Part one of this two-part series focused on tips you can use before NaNoWriMo begins. This part looks at what to do during NaNoWriMo to increase your odds of succeeding, though the tips work equally well for writing a first draft any time.
Write Badly
First drafts are always bad. It’s a given. We’ve all heard it, but taking that advice to heart is not easy. We all want to write well and when we don’t, it doesn’t feel good. But the point of a first draft is not to write well. It’s to get the story down on paper. Editing is what makes it look and sound good. Don’t worry about that at this point. You need to get 50k word limit. Keep writing. Badly. It’s okay. The most important thing is to get the story down on paper so you have something to edit and make pretty later.
Don’t Edit As You Go
You are going to be tempted to edit each chapter, scene, paragraph, line until it looks and sounds good. Don’t. Save all editing until the end. It will wait. The adjectives and weak nouns and verbs aren’t going anywhere. You can fix them after you get the story down. Editing is a great way to procrastinate. You can’t afford to do that during a writing challenge. Resist the temptation to do it now.
Use Placeholders
Don’t waste time trying to figure out names of characters, places, things until later. Names can take a long time and you don’t have that time during NaNoWriMo or while writing any first draft. If you don’t know a fact or bit of information, leave yourself a note to research it later. I typically add notes in the comment bar or by leaving a [NOTE TO CHANGE THIS LATER] in brackets. It’s easy to find brackets with a quick search so I can fill in missing details later. Placeholders also work for any missing detail. For example, [INSERT WORD FOR “WORSHIP OF WORDS” HERE*].
Write Wherever, Whenever
This goes back to the tip about not wasting time. Write whenever you can and wherever. If you are waiting to pick someone up, pull out your notebook and start writing. If you are riding a train to work, pull out your story. No matter where you are (lunch, in line, on hold), write. You only have one month to write 50k words. Don’t waste a minute.
Write Out of Sequence
Films shoot out of sequence. They take the story and divide it up by location and film all the scenes in one location at the same time. This saves money on set up, travel and so many other things, like permits, permissions, etc. You can use the same approach when writing a story. Say you have a scene that takes place in school and you are in your school’s cafeteria. This may be the perfect time to work on that scene. Or if you are struggling with your current scene, you might do better to jump ahead to another one and then backtrack to the one you are stuck on. You can fit the scenes into order after you hit your daily count.
Change It Up
Sometimes writers hit a wall. If changing up the writing doesn’t work, try changing your situation. If you are writing in an office, try moving to a coffeehouse or a library. Sometimes a change in setting can help inspire new ideas. There’s also something great about getting away from temptations, like your couch and Netflix account. When you go somewhere else to write, there is one purpose: to write. It’s sometimes easier to focus and get your work done. Not always, but sometimes. It’s worth a try. Do what you must to turn away from your couch’s siren calls.
Writing Sprints
Not hitting your word counts? Try doing sprints. This is when you set your timer for a set period of time, say 20 minutes, and write as many words as you can, as fast as you can. Then you take a break. It’s the writing equivalent of wind sprints. This is a great way to get words on the page quickly. It also helps break through any malaise you may be feeling. I don’t know about you, but there are some days when writing is the last thing I want to do. This helps break me out of that mindset and get the words flowing.
Keep It Simple
Don’t try to write in-depth description if you are having to force it. You can add those kind of details later. Stick to action and dialogue in your first draft. This happens and then this happens and because of that, that happens. You want to think causally. Cause and effect. The protagonist does this, the antagonist responds like that and this causes the protagonist to react this way. Keep your plot simple as you move from action to action. You can add in depth, texture, theme, subtext and flow later. This draft is to capture the building blocks of your story.
Focus on Story Flow
This is the way cause and effect comes together. Your story should flow from one scene to another logically and easily. Or surprise your reader with an unexpected reaction that makes sense given your character. You don’t need to worry about transitions yet, but you should keep basic story logic in mind while you write. If a story or character doesn’t come together in a way that makes sense, it will be harder to edit and fix later.
Consider Your Habits
Do you have a set schedule? Do you have a dedicated place to write? Do you leave your notifications on while you’re writing? How about your browser? Do you listen to music while you work? Your habits may be making your job harder. Those notifications are likely breaking your attention and if the music you listen to has lyrics, the words could be affecting your word choice, sentence structure and other components of your writing. It may help to select instrumental music if you need music or to turn off notifications or use the full screen feature of your writing program. The more strongly you can focus, the better your writing will be.
Get Help
Don’t go it alone. Join NaNoWriMo groups and boards. Attend a local event for a write-in or form a writer’s group of your own. Writing is a lonely endeavor and the isolation can be daunting, especially for those not used to being alone so much. Try finding like-minded souls and write together. Just be sure the groups work and don’t fall into random conversations and social time. That won’t help you reach your word goals.
Don’t Give Up
Writing is hard. Accept that and keep going. Push through the fear of beginning, the slump in the middle and the challenge of wrapping your story up in a satisfying way. Don’t worry whether what you’ve written is good. It’s not. It’s a first draft. Just keep writing. You can’t edit what isn’t there and you can’t say you’ve written a book if there are no words on the page.
Good luck!
*The word for worshipping words is epeolatry.