in a hot bath, or quietly while ‘watching’ a show with the kids when it would be too distracting to actually write. Outlining, for those who can do this, can dramatically increase your word count when you actually sit down to write in a couple of ways. First: you already know exactly what you’re going to write. There’s no ‘waiting for inspiration’ because it’s largely there on your notepad. Second: if you’re working with a basic outline and still need a little bit of inspiration, and just don’t have it on one scene, as long as you stay true to your outline, you can skip ahead to another scene and write that instead. There are no rules that say the book must be written in order. I frequently don’t write my novels from chapter one through twenty, one after the other. In fact, I’ve done it once. Outlines are wonderful, if you can use them effectively.

That being said, I recognize not everyone can. I try, I really do. I outlined this book, and I’ve deviated so far from that outline now that it was effectively a waste of time and effort. Sadly, it’s not the first time I’ve done this, and it probably won’t be the last. I recognize the value of outlines so I keep trying. Once I start writing, my characters get developed and take on a life of their own, and toss my carefully planned outline out the window. Without a safety harness. It’s cruel and painful.

Also, research later. Remember I mentioned in the weeks leading up to NaNoWriMo that I was doing my research in advance? It was because I didn’t want to take time to research while I could be writing. Plus I knew I did have to leave time for life to get in the way. Researching in advance didn’t help me. Did I do it? Yes. I researched what I would need based on the outline I constructed that ended up being tossed aside after the first week. So I’m in the same boat. No research allowed. If I come across something that I need to know, I mark it. (I use ‘@’ and a note so I can search for it later, a friend uses ** because it’s on her numberpad and she doesn’t have to shift.) Then, on December 1, you can go back, and fill in the blanks. If you absolutely need to know something for plot? Honestly? Take a guess and fix it later. Research is time consuming. I have written a chapter in less time than it’s taken to do enough research to decide on a location, or to look into the details of actual UV exposure and protection. It’s nuts.

Besides, the Internet is taboo. It’s not conducive to meeting your NaNoWriMo word count goals.

Sadly, you can’t control life. It happens. I spent the entire last week dealing with my daughter. She was sick, and we ended up taking her to the ER in the middle of the night. What’s wrong? Heaven only knows because the doctors sure don’t. The followup wasn’t any better. She’s feeling better, but it’s difficult to type when you’re holding the hand of a scared sixteen-year-old who’s hurting. (Although in truth, I will write on my phone, just not quickly.) While I’m glad she’s starting to feel better, I’m concerned they don’t know what’s wrong and she has a week’s worth of homework to make up. (She’s freaking out about missing her Latin II test and I’m wondering how I can incorporate that reaction into a novel, it’s great.) I’m happy to have my computer and Scrivener back, and tired of sitcoms. But I also went from being really ahead to behind. After a couple late-night sessions with grape Laffy Taffy, grape soda, and coffee (the latter doesn't go with the former two if you're wondering) I’m a shoulder-shrugging “Meh.” Sigh.

You can’t plan for these things. You can deal with it. How you deal with it says something about you as a writer. It says to the world how serious you are. At this point, there is time left. Focus, take a deep breath, and be a writer.

'Twas the Night Before NaNo...

Last night, at 11:55pm, I was torn. On one hand, it had been a long day. On the other, NaNoWriMo started officially in five minutes! So: go to bed or stay up and write? Choice number two: flip a coin or ask Hubby? I asked Hubby. (He was right there and I didn’t have any change.)

I explained my dilemma and he nodded, apparently giving the options the appropriate concern in his deliberation. Then he looked at the time.

“Well, it’s now 12:10, so you’re officially behind. I know how you hate that. We have enough chocolate that you could probably stay up half the night. Your grape Laffy-Taffy came too. I’ve been holding onto it for you. I forgot to get grape soda at the store, but I’m sure you could get by with Dr. Pepper, it’s how you survived in years past.”

“So you think I should stay up and write?”

“No. I’ll cut the power if you do. You’re already tired and you’ll be a ***** tomorrow if you stay up. Go to bed.”

So I went to bed and he stayed up for several more hours but still didn’t manage to get Darth Jingles to come back inside. Grrr. (Black cat outside rampaging on Halloween? Yeah, nothing to see there. Literally, she’s like a ninja.)

Then I got up this morning and knocked out 3,000 words before two things happened: First, I fell into a plot hole caused by not having finished the last book in the series before this one yet. Fine, I can fix that. Second, I discovered some research I had to do. Fine. Skip ahead. Grrr. So is this how it’s going to go? Really? Thirty days of banging my head against a wall?

I shouldn’t complain. Possible concussion aside, 3,000 words for the morning wasn’t bad. Granted I’d written all that in my head a few times this week waiting for today, but still. It should have been longer, except for that plot hole and research thing. Grrr. Thought I had that covered.

Anyway, I have the framework of a first chapter. It looks nothing like it will when I actually get around to publishing this, but every novel has to start somewhere. And because I have to skip ahead anyway, I may as well skip to something fun. I haven’t had much of an opportunity to write from Olive’s point of view before. An epilogue, that was it. Now I get to do a lot more with her. I get to be in a genie’s head instead of their master’s.

Giggle.

I wish I had a grape soda.

Writing and Research

First off, you have to research sometimes. Some things you can fake, like what happens when a vampire bites someone (let's be real, no one knows. Or they're not telling.) But if you guess and get it wrong, or at least really wrong, it annoys readers. Conversely, if you get it right, they get drawn into the story more. If it's something they know, like a place or subject, then you're more than just an author - you're a comrade. Research can pay off.

As a rule, I don’t stop writing to research something unless I absolutely can’t avoid it. I’ll mark whatever it is (maybe something like this: @look up how a broken shoulder is treated/how long to recover) and keep going. Then when I hit a point when I just need a break, or I’m done with the first draft, I’ll go back and search for all those little marks, and fill in the details.
Obviously, sometimes you run into a detail that isn’t little. You need to know a fact now because it affects too many things in the scenes to come. Those annoying tidbits, you have to stop writing to research, but there are different ways of handling the problem.

First, if I’m on a roll and my muse is on my side, I might just switch scenes and put off the research and the scenes that will result until later. I don’t want to lose momentum at that moment. If I’m writing chapter two and got stymied by a historical fact, I will take the option to jump ahead to write chapter eight that doesn’t have anything to do with said historical fact or the fallout of its revelation.

Second, in the case of a time crunch, like NaNoWriMo, I’ll try to do the same thing and approach the problem as if I’m trying to maintain momentum. It really is the same whether I’m actually feeling the blessing of the muse or not. I need to hit the wordcount goal and I will not accept a delay.
The third point is where plotters really have a huge advantage over pantsers (people who write by the seat of their pants). If you have an outlined plot, you probably know in advance where those big research points are. Do them in your down time or in advance. In the case of NaNoWriMo, do your research now.

There’s a specific bit about NaNo and research I’d like to point out: if you haven’t taken the time to actually join the NaNo community website, consider it. Yes, you can hook up with friends there and brag about wordcount, or use it to motivate yourself or others, and a lot of areas or cities have a NaNo community with write-ins and whatever. I don’t pay much attention to all of that. Okay, I do the occasional Write-in with friends to motivate them. That’s not what I want to bring your attention to here, it’s the boards. Specifically, the research board.

Everything is on the Internet, right? Finding it can be difficult, and writers know that. Also, sometimes what you need isn’t the velocity of a bullet or what gun an FBI agent who started in 1998 would carry, it’s something more personal. Like if your character carried a Smith & Wesson 9mm in a right side leather belt holster with a snap, and his right hand was smashed in a fight, how long would it take him to cross draw that weapon and fire if he were lying on the ground on his stomach? And maybe you live in a city/state/country where you can’t conduct that specific experiment yourself.

Oddly, you can get a question like that answered on the research board. Or you’re a woman writing about a female character who wakes up one morning to discover she’s now male and has to contend with ‘dangly bits.’ That came up and it was hysterical to read the descriptions and advice the men volunteered.

This is where I will be distracted in November: reading the research board on Nanowrimo.org. I’ll answer what I can, ask Hubby or other professionals I know if someone’s question isn’t being answered, and read things that look interesting. Part of it is that knowledge is valuable. Part of it is that the people answering these insane questions are writers, and the way they respond is often times just fantastic. The various question sites on the web aren’t nearly as much fun.

Two Weeks to NaNo - What I'm Doing Now

I've gone on a writing hiatus while I decide what my NaNo novel will be. I've gone through files of the more developed ideas I've collected (I have a ton of short text message story ideas that, but I've left those alone for now in favor of concepts I at least spent a few minutes to jot some notes down on.) Narrowing it down helps, but now I have to decide not only what inspires me, but what I'll actually stick with.

More than once in the passion of NaNo, I've started a novel, got ten thousand words in, changed my mind, and started over on something else. When I've been part of a writing group, I drove them nuts. I don’t mention it now so I can avoid those dirty looks. It wasn’t like I put their  word count in jeopardy, but they took it personally.

Hubby keeps giving me pointed looks and reminding me that I’m trying to finish The Thousand Words series. Um, no. I have to do something different. Something I can play with. NaNo is a time for experimenting. I’ve explained this to him. So then he goes to Plan B: hinting that I could do a first draft of the next Genie in Your Pocket novel. That would be the crossover novel. I’m mulling that over. It would be different. I wanted to avoid romances, but it’s not a typical romance, and it’s not like the other genie books. It should have much more from the genie’s point of view. Maybe. I do need to get that done, he has a point. And it’s mostly outlined.

Okay, so assuming I go with that idea (and stick with it, I’m choosing a backup as well) it helps you get your word count easier if you outline. I’ve got that mostly done, but I’ll look it over to refine and fill in anywhere I can.  This is hard for me, I’m not a plotter/outliner by nature. My writing is organic and comes to me on the fly. Since I have time now before the writing begins, I can force myself to do it.

Also, since I’ll have an outline, I’ll be able to see now what I need to research. That’s a whole other blog post. I have my spreadsheet set up for tracking wordcount, and my book bible ready for making notes on character names/features/details. I’ll make a playlist on my phone this weekend, so I’m being reminded of my book even while I’m doing dishes/taking a shower just by listening to music. Any little motivators you need, prep them now.

Prepare a practical word count goal. Officially, it’s 50,000 words in 30 days, so 1667 words/day. If you can’t write on the (5)Sundays, Thanksgiving just isn’t going to happen, and you know you won’t write on Black Friday, then subtract those days from the 30, divide 50,000 by your new number, and modify your daily wordcount goal. Don’t lie to yourself, it will cause stress later. I personally recommend padding the goal: round up. Instead of 1667 words, make your goal an even 2000. It’s easy to calculate, remember, and it will keep you ahead of the target for some unforeseen difficulty. Come to terms with your goal now, so it’s settled in your mind by November First.

Finally, make sure you warn your family and friends.  Let them know what you’re doing so they can either support you or stay out of your way. I don’t know about you, but those who interfere risk being written into my novels. And then written back out…

Something New for NaNo

It’s NaNo Time! (Nearly)

Yup, coming up on that time of year where a lot of people around the world go mildly insane trying to write 50,000 words during November. Other people sit back and watch, cheer, and jeer.

Where will I be? Historically, I write the 50,000 words by Thanksgiving and cheer everyone on. I’ve been debating the value of my continued participating in this annual event for years. In my mind, NaNoWriMo has value, but it’s to those who struggle with it. I don’t struggle with it, so why do it? I know I can write 50k in 30 days. If I push it, I can write 80k, although my family hates me for it. Does that mean I should modify my goal? Should I step aside and cheer on everyone else?

For me it comes down to the reason for doing it. I see NaNoWriMo as being for those who struggle. Namely, for the new writers. I want to encourage those who have an idea for a book, but haven’t set aside the time to get that first draft down on paper. (Figuratively speaking.) NaNo is for those writers still fighting with that first draft. Maybe it’s their first book, maybe it’s their third. It doesn’t matter. The point is, they’re struggling with it.

Critics argue Nano puts quantity of words over quality of words. Yes, it does. Sort of. Maybe. Here’s the thing on that: the goal is the word count, not the quality of the words themselves, so that criticism is true. However, experienced writers know a couple of things that those critics clearly aren’t considering:

1.   Increasing your words/hour doesn’t mean you’re writing crap. Authoress RJ Blain looked at three of her mindsets while writing, the words/hour that corresponded with each, and the quality of writing at each. Just because she writes faster sometimes doesn’t mean she writes worse. The blog post is worth a peek. I concur fully.
2.  When you’re inspired, your words/hour increases as does the quality of your writing. The experienced writers know the trick is to stay excited and/or inspired about your work. If the author is excited/inspired it shows in the writing and the reader picks up on it. A byproduct is that it gets that book written faster. At least the first draft, which is what NaNo is all about.

Don’t be concerned about quality anyway. First drafts are rough, they’re meant to be, and that’s what revisions are for. You’re supposed to put that quality concern aside for NaNoWriMo. Too many aspiring authors get caught in the editing trap: they write a first chapter, then edit it. Write a second chapter, then edit it. Then they decide the first chapter doesn’t work anymore and go back and fix it. Now the second chapter isn’t working anymore and they fix that. At this rate, they’ll never finish the book.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: when writing, the first chapter doesn’t matter. It’s a jumping off point, but it’s expendable. You may know after chapter two that chapter one needs to be fixed. Fine, but don’t fix it yet. Don’t you dare touch it until after you’ve finished the book. It’ll need to be fixed again after chapter three. And again after chapter four. And you’ll need to delete chapter one and fix chapter two after chapter seven, and so on. The point is: until you write “The End” you won’t know what really needs to be fixed in those first chapters, so there’s no point wasting your time doing it as you go.

That’s what NaNo is about: putting pressure on you in the form of a wordcount and deadline that you don’t’ have time to go back and fix things. You have to forge on. It’s brilliant, and it’s exactly what many new writers need to get that first manuscript finished.

Now, back to my dilemma: I’m not a new writer. I don’t need the wordcount/deadline pressure. I know not to edit as  go. I know how to forge on. Do I need NaNo?

Yes and No. Not really. I still do it every year, and I easily make my word count. Right now, I have a novel I’m working on to finish a series. I should finish that. I have another in extreme revisions (so extreme you really need to hear an echo when you read that). I should work on that. I have other books outlined, things I may not get to for years – except for NaNoWriMo.

This is the one month of the year I get to pretend to be a new writer again. Sort of. I still have to do my normal author-y things, but writing – for NaNo it’s always something new. A new book, a new concept, a new genre. Romance is too easy now, I can’t write that for NaNo, it’s not a challenge. I’ve done YA a couple of times (didn’t actually finish them, I may go back and do that.) I’m somewhat scary as a YA writer. I finished a zombie book (there’s a reason you haven’t seen it). Last year I wrote Rerun, my first suspense novel, and finished it up at 65k - the shortest novel I’ve ever written. This year…I’m not sure yet. Will I participate in NaNo? Probably. I’ll write something new.