I never thought I’d be writing about preparing for National Novel Writing Month, but November 2016 changed my perspective on what I had considered a ridiculous rush to write a novel in one month. How could any self-respecting author write so fast, so carelessly, so focused on the wrong dimension — the sheer number of words?
And then I tried it. I was in grief over losing someone close to me. I couldn’t work, I had had nothing but challenges with my first novel, The Renaissance Club (forthcoming January 16, 2018 from Fiery Seas Publishing), and my life felt like an ash heap. All I could do was to watch television and — write, of course. So on a reckless whim, I signed up for my first NaNoWriMo (the unpronounceable acronym for this festival of madcap fiction writing).
I had hatched an idea for a new book, conceived during happier months of that year. The next thing I knew, I was plunging into a daily goal of 1,600+ words, and friends — I’m not an outliner. I had nothing but a hook: Two half-sisters clash over inheriting a cottage on the Ligurian coast, with its resident ghost, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Thirty days later, I was downloading my certificate of completion! And popping champagne.
The goal for NaNo is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Now, that isn’t a full book length manuscript, but I didn’t care. I wanted to achieve something that mattered to me, something I could control, a happiness I could give myself, without the permission of an editor or agent, without anyone telling me not to do it. I kept my head down and wrote every morning.
NaNoWriMo for Pantsers
If you’re an outline-averse writer like me, the idea of entering a force writing march with a precise outline of who, what, when, where, why feels like closing the door to inspiration. Charts like that shoo away any muse I have wooed close. So what can I use as a guide, other than my vague idea that my sisters would be like those in Sense and Sensibility (did I mention that I have two complete sets of Jane Austen novels, one for upstairs, and one for downstairs?).
Here’s what I did, sans outline, sans character and scene cards, sans any clear idea of how to cut my path through the forest. I signed up on NaNo and found my thermometer of daily word counts. And I soon discovered that I love a race with myself! I loved writing wildly and without knowing where the words and characters were taking me. I loved exceeding my daily goal. And when I couldn’t, I loved cheating. I’d grab research notes about the Ligurian coast and dump them in as placeholders for scenes. And add them to the count. I’ve always been a happy rebel.
Preparing for National Novel Writing Month as a Free-writer
If you’re a writer who believes in letting the characters and situation take you where they will, never planning too much where they’ll end up, preparing for National Novel Writing Month can seem hopeless. But it’s for us too! Here are some of my writing tips for NaNo prep:
- Set a daily writing schedule. For me, it’s first thing in the morning. This year, instead of 50K words, I set my goal as 2 hours of daily writing.
- Write your hook (also known as short pitch). Yes, I know that’s the hard part, but if you can write a good one, it will carry you.
- Write one character’s problem and goal a day. Include that in your word count.
- Research your setting and count the notes in your daily word count. Place it somewhere in your manuscript, or if you keep a manuscript in chapter files, make a file for research notes. Every time you add to that, count it in your word count.
- Then begin at the beginning and write as far as you can in 30 days.
- If you’re like me, you’ll begin obsessively checking your word count and pushing yourself farther at the end of the day if you’re not quite there.
If you do those things during the month of November, I guarantee you’ll be a long way toward having a full novel drafted. And while 50,000 words isn’t a full novel, it could be a long novella. Or it could be a fantastic start on finishing your next book. And don’t forget to get some swag!
I’m using this November to do my first revision on last November’s book, which has been completely drafted. Two chapters a day (I write short ones), plus a few days to go over the opening and closing chapters again, and I should have finished revising my next book, The Romantics.
If you jump into NaNo, good luck! What do you think of writing schedules and disciplines? What are yours, if you work that way? I would love to hear your ideas.