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NaNoWriMo for everyone: Editor's Notes #298 October 16, 2019 |
| Hello, they sometimes take you places you hadn't planned. —Melanie Benjamin In this issue: 1. NaNoWriMo for everyone 2. Tickled my funny bone 3. Interesting Web site 4. Writing prompt 1. NaNoWriMo for everyone In October, writers’ inboxes get reminders to give NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) a try. Great idea for those who are writing novels. What about all the other writers: poets, children’s writers, nonfiction writers, copywriters, and any others I’ve left out? Here are some tips for these other writers to ride the wave of writing enthusiasm without switching to writing a novel. (Novel writers may also find the tips below helpful.) The basic idea is to set a very ambitious volume (word count) goal for a relatively short period and just to it. If you have a 50,000-word novel, the aim is to write 1,667 words per day. These are first-draft words, so you just keep writing to get the words down on the paper. Time spent is not relevant. If you aren’t a novelist, set a suitably ambitious goal: X lines of poetry, X number of short children’s pieces (a series?), X number of words for nonfiction or ad copy. Start with the goal, but don’t stop there. NaNoWriMo begins one minute after midnight on November 1. Until then, you can outline your project and do any research you think you need. Plan your writing schedule. Will you write every day or hunker down once per week for a marathon? Will you write at home or at the library or somewhere else? What time of day will be best? Write these dates and time into your daybook or digital planner. Set an alarm if that helps you. Decide what you’ll give up to get this done. What can be put off, what can be done less often, and what can be ditched altogether? Gather your cheering section. Waylay interruptions by letting family and friends know what you are doing and enlist their help. Negotiate time for yourself by trading your chores for future time with loved ones. When you are done, you can celebrate your success together. Organize your Plans B-Z. I suggest a folder where you can leave yourself notes of distractions as they arise. When you realize you need more research, make a note in your folder and keep on writing. When you remember you promised to call your mother, make a note in your folder and keep on writing. When your laundry and the leaves in the yard call to you, make a note in your folder and keep on writing. When you think of a brilliant marketing strategy, make a note in your folder and keep on writing. By December 1, you will have a mass of writing that needs revision, and you can shift gears. Watch future issues for an offer to help with that. =========== 2.Tickled my funny bone A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at him and says, "I’m sorry, sir. Only one carrion allowed per passenger." =========== 3. Interesting Web site In this issue, two links. Register your plan for November writing for extra inspiration and support. If you are writing a novel, you can join the group at https://nanowrimo.org/ Others can take advantage of the goals page on my site. https://www.writershelper.com/writing-goals.html/ =========== 4. Writing prompt The word is buttons. What can you write about buttons? =========== Join Writer's Helper Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WritersHelperEditor Follow me on Twitter @AudreytheEditor Link on LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/audreyowen (Email me first so I know how you know me.) =========== If you know a writer who would appreciate receiving Editor's Notes, forward this issue. If someone has passed this on to you, you can get your own free subscription by signing up at https://www.writershelper.com/newsletter.html |
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