Pen at the ready. And... GO! (Annastan)
Congratulations! You’ve decided to take on the challenge of
NaNoWriMo, good for you! Right now, you’re probably either deciding which
outline to use or you forgot that you agreed to participate in NaNo and are now
running around the room flipping furniture over to find a pen and some paper.
If you’re in the latter category, go ahead and take care of
that first. I can wait.
All better? Good. I am here today to offer you a point of
view that worked for me for generating ideas and what goals I set for myself
that you could use over November’s long stretch. I offer the disclaimer that my
results are not typical and you may not see the same results doing anything I
am about to offer.
Your goals should be:
· 1. Finish with more than the average word count a
day (1667 words)
o
This gives you a sense of accomplishment and
will also shave days off your projected finish date.
o
You will feel better when you take a break from
it knowing you did more
o
The opposite sex adores an overachiever*
· 2. Write in the morning and at night, at least 1000
words for each
o
Musashi said it best, “Any man who wants to master the essence of my strategy must research
diligently, training morning and evening. Thus can he polish his skill, become
free from self, and realize extraordinary ability. He will come to possess
miraculous power.”**
o
Do you really want to argue with a man who
wielded two katana? No.
· 3. Take a break, use a timer
o
Not only will a timer give you a reference on
your patterns and behavior, but you can use the timer intervals to reward yourself.
o
In three hours I can write 2000 words with five
minute breaks between segments, which means 500 words in 25 minutes. Use a
mental rabbit to keep pace. See if you can do more.
o
Use your five minute breaks to move. Stretch. Walk.
Pace. Do not stay at your computer.
· 4. Take a break, stop Tweeting/Facebooking/YouTubing
o
Yes, unless you have mastered the skill of
“wording” well, you will fall behind with distractions. Use social media as a
reward as well. Tell us about your word count after you have finished your goal
for the morning or the day.
5. Idea Generation should be:
·
Listen to your characters
o
I have no idea generation tips that override
this one. I could say read newspapers, cuddle a puppy, eat chocolate ice cream
until you puke, whatever. You have a character speaking to you in your head. They
want to tell you their story. Let them. Sure, you might seem crazy, but writing
is crazy and it’s filled with crazies like me. Some of us even give you sparkly
balloons and pre-licked churros for your efforts.***
With these steps in mind along with your soul and body
centered, you will carve your way past this obstacle and make everyone proud
you took the NaNo challenge. Remember, even if you don’t complete the 50,000
words, you made the attempt and it will propel you to better things later in
your writing life.
*- The opposite sex does not always
appreciate an overachiever.
**- Quote provided by MiyamotoMusashi.com.
If you’ve never read the Book of Five Rings and you are a writer, do so now. Translate
the fighting techniques to writing techniques. It will make sense.
***- The pre-licked churros are a
myth. This was a clandestine, black budget, covert-ops shout out to a fellow
writer. The sparkly balloons are not a myth. Told you we are crazy.
Do YOU have a checklist for November? What helps you go through the madness?
Leif G.S.
Notae (also known as LeiffyV and @Vignirsson) is a hobby writer of short stories, flash
and micro fiction along with dark poetry. He has self-published three novelette ebooks, "Wasteland
Ghost",”Lost Hope” and “The Wicked
Cat: Voyage (First Arc)” all in September 2011. He was published in Six Minute Magazine under his real name as
well as local magazines and newspapers in the Santa Cruz
area. He maintains daily entries in
his blog while working with green technology in the county.
