Week 2 Pep Talk
I believe last year on the NaNoWriMo Web site the second week was likened to rabid weasels dropping from the trees onto the campers below—i.e., the least fun week in store. Lacking the natural enthusiasm necessary to write a pep talk myself, I hereby recap Chris Baty’s “Go get ’em!” for Week 2 from the book:
Batten down the hatches, we’re in for some stormy weather (and possibly weasels)! If you still don’t have a clear plot, just keep meeting your writing quotas. The best way to create a plot is to keep those characters in motion. If your focus continually veers off the intended hero to a supporting character, seriously consider promoting the latter.
If your brain has checked out and stolen the towels to boot, you can take a novel-free night. Rest can make you more productive. But think very hard before taking two if you’re behind on your word count.
Tips: “Don’t get it right, get it written.” Your goal is not perfection. Your goal is 50,000 words. Take care of your health: eat right, wash your hands, avoid sick people (i.e., public places), etc. When short on time or energy, just spend 20 minutes embellishing and adding color to your novel; it’ll up your word count a smidge and keep your imagination connected to your work.
Tried and true methods for bolstering word count: Give a character a stutter or make someone hard of hearing. Dream sequences (and hallucinations) can be very long and don’t have to make any sense. Give someone the tedious habit of reading aloud from books, newspapers, etc. Give your characters two-word names like Marianne Marie; in fantasy, you can get away with “Hrudon, Son of Sankar, Prince and Overlord of Outer Cthandon.” Word counts hyphenated compounds or adjectival phrases as one word, so get rid of the hyphens and make those compounds two (or more) words.
Exercises: Conduct a focus group—gather people with similar tastes in books, lay out the characters and a vague (very vague) sense of the story direction, and let your group tell you what they think should or will happen next—you take notes. Pay attention to what activities prompt plot revelations—showering, walking the dog, bicycling, etc.—utilize these times and keep your notebook handy.
Batten down the hatches, we’re in for some stormy weather (and possibly weasels)! If you still don’t have a clear plot, just keep meeting your writing quotas. The best way to create a plot is to keep those characters in motion. If your focus continually veers off the intended hero to a supporting character, seriously consider promoting the latter.
If your brain has checked out and stolen the towels to boot, you can take a novel-free night. Rest can make you more productive. But think very hard before taking two if you’re behind on your word count.
Tips: “Don’t get it right, get it written.” Your goal is not perfection. Your goal is 50,000 words. Take care of your health: eat right, wash your hands, avoid sick people (i.e., public places), etc. When short on time or energy, just spend 20 minutes embellishing and adding color to your novel; it’ll up your word count a smidge and keep your imagination connected to your work.
Tried and true methods for bolstering word count: Give a character a stutter or make someone hard of hearing. Dream sequences (and hallucinations) can be very long and don’t have to make any sense. Give someone the tedious habit of reading aloud from books, newspapers, etc. Give your characters two-word names like Marianne Marie; in fantasy, you can get away with “Hrudon, Son of Sankar, Prince and Overlord of Outer Cthandon.” Word counts hyphenated compounds or adjectival phrases as one word, so get rid of the hyphens and make those compounds two (or more) words.
Exercises: Conduct a focus group—gather people with similar tastes in books, lay out the characters and a vague (very vague) sense of the story direction, and let your group tell you what they think should or will happen next—you take notes. Pay attention to what activities prompt plot revelations—showering, walking the dog, bicycling, etc.—utilize these times and keep your notebook handy.
posted by Clucking Bell @ 12:00 AM
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