6 Tools To Survive NaNoWriMo

Well, I’ve done it again. I’ve decided to drag myself through another virtual writing boot camp. I signed up for National Novel Writing Month’s summer program, Camp NaNoWriMo, which takes place in both June and August. The objective is the same as November—write 50,000 new words of fiction in only one month. 

I don’t feel anywhere near the amount of anxiety as I did in November. I survived this experience once and I know I will again. In fact, I don’t even plan to “win” this time around. My objective is using this program as a tool to complete the shitty first draft of my novel. By September 1st, I will possess a complete novel with a beginning, middle, and end that I can edit and rewrite into something publishable. I am EXCITED!

The following is a list of strategies that helped me to survive National Novel Writing Month and complete over 50,000 new words in only 30 days. Feel free to follow them or disregard them as your needs desire.  There is no one-size-fits-all plan for life or for creativity. I can only share with you the wisdom that I gained through my November experience. You’ve probably heard some of these principals before, as I used wisdom from other writers and resources to get me through it all. Also, I left out the obvious tips like turning off your phone and staying off the internet unless for research. 

NOTE: These exact principals can also be applied to writing any first draft or any other project where creating a high word count in a short period is your objective.
 

Six Simple Survival Strategies

1)   Take Notes:  Keep a small notebook with multiple writing implements or a handheld tape recorder near you at all times. You will need it to jot down or record ideas and ponderings you’ll have during the day. This is especially important to have near your bedside.  We often wake up with ideas or snippets of dreams that inform our story. These are gifts from our subconscious. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth by letting these epiphanies slip away unremembered. I especially like the tape recorder for this as I find myself far too groggy to use a paper and pen when I first awaken.

2)   Stay Flexibile:  Having your novel mapped out step by step, chapter by chapter, scene by scene, sounds like a thorough approach. However, you will likely find yourself forcing plot points and character development rather than events happening organically by the logic of the fictional universe you’ve created. To put it simply, have a plan, but also be open to inspiration.

3)   Ritualize Writing Time:  Just as your bed should only be used for sleep and sex, do your best to write at the same time and same place daily. This will allow your mind to relax into creative mode more easily and soften the transition from your every day life to your creative life.

4)   Avoid Over Thinking:  Be completely right (write!)-brained as you move through the creative process. Do not be analytical or critical of the work you are producing.  Do not allow censorship or judgment in your writing space. Save that mindset for the rewriting process. Go with the flow even (especially) if it feels uncomfortable.

5)   Ponder Your Story:  Were it a perfect world, we could sit in our writing space all day long and create at our leisure. In reality, we have many responsibilities. Ponder your characters and plot while you’re at your day job, cooking, cleaning house, ushering the kids around town. You’ll fuel your creative mind and keep the enthusiasm for your story on high. *Remember to keep your notebook or tape recorder from step one within reach at all times!*

6)   One Goal--Word Count:  There is only one goal for NaNoWriMo and that is to produce word count. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like what you’re doing or love it, if it sounds cliché or is vibrant and original, if its clunky or poetic, all you need to do is write, write, and write some more. I’ll say it again— do not allow judgment or censorship. Save that for the second draft.

What if I get stuck?

          It is inevitable that at some point during a month of solid writing you will get stuck.  This is where you’re on your own.  Evaluate your creative process and move forward the best you can.  Here are a few things that work for me:

1)   Ask yourself, “what happens next?”:  I learned this technique in college and it works like a charm. If you ask yourself or your characters “what happens next?” you will get an answer. It may not make a lot of sense in the moment but follow it wherever it takes you.

2)   Write with all your senses:  When you’re stuck, try to describe the scene with all of your senses. This includes not only the five physical senses, but also the nonphysical senses of emotion and intuition. It will open the story up and give it more depth.  You may stumble upon something you didn’t even know was there that might be the key to uniting the entire plot.

3)   Don’t let a good idea derail another good idea:  As I’m in the middle of the writing process, it usually happens that an epiphany or idea for my story (or in some cases an entirely different story) will suddenly pop into the forefront of my mind. I keep that handy notebook of mine right next to me so that I can record the idea for later and keep it from throwing me off the task at hand.

4)   Take a break:  Maybe you just need to get up and walk around for a second, grab a snack or drink, or even just quit for the day.

5)   Have fun:  Creating fiction is one of most rewarding and exhilarating activities that I know. I love it like I love ice cream and swimming and warm summer days and feeling my baby wriggle around in my belly. I know that if I’m stuck and it feels like work, then I should lighten up and have more fun with it.

6)  Take your characters on a road trip:  I don’t mean this literally though it may be fun to see what happens if you jam all of your characters into an RV and send them across country. What I do mean is take them out of their normal environment and put them somewhere new. This will often reveal things about them, their personality, and their relationships that you didn’t already know. You could also simply stick them in a room together and make them talk to each other. This also works quite well and is fun to do.

7)   Avoid transitions:  If your character is going from home to the library, we don’t need to see how he tied his shoes, stood at the bus stop, sat next to a smelly man on the ride over, and then walked an extra block so he could stop at the coffee shop before entering the library. Just take us there!  Leave a line of white space and pick right up at the library. If any of that transitional stuff is important (it probably isn’t) then simply work the information in while he’s at the library.

Life Goes On

You may have been wondering silently to yourself these past few months, “What has C. L. Kay been up to?” Well the short answer to this question is A LOT!

Life has a way of dictating things with it’s own logic and twists and turns. If you’re lucky, you can move fearlessly forward, swept up in its unknowable genius. You may not always end up where you thought you would but you definitely will always end up exactly where you need to be. This is the story of 2012 for me thus far.

Aside from being a few months away from a publishable draft of my book baby, The Bloodsong Swords (fingers crossed for a spring release), I’m also around five months away from bringing a flesh and blood baby into this world! Emerging into motherhood has changed just about everything from my daily routine to my frame of my mind to my thought process. Having another human being that will soon depend on me for his or her every need has underscored the necessity of finishing my book and launching my career as a fiction writer.

I’ll leave you with a wonderful quote I came across the other day that explains it all:

The Finish Line

If you have been reading this blog for any number of months then it will be no news to you that I have what I call a discipline problem. I set goals then wait until the last possible minute to achieve them. If I miss a goal, I extend the deadline. Perhaps it’s a learned behavior from my formative years as a bright student in sub par public schools. It was never necessary for me to put any major effort into the work because I could do everything it took in the last few days and come out of the challenge with top grades.

The glaring matter at hand is my goal to complete the first draft of my novel by, well, yesterday. This obviously was another instance where I put my goals to the wayside in favor of less scary and less intense activities.

Let’s face it--writing fiction is difficult.  Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or diluted. Throwing your mind, your body, your consciousness into a fictional dimension, completely immersing your thoughts and actions into an abstract reality, is completely disorienting. My experience is such, at least. Maybe it isn’t that daunting for some. Maybe those writers can easily switch their frame of being from fiction to reality with more ease than I can. If so, I applaud and admire them.  However, it takes a lot of energy and fortitude for me. 

I don’t believe in excuses, only choices. And it was my choice to be lazy with writing in January. I know that specific choice was not helpful for publishing my book. But hey, everyone needs a hiatus now and then. It’s behind me. I got it out of my system. It is time to quit my sightseeing detour and move forward down the path. The finish line is in my sights.

Why The Sacrifice Is Worth It

Writing is a solitary activity. Do it consistently and your laptop will become your best friend. You’ll clasp your notebook like a security blanket. You’ll wear black for days at the loss of your favorite pen. You’ll eat many meals out of Styrofoam containers. You’ll forget what household chores are.  And you’ll spend little to no time with the people you love.

You’ll receive angry texts, curious emails, and plenty of phone calls asking, “what’s up with you?” or “where have you been hiding?” If you’re lucky, you’ll explain that it’s nothing personal, that you've been committed to your writing goals, and your loved ones will accept that and proudly support you.  If you’re unlucky, feelings will be hurt and ties will unbind. You may even find yourself half a pint deep in a tub of ice cream asking “is all this worth it?”

The answer is incontrovertible: YES.

Everyone has dreams and desires, goals and plans, but few have the courage to restructure their lives in the profound ways necessary to achieve them. One day, with a copy of your book in hand, you’ll look around and notice those standing with you. Those loved ones believed in you, stood by you, and comforted you during your self-imposed isolation. You’ll owe them undying gratitude and be all the richer for it. 

Baggage has no place in a writer’s life besides on the page. I can no longer focus on what was. I’m taking baby steps on my path with eyes locked on the future. I’m planting seeds, making connections, and watching new life grow. I’m listening to that quiet voice deep inside me that yearns to tell stories. It grows louder with each day. I simply refuse to feel guilty about dancing to my own tune. 

I’m offering a sincere and heartfelt thank you to every single person out there that is supporting my dream. If you’re reading this, you’re definitely one of them. THANK YOU.

The Truth About Discipline

I love writing.  I truly do.  The process of creation and discovery feeds my soul.  Imagination rules my existence.  What I have a problem with, however, is discipline in my craft.  It is often a challenge for me to fit in quality writing time. 

I was always a good student in school.  I received top grades in college.  However, I did tend to procrastinate a lot on my writing assignments.  I know how to work and make the most of my time when I’m at the keyboard.  My issue isn’t that the time doesn’t exist or that I don’t desire to work.  I do fear the white page.  I do fear that the work will be horrible.  These are common writer’s issues that I’ve already learned to deal with.  So really, I’m not exactly sure what the reason is for my apprehension. 
 
I have a job four to five days per week in order pay my bills and rent, eat food and get to and from my job.  That leaves me with 48-72 hours per week that can be dedicated to my work, minus chores and of course sleep (one of my favorite activities; dreams deeply inspire and inform my work).
 
So, what is the deal?  I chalk some of it up to inexperience.  I have never worked seriously on a novel length project before (unless you count the 100+ page manuscript I worked on before studying fiction writing.  It is horribly written but conceptually golden).  It takes a lot of courage to jump into a project and make mistakes.  I have to constantly remind myself of my “shitty first drafts” mantra.  Am I simply a coward finding her courage?  Doubtful.  Otherwise, I wouldn’t be walking down this path in the first place.  Perhaps all I need is some time and consistency.  So far I have been consistent, however slow the pace may be. 

If any other writers out there have advice on how they push themselves to get their work done, I’d love to hear it. I’m always willing to learn and try new techniques.