NaNoWriMo - Building to a Frenzy of Mental Preparedness

Ok - there are some things you (and I) can be doing to prepare for NaNoWriMo. We want to be building up to a frenzy of productivity so we can produce something truly useful with our 50,000 words.

1) Sign up on the NaNoWriMo site so you can keep track of your work and word count. I think it will be fun to be able to look at their nifty interface and track my progress.

2) Go ahead and figure out a few things about your book. I would say that consists of the following things:

• Write a preliminary outline, with a story arc
• Write a chapter break-out of at least one sentence describing what will happen in the chapter, and how it will propel the story (plot).
  
• Write short bios for your characters - include questions and answers to things like: favorite hobbies?, when was your first-kiss?, would you kill for love?, who do you want to be like? Favorite Food? Personal Motto? Or at least think about this and figure out who these people are you're creating.
  
• If your book was a movie, who would you want to direct it? That's the kind of writing you need to do. Is Raimi, Spielberg or M. Night going to do this thing? Or will it be a Mike Nichols film starring Meryl Streep? Think of each chapter as a film shoot. Who is behind the camera?

3) Remember the most important rule for getting out 50,000 words: EDIT LATER! Just keep typing, make a note if you figure out you've screwed up something. You can fix it in the edits. If you realize half-way through the story that your buddy-road-trip movie should be a screw-ball romantic comedy - just turn Bill into Billie and do a find & replace December 1st. For now, you need to type, type, type your way to success. There are NO prizes for the best edited 30,000 words in NaNoWriMo, only the 50,000 you actually write will be your ticket to the winner's circle.

4) Stay motivated. In the words of Jesse "The Body" Ventura in Predator, "I ain't got time for writers-block." There are a million reasons to stop writing; you just need to find one reason to keep writing.

Now, for your homework assignment:
Listen to Michael Stackpole's "The Secrets" podcast. You don't need an i-pod to subscribe and download it. It is available through i-tunes, or through his site at: http://www.stormwolf.com/thesecrets/podcasts/index.html

Hurry over there and get these episodes before they are retired! These are 15 to 20 minute episodes from a writer with 30+ books in print, and teach very good rules and provide rich experience to new writers. Remember, even if you're already trained in writing and know what you're doing it doesn't hurt to hear refresher information. His work is motivational, educational, inspirational and free!

I'm serious about this and I will pester you. Get these and listen to them - soon!

We're going to get into a writing frenzy! We're chumming the water so that the prose hungry plot-sharks of our mind will be leaping from the sea of creativity in anticipation!

Are you going to be ready for NaNoWriMo?

I am!