In honor of NaNoWriMo, which begins next week, I wanted to take a few lines to try to drive up the excitement that's igniting the air in the writing world. Novel writing world, that is.
NaNoWriMo, for those who are new to it, is National Novel Writing Month.
A whole month dedicated to getting those words of your story onto the page, screen, notepad...anywhere that gets them out of your head and into written form.
And it starts November 1st, NEXT WEEK!!! :)))
The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. You can start a new novel. Continue writing your WIP. Or just start something and see where it takes you, so long as you write 50,000 words by month's end.
How do you write 50,000 words in one month?
Simple. You just write! And write. And write! Don't stop for edits. Just keep writing!
At least that's the way most people do it. The whole point is that all first drafts suck. They do, no matter who you are or how great a writer you can be. Even the best of the best admit that their first drafts suck. And who cares if it sucks! It's a first draft! You're not going to publish your first draft, traditional route or self. You'll edit and rewrite and edit and rewrite until it's polished and shined to be worthy of putting your name on the front cover... Unless, of course, you're the author of the unreadable 50 shades of grey and you have no shame... but I digress...
"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."
~ James Michener
I think this is a great quote to remember and keep in mind as you write and attempt to summit the 50K words in a month goal. Just write. Keep up the momentum. Don't turn back until you hit your daily goal, whatever you set it to be.
For the past NaNoWriMo's that I've done, I've been working on and through Waiting for Paint to Dry. This year NaNoWriMo just happens to coincide with my starting a new project, so it's kismet, perfect timing, and all that jazz! I'm a mix between a "seater" and a "panster" so I've got some notes and a rough outline done'ish for Caught By The Sun, the second in the Bell Sisters Series.
I'm so excited to get started and can't wait to meet some new writer buddies to enjoy the ride with.Are you coming too?!
Just remember... even if you only write 5,000 words or 10,000 words come November 30th, it's more than most people ever write!
The whole point of NaNoWriMo is this: just write :)
So sign up for NaNoWriMo today and find writer buddies to enjoy the ride with!
:)
