FRIDAY!!

I am so glad it's Friday. I'm going to sit down and work on my NaNoWriMo book as much as possible, even if I should be helping the kids clean the house. How much progress can I make in one writing-mad weekend?

NaNoWriMo Tip #3

Are you obsessing about word count? I have been. So here is a tip to help you avoid that trap:

Write by hand!

The process of writing by hand, for me, has been so freeing. I can focus on what I'm writing and not have to worry about saving the file or checking how close I am to my word count goal. I can curl up on the couch or in the bed and not have to worry about the laptop battery. I can leave the family computer open for other members of the family! I can stick my novel-in-progress in my purse and have it handy wherever I go. And then, when I get to a good stopping point and I've filled a few pages, I can type it all in to my word document and see how much progress I've made. Try it. It may do wonders for you too!

BONUS NaNoWriMo Tip

The crock pot is the NaNoWriMo writer's friend! Set it all up in the morning and when you come home from work in the afternoon, you can spend your cooking time working on your book.

NaNoWriMo Tip #2

All writers come to a point in their stories where the words just aren't coming. Normally you can walk away for an hour, a day, or a week until the words come back to you. You don't have that luxury during NaNoWriMo. So what do you do?

Paraphrase. Summarize. Make a list. When you get to that point in your story, the most important thing is to get the basic ideas down, whether it be a specific scene, an entire chapter, or speculative jottings about a character's motives. Yes, this will mean telling, not showing, but will also keep your word count building during the times when your story doesn't want to move forward. Eventually you will get back into your groove and your story will begin to flow again.

NaNoWriMo Tip #1

When you are furiously writing during NaNoWriMo (or any time, really), keep a notebook nearby in which you can jot down little tid-bits that occur to you as you type. It may be a bit of backstory, something about a character, a revelation about some layer of plot, or a sudden image of a place in your story yet to be visited--anything! It is also handy when you need to make notes of things that you may need to research further. You'll be glad to have your notes to refer back to when you're ready to revise.

It begins!

Finally, NaNoWriMo is here! I spent all day yesterday running around with my family and thinking, "I gotta get home and start writing!"

Actually, it was a gorgeous fall day and I had a beautiful Sunday with my family. But once I got home, I was ready to begin. I didn't get as much writing time as I would have liked, but I got a decent start on my novel. 1043 words.

I hope to get to 3000 by bed time tonight!