NaNoWriMo Writing Update

Okay so far I have 25,000 words written. My story feels nowhere even close to completion but that's okay, if it's not done then I will have more time to write the rest of the story and then it may hit the 55,000 word mark. I feel pretty confident in hitting the target wordcount. Now back to finish this story.

NaNoWriMo Pep Talk from Christopher Paolini

A pep talk from bestselling author Christopher Paolini who become a publishing sensation during his early twenties who wrote the book Eragon.

Dear NaNoWriMo Participants,

No doubt you are currently hard at work on your novel for this year's contest. As someone who once wrote 200,000 words in three and a half months, I know exactly what you're going through.

So. Here's my advice based on over 10 years of working to deadlines.

First, writing your book is going to be difficult. Know this. Accept this. Embrace this. It may be fun as well, but make no mistake, what you're attempting is a major undertaking.

Second, pace yourself. Because it's going to be difficult, you don't want to burn out. Save the late nights and early mornings for the last week, week-and-a-half of your effort. You may be writing at a quick jog, but don't break out into an all-out, fear-driven, there's-a-bear-behind-me pace until it's absolutely necessary. Conserve your creative strength. You're going to need it. (On a related note: avoid making big decisions not related to your writing. A person can only make so many good decisions over the course of the day, and you want them to go into your novel.)

Third, if you haven't already, think about where your story is going next. If you're going to be flying headlong through the pages, it's good to have a road map. That said, don't be afraid to deviate from your plan if a good idea strikes you during the process.

Fourth, if you're stuck, go for a 15-minute walk. If you don't feel like going, that means you've been sitting at the computer/typewriter/paper for too long. Get up and get the blood flowing. It'll make all the difference.

Fifth, don't worry about punctuation, spelling, or formatting. Those are easy to fix. Instead, worry about pacing, characters, and setting. Get those right, and no one will care that you put a comma in the wrong place.

Sixth, a casual tone (like this letter) is quicker and easier than formal. Nevertheless, use whatever voice best suits your story.

Seventh, tea is a big help. Black or green tea in the morning—Lapsang Souchong is a favorite of mine—cinnamon in the afternoon. Why cinnamon? For some reason, it helps keep my mind sharp. Don't have black or green tea later in the day unless you're in your last big push, then you can have a second in the afternoon, when you start to flag.

Eighth, try to relax when you can. Watch a movie, have dinner with your family, blow up enemies on an Xbox 360 or PS3. Just don't think about the book.

Ninth, choose the number of words you want to write every day, then try to reach that goal. Be determined! But don't get discouraged if you get less on a certain day. You will get less on some days. However, you'll also get far more on other days.

And tenth… don't give up! You can do this! It may not seem like it day to day, but as long as you keep putting words on the page, you will get to the end of this. And who knows? People may actually like what you've written. And that's the best reward of all.

Fellow authors, I salute you. Luck in battle.

– Christopher Paolini 

Advice to Writers: Joyce Carol Oates

Certain Subjects Just Need Time

I don’t think that writer’s block exists really. I think that when you’re trying to do something prematurely, it just won’t come. Certain subjects just need time. . . . You’ve got to wait before you write about them.

-JOYCE CAROL OATES

It's hard to deal with writers block. A lot of advice from my favorite authors is to just sit you butt in that chair and write. This quote is saying something. Writer's block might not really exist, the story will come, it depends on the certain subject you are writing it can be difficult for you to write it. What helps me when I am having a hard time figuring out what I want to put into the story next I end up writing a whole new story with characters and then the creative juices begin to flow I soon get inspiration to continue where I left off in my other novel.

Happy NaNoWriMo 2011

Today marks the day of an important day for writers; to finally sit down and write that book they have been wanting to write for the longest time. The goal of NaNoWriMo is simple, write 55,000 words in a month. I know that sounds impossible but it's a start of something in your work.

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

I have never written my own novel before and I'm a little nervous. I've always written other things online, plus I'm doing this for myself, to see if  I have it in me to write something original. The moto is simple, just write the whole darn thing of the story. Even if you think it's crap, just write it. Lots of novels that have been published were NaNoWriMo projects. Now it's time to get cracking o this story, SHHHHHH (see below)