Category: NaNoWriMo

My last several posts have all been leading to this day, when the 2014 National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) officially kicks off.  For the next 30 days, approximately 500,000 participants from around the globe will be striving to accomplish the same thing: To write 50,000 words of a book before the stroke of midnight on November 30th.  That’s 1,666.6 words each day. We’ll be cheering each other on in local “Write-ins” around the country and world; we will be helping and commiserating online through the NaNoWriMo website and its forums; and we will be updating our daily word counts through their website as we each try to complete this amazing accomplishment.

For each “book” that you submit to NaNoWriMo (although it’s not really a book yet, since you haven’t written it — it’s a book idea), NaNoWriMo provides you with a “Stat” page on its website. Right now, before I’ve written a word, it looks like this:

As you update your daily word counts, the table on the left will recalculate your averages while the line and bar graphs on the right will (I’m assuming) show you where you (and perhaps your local community) are compared with other NaNoWriMo participants.

Okay, it’s time to start writing. Each day I will post my own personal table stats as they are updated, so right now it looks like this:

Tomorrow I’ll update with new stats, along with my daily “Mentor” postings for other WriMos.

Happy Halloween.

Tonight at midnight marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month, when approximately half a million people from around the world will attempt to compose 50,000 words of their books before the end of November. I am joining them, as I write my dark comedy/thriller, Idle Hands.

And today I’m going to offer 3 suggestions about a way to not only survive, but thrive, as you cope with the next 30 days, which promises to tax your mind as well as your body.

TIP #1 Begin strong

And by that I mean,  take advantage of this first day, when you are going to be the most vigorous, the most pepped-up, the most anxious and excited, to tackle this adventure.  For those of you I’m “virtually” mentoring through the NaNoWriMo site on this blog, and for others who have stumbled across this blog as you prepare for this journey, here is my suggestion for day #1:  Write AT LEAST 3,200 words.

Why? Because if you begin with 3200 words on November 1, you can begin a countdown that allows you to write LESS words on each day that follows.  There is a psychological advantage to approaching each day of writing knowing that you are allowed to write fewer words than you did the day before.  So if you start with 3200 words on November 1, and write at least 3100 words on November 2, and 3000 words on November 3, and 29o0 words on November 4… and so on and so forth… you can “reward” yourself each day by writing 100 words fewer than the day before, and cross the finish line on November 30th with the word count total you seek.  Are you allowed to write more each day? Of course, and you should! There’s nothing wrong with crossing the 50,000 word finish line early. In fact, NaNoWriMo allows you to “declare” your 50,000 word count and begin the confirmation process as early as November 20th.

TIP #2 Write every day

When you are feeling inspired and motivated, it’s “easy” to write.  It’s more difficult when you approach your keyboard with trepidation or even fear.  But my suggestion is to combat that fear or trepidation head-on and be sure to write AT LEAST 1000 words EACH AND EVERY DAY, even if you really, really don’t want to.

Why?  Because skipping even one day puts you in a hole.  On the next day, not only do you have to write THAT day’s word count, but yesterday’s, as well.  It’s easy to see how completely skipping even ONE day can start to build an astronomical hole from which you cannot escape.  Don’t fall into that hole.  Write at least 1,000 words each and every day (unless, of course, you’re religiously following my advice in TIP #1 above and have earned the right to write less in the latter half of the month due to your impressive diligence in the first half).    Some days you might write 2,000, and some days, hopefully, even more.  But there may come a day or two in the course of the next 30 days when you absolutely, positively, don’t want to write one single word.  And on THOSE days,  be sure to write anyway.  You don’t want to find yourself too far “behind.” It’s very, VERY, difficult to catch up.

TIP #3 Write a treatment for your whole book on November 1

Since Day 1 is the day I have taxed you with writing at least 3200 words (of course MORE would be better!), and since Day 1 is the day you should feel the MOST inspired, and the most excited, Day 1 is the day to take advantage of your reckless muse and push “her” for all she’s worth.  Leverage this by writing a treatment or short story, that condenses your entire book into 3500-5000 words.

Why? By doing this, not only do you get all the important elements on paper (you know, the beginning, the middle, and the end), but you make your entire book seem more “real” since it is written down.  You suddenly have a beginning, a middle, and an ending, and, more importantly, you’ve harnessed your muse to bust through the 3,000-5,000 word count barrier in a single day, which gives you some latitude for the rest of the month.  And, with your whole book condensed into a short story, you have an outline for the rest of the month…

Start your engines everyone.  National Novel Writing Month is almost under way!

The last and final Participation Badge for 2014 NaNoWriMo is the “Donation Badge” and in order to earn it you need to make a charitable donation to NaNoWriMo, which is a worthwhile cause.  According to the NaNoWriMo website…

…when you donate to National Novel Writing Month, you help bring free creative writing programs to nearly 500,000 kids and adults in approximately 200 countries, 2,000 classrooms, 650 libraries, and 600 NaNoWriMo regions every year.

You not only support people’s novel writing dreams, you help transform people into creators who see new possibilities in the world—and act on them. You spark a creative revolution.

“Storytelling is a powerful act. Stories have the mysterious power to widen hearts and change minds. The psyche is never quite the same after receiving a story,” says author Mitali Perkins in NaNo’s 2013 Annual Report.

Your donation spawns NaNoWriMo’s unique brand of transformative magic.

NaNoWriMo relies on individual donations to pay for things such as web hosting costs, pep talks, Come Write In resources, and classroom kits to help turn people into writing wizards.

Nearly half of our income comes from individual donations. We need to raise approximately $1.3 million in 2014 to put on NaNoWriMo and our other programs. Please donate and help us today.

On October 20th, NaNoWriMo had secured $581,736 in donations.  A week later they had $615, 215.  So leading into November 1, they earned $33,479 in one week. I wonder if their donations speed up or slow down after November 1… I guess we’ll find out.  Yesterday I donated to the cause, and here’s a list of all the “stuff” I get as a result:

• The 2013 NaNoWriMo Webinar Double Pack including both donor-only webinars from earlier this year, the Book Doctors’ “Make Editing Fun: How to Enjoy Revision” and Guy Kawasaki’s “The Art of Artisanal Publishing”
• A coupon good for pie with NaNoWriMo Director of Programs Chris Angotti and Executive Director Grant Faulkner. You have to come to Berkeley to redeem it, but come on—this is good pie. Also, the coupon is fully transferable!
• An option to have your novel featured online in NaNoWriMo’s Mighty Catalyst Bookstore.
• A year-long print and digital subscription to The Sun, a unique monthly magazine of essays, interviews, short stories, poems, and photographs. Writing from The Sun has won the Pushcart Prize, been featured on National Public Radio, and appeared in Best American Essays and Best American Short Stories!
• The 2014 “Boundless Novel” poster designed by Elizabeth Doyle
• A starry “Halo for Your Wrist”!
• A “Novelist’s Little Helpers” sticker set, which includes three (3) 3” by 3” round stickers each instilled with a bit of writer-ly magic to help you reach 50K.
• Your very own magical NaNo Wizard bookmark signed with thanks by our Director of Programs Chris Angotti and Executive Director Grant Faulkner
• A donor halo on your NaNoWriMo author profile
• A listing on the NaNoWriMo Brought To You By page
• A coupon code for 30% off plus free shipping from our friends at Chronicle Books
• A coupon for a free Structure class from StoryWonk ($10 retail value)

So now that I’ve collected all the Participation Badges, it’s on to the Writing Badges, which I can start to earn starting on November 1…

MENTORSHIP ADVICE:

As a NaNoWriMo mentor, I recommend to all participants of NaNoWriMo that you spend the days leading up to November 1 earning all YOUR Participation Badges, one right after the other, as I did.  You’ll feel more committed to the cause, and that can only help as you begin taxing your mind and your fingers to churn out 50,000 words in 30 days.

Even though NaNoWriMo said they were full this year in terms of sponsors, that doesn’t mean Outskirts Press can’t offer a great promotion to WriMo’s (and everyone else, too). In fact, as discussed yesterday, this month we’re offering a FREE CUSTOM COVER for anybody who publishes their NaNoWriMo book with us, provided they begin their publishing process before Halloween and enter the promotion code when they start.  In fact, you don’t even need to participate in NaNoWriMo to take advantage of this great deal, which offers a savings of $299 (and better yet, ensures your book DOESN’T look like you cranked it out in a month!).

That made me wonder how our “unofficial” sponsorship deal at Outskirts Press compared with the “official” sponsorship deals on the NaNoWriMo page. So, let’s have a look at the top 5 (us plus the first four listed on the NaNoWriMo sponsorship page).

Writing 50,000 words in 30 days isn’t easy.  Self-publishing it should be. Have us do it for you at Outskirts Press (and get a free custom cover in the process). Click here now.

I received a clever email from NaNoWriMo (well, actually, from the point of view of my unwritten book) inviting me, on behalf of unwritten books everywhere, to write my book this November.  It suggested that Step One in preparing for National Novel Writing Month is to DECIDE to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I’ve already decided that.  Then, the email provided a link to a “Prep” page on the NaNoWriMo site which provided a series of steps leading up to November 1.  Step One is making the commitment to participate. Check.  Step Two is asking yourself whether you are a “planner” or a “pantser.”

According to NaNoWriMo, you are a “planner” if

1. You believe in rigorous preparation.

2. You’ll spend the months before November carefully fleshing out characters, building worlds, and plotting your story.

3. On November 1, you’ll have an outline—or at least lots of helpful notes.

 And, on the other hand, you are a “pantser” if

1. You believe in hardcore spontaneity.

2. You’ll spend the months before November stocking up on inspiration and mayyybe a vague idea or two (if you’re ambitious).

3. On November 1, you’ll have a blank document and your imagination.

It would be interesting to see if NaNoWriMo actually had statistics on the success rates of “planners” vs “pantsers” — in other words, which category is comprised of the most people who have successfully written 50,000 words? Perhaps my guess is based only upon the fact that I’m clearly a “Planner” but I would wager a guess that, statistically speaking, there are more “winners” in the “planner” category.  Being a planner suggests other character traits that will come in handy when trying to write 50,000 words in 30 days, namely organization, dedication, and commitment.  While the NaNoWriMo site says “We think both are equally valid” they clearly don’t, because in the very next paragraph they eschew the very essence of being a “pantser” by saying, “And even if you’re a pantser, we recommend reading through the links below… You never know what might inspire you.”  A pantser wouldn’t do that — that sounds like preparation and planning.

I have already done a lot of planning for my book, Idle Hands, and in the coming days I’ll share those plans here so those of you who are planning on joining me on this writing adventure can see what a “planner” does to prepare for NaNoWriMo.  And I’ll also continue filling out my author profile by collecting more badges…

T-Minus 10 days until NaNoWriMo kicks off….