NANOWRIMO WEEK TWO UPDATE

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After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the things we need most in the world. —Phillip Pullman

Over the next month, I’ll be giving weekly updates as to how the process has been going for me, for my own records as well as your reading pleasure. There are few things I love reading about more than other people’s journeys as they take part in Nanowrimo - they’re always full of insights and inspiration for me.

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Did you hear that whooshing sound? It was the sound of week 2 of Nanowrimo whipping by!

As of this week, here are my stats:
Characters Introduced: 7
Plots accepted and discarded: 11 (!!)
Total breakdowns this week: 2
Words written: 30 887
Days of overwhelming inspiration: 1
Days of absolutely no inspiration: 6
Days of not meeting my target: 1
Current feelings towards writing: Crazed artist fritters around his studio muttering curses and singing songs as he cuts away at marble. There is no clear sculpture that can be seen…

Tools I’m using remain the same: Habitica, Scrivener and 8tracks. I cannot reccomend them enough.

This week has been trying, to say the least. Here’s what I’ve learned:

You’re building a habit, not a masterpiece. This doesn't have to make sense. This doesn't need to be pretty. All it needs to be is words on a page - lots and lots and lots of words. This isn't about making your magnum opus. Even the best of novels started out as a rough draft. Rougher than yours, even. Revised and re-worked after the first one had been written. Just keep writing, and believe that it will work it's way out.

Letting go of things can be hard, but freeing. Sometimes things just don't seem to work out. Sometimes you just have to cut something loose and leave it in the dust to find another person, or time, to inspire. But that can be easier said than done. I let go of all the plot and planning I had for this month. Which was hard, because this was going to be THE year I planned my novel for Nanowrimo. No such luck, I started from scratch. And the novel has been better because of it.

Inspiration is fluid and fickle. Don't pursue it, embrace it. Jump on it the moment it shines it's head, even if it's just to jot an idea down. Catch it like a little butterfly, and maybe give it a little pet to convince it to stay. It will disappear like magic if you don't (and even sometimes if you do write it down). Treat it kindly, but don't go running off of cliffs chasing it. Inspiration is not the normal state - normal is simply sitting down and getting the work done. Even if it's crap. Especially if it's crap.

Where is the line between pushing yourself and being cruel to yourself? I honestly still don't have an answer to this question. So far, it seems to me that peppering your hard work with rewards, and taking breaks, but being firm with yourself is a big line between cruelty and kindness for me. Not bursting in to tears is another. That being said, I think I need to push myself harder, still.

If something isn’t working, let it go. Collect it, write it down somewhere, and then let it go for the time being. Maybe now isn't the time to write about girls captured by fairies (my idea). Instead it's time to write about badass girls with crazy magical tattoos in a despotic kingdom (my new idea). Inspiration will come and go - don't hang on to something that's already left you. It will either come back, or reveal something better.

Scraps can always be useful later on. Do not discount the words you've written because you've changed your idea. I still feel like I'm cheating a bit by including my now-defunct story for the new one. It's almost 10 000 words added to my word count that aren't the actual book I'm writing. But everyone I talk to (including my common sense) says keep it - it counts. So I am. Because they do count for something, and maybe one day that story will get written, too.

Organisation is probably in order. Probably. Despite saying that, I have no organized my story in any way shape or form. No chapters, no settings, no real...anything. It's literally just drabbles. Right here and now, I promise to organize it the moment I complete my book (whether that's before nanowrimo, or, at the latest, December 1st).

Writing still feels so freakin’ good. So, so good. I feel so excited every single time I sit down to write at the end of the day, and even on the days where I didn't, the words flowed fairly easily - I think that's a signal that a habit is starting to form, which is SO exciting for me. It's been a hard habit to keep, this week, but I know it will pay off, and the words keep coming.

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That's it for advice and thoughts this week, folks. The second and third weeks are always the hardest for me, and I'm not looking forward to the dreaded week three. But hopefully things will work out - I'm holding on to the fact that despite my bad days, I still am LOVING writing, and loving the habit that it's giving me! Plus my plot keeps thickening like...like a delicious...soup? Soup is good.

NANOWRIMO WEEK ONE UPDATE

"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are."

--W. Somerset Maugham

And so wraps up the first week of Nanowrimo! Over the next month, I’ll be giving weekly updates as to how the process has been going for me, for my own records as well as your reading pleasure. There are few things I love reading about more than other people’s journeys as they take part in Nanowrimo - they’re always full of insights and inspiration for me. 

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So, as of today, my nanowrimo stats are:
Characters introduced: 5
Settings explored: 3
Words total: 12 998
Chapters written: 4
Words in ‘scraps’: 7 061
Current feelings towards writing: A seasoned veteran grins as she looks over the battlefield before charging in to the fray again excitedly.


Tools that I’ve been using religiously: Habitica, Scrivener, 8tracks (I’m keeping track of all the music I’m listening to using this playlist)

This week has been a strange-but-great week for me. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

You can have a job and write a novel at the same time. With ease. In fact, you might find great comfort after a long ass day full of whinging customers, to sit down and type away at the computer screen, watching the words fill page after page, spending time with ideas and creativity. I was really, really worried before I started Nanowrimo this year, because this is my first year attempting the challenge while being modestly employed. I was terrified that I would come home after bad days and be too exhausted to write. But things have worked out so far, and I’m really, really happy to learn that it is possible. Whew.

Treasure your good days. On the days where the words seem to simply flow out of you, take them, run with them, tie them up and squeeze every word you possibly can out of them before they escape and leave you desperate. So far the words have just been flowing out of me, and as much as I’d like to think that this will last for the whole of Nanowrimo, I want to be prepared for the days when they just won’t come (I’m looking at you, week three. I remember you, you bastard). So I’m writing. I’m writing as hard and as fast as I can - my word count is, as of today, at over 15 000 - that’s almost 5k more words than needed to ‘win’ on November 30th. It’s a cushion for me that I’m not resting back on until I absolutely NEED to. Until then, I’m beating my word goals as many days in a row as I can.

Changing your mind is a-ok. Even necessary. Just make the decision to change as early as you can - because changing your story 4 000 words in is a far-easier feat than changing it 30 000 words in. I decided to completely scrap my story idea for this year, and return to the world of my first nanowrimo draft, with some heavy alterations. It’s a setting I just keep coming back to - and with good reason. Apparently my brain want this world to be written about, so I’m going to indulge it. That being said, I’m holding on to a lot of themes from my original idea, so all that planning was not for nothing. Once I made that change, the words haven’t seemed to stop.

Go with what you know. If you’re an almost-pantser like me (someone who tries to plan, but never quite manage to plan anything and end up making it up as you go along anyway), trusting your gut is probably one of the best choices you can make. Where there isn’t a plan or an idea, real life can be a huge inspiration. Steal people from your life, your favourite books, steal plots from movies and TV shows, sweep up atmosphere and thoughts from work in to your story. Take whatever you can find and churn it out in to your words.

Writing feels so freakin’ good. There are few things that feel as good as updating my word count every day and seeing the number get bigger and bigger. The satisfaction and accomplishment, and the feeling of having actually done something creative is intoxicating. And addicting. I know life gets in the way, but truly the best thing for anyone stuck in their lives is to create, and writing is one of the easiest ways to create. We all know how to write, and we should all be writing in whatever ways we feel best - journalling, blogging, writing a novel - or all three, in my case.

Dedicating yourself to a challenge seems to make other things fit in to place. Every day I know the first thing on my to-do list, without fail, is going to be to meet my word count. But while I’m at it, I’m also trying to do a 15-second plank a few times every day. I’m trying to remember to brush my teeth more. I’m trying to eat a fruit, take a few minutes to just focus on breathing, keep my tattoo lotion’d and looked after. I’m using the fuel writing every day is giving me and using it to develop other habits that can continue after Nanowrimo is finished - and hopefully this year I can keep the momentum up and continue writing after November is up, too.

That’s all the sage advice I can give you folks from the first week, even though I could go on about how great I feel right now. Hopefully I’ll remember this if I get blocked. Tell me how your weeks have been going! Onwards we go in to week two

MY DESK SETUP

Today I thought I would share my current setup for my desk.

Every year for National Novel Writing Month I get my desk re-set for the month. This year's setup is quite different from what I did last year (which was camp out at the kitchen table with a vat of tea and a warm sweater).

This year I actually HAVE a desk to write on, and I'm super excited. I've cobbled together the best setup I can imagine - the only thing I'm missing is a really good desk lamp. But I'm hoping that will come in time.

A few tips that I've learned from NANOWRIMOs past:

Keep tea as close and as filled as you can. Replenish often. 
Whether you drink coffee, tea, or just straight-up water, keep your hydration near you at all times when you're at your desk. This year I'm drinking my favourite drink - hibiscus tea mixed with organic Guyuasa. Holy yum.

Keep hydrated. Period. 
The first thing I do when I start running out of steam is hydrate. 9 times out of 10 that's all I needed to keep going. Hydration is what keeps your brain oiled up for creativity (ew, but true). When we get dehydrated our brains begin to slow down. More water is always better than less, so keep a cup of water near.

Also, snacks. 
Halloween candy is a favourite amoung NANO veterans - a couple chocolate bars can work wonders when you're in the pits of writing. But if sugar isn't your forte, fresh fruit, a few crunchy carrot sticks, some seeds and nuts, even crackers also make great in-action snacks to keep by your desk. My favourites are grapes, pumpkin seeds and pita chips. And chocolate.

Clean it up every night 
In chef-terms, this is called mise en place. Which basically translates to 'put everything where it belongs and you won't waste time trying to find it when you need it again.' Clean up after every writing spree - scoop the wrappers and pencil shavings, put your notebook back where it belongs, take stock of what you've written. Try as hard as you can to keep things, even your thoughts, organized. You'll thank yourself later.

Have a 'thought pad' 
Oftentimes we find the best details for things as we're writing. People's names, specific habits and traits - especially during NANO, we tend to come up with important details on the fly. Have a notebook handy to write down all those names, people, traits and details so you don't forget it later.

 As you can see, despite my desk still being quite a mess, I have a spot for tea, a spot for my art supplies, a little altar of inspiring people, a place for my notepads and laptop, and a big sheet of paper that I can jot down last-minute ideas (thank you, IKEA). I'm really loving my setup so far - we'll see what it looks like halfway in.

Writers - show me your desks! What are some tips and tricks you've learned through NANOWRIMO? Anything I'm forgetting? 

And, as always, happy writing!

MAKE A MOOD BOARD

It's that time of year again - time to start planning a new novel for National Novel Writing Month.

Which means it's time to start gathering as much information and tools I can to survive the month and write another brand-new draft. Which means plotting, planning, thinking, getting inspired, getting blocked, getting inspired again, getting blocked again...ah, the beautiful cycle of a writer. 

One of my favourite tools for preparing myself (but not getting overburdened with preparation) for the mad dash that is the month of November, is to make a big, beautiful, inspiring mood board.

A place where all my ideas, feelings, thoughts and information is in one place. My characters, my setting details, and even images that  I just found inspiring - all I have to do is look up and be inspired, ready to write. 

Make your own mood board - just head over to pinterest and start pinning. I usually search through the boards tagged 'nanowrimo' and various 'character inspiration' boards - and follow the trail back to other boards. I usually set a time limit, between 30 minutes and an hour, and just let myself explore.

Some things you can gather for your mood board:
- Try to narrow your novel down in to a few words, emotions or themes. For example, my novel this year is based on "Old Customs vs. Modern Girls" Put these words somewhere you can see them, whether you're printing your mood board out or not.
-  A basic draft of your plot
- A 'magna carta' for your novel - a collection of names, feelings, stories and themes that you love and want to write about.
- Character profiles
- Images of your characters and settings
- Images capturing various moods in your story
- Quotes
- Images inspiring action in your writing (ie; kisses, fight scenes and interaction)
- Pictures that set the time of your story ( Medieval clothing, vs tranquilizer guns - or a merry mix of both)
- Items / people / things important to your characters; things that develop them more
- A few wildcards that you just like.

 Now, here's where you can do one of two things - you can either choose to keep your board in the electronic realm - in which case, I would suggest captioning all your images, and sorting them until you feel happy. I'd also reccomend you pick the best images and make a collage out of them - save it as your background, have it on your phone, keep it somewhere you can see it constantly.

Or you can choose to print it out. If you choose this route, be prepared to parse through the images and pick your best ones. Whether electronic or printed, I suggest doing a speed-pick, giving yourself no more than 10 minutes to choose your favourite images. Impulse is a great tool, and you'll almost always pick the best and most helpful images under a clock.

I'm really enjoying attaching technical information to my mood board this year - things that I'll need to reference when I'm writing. There are plenty of resources avaliable on the Nanowrimo website, if you want to do some technical planning, and add those to the board.

Do you guys do any fancy planning for nanowrimo? I'd love to see yours, especially if you do mood boards (they don't need to be nanowrimo-themed!!) Please, share in the comments!!

JOIN ME!!

You’re going to start seeing a lot of posts about something called ‘nanowrimo’ very shortly on my blog.

Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and happens for the duration of November, every year. It is an event that encourages anyone and everyone to dedicate the month of November to writing a full novel (at least 50 000 words) in a month. Nano places a value on “enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline” and helps thousands of people ‘win’ the challenge every year.

I’m sure that a lot of people have always wanted to write a novel. Which, to a lot of people, seems like an incredibly daunting task.

Now, Nanowrimo is not about writing the perfect, publishable novel in 30 days. It’s simply about writing the novel - your first draft. Afterwards, you’re given a lot of support and resources to editing and completing your novel, but for November, it is simply about WRITING YOUR HEART OUT.

The community is incredible - every few days there are pep-talks from famous authors such as Neil Gaiman, Rainbow Rowell, Tamora Pierce, the list goes on! So many people cite Nanowrimo as a huge inspiration to them, including published authors themselves. In fact, Rainbow Rowell’s book Fangirl was based off of a novel she wrote for Nanowrimo.

For me, I learned about National Novel Writing Month after probably the hardest summer of my life. Diagnosed with a thyroid disorder, and having to move back home from University, I was a mess of depression, confusion and self-depreciation. There wasn't anything positive in my life, no victories had been won for quite a while, but when I learned about the premise of Nanowrimo, I decided that was something I could do, and I would WIN nanowrimo.

I had no real clue what the heck I was writing, but it involved an epic, crazy cast of around 16 main characters (whaaaaa…) based off of tarot cards. You can still see the mood boards I made for them on my pinterest, if you want (I’m totally not proud of them…nope. Not at all…) And I wrote. I wrote and wrote. When I got bored of writing about one character I would write about another, and these sixteen confused, strange characters propelled me through a month of feeling completely connected to my creativity. A month of developing a writing practice and habit, and discipline.

A month of crazy, caffeine fuelled craziness. There were days where I couldn’t write. Where I cried. Where everything I tried couldn’t produce more than 50 words. There were also days where I wrote almost 8,000 words in one day. Those days…THOSE DAYS WERE AH-MAZING. I don’t think I have ever felt so creatively-high than those days. I felt like a CHAMPION. I felt INSANE…LY GREAT.

And on November 30th, at around 8pm, I entered my final word count in the website (they have the sweetest word counter for you - honestly half the reason I do nanowrimo now is because of that killer counter. You’ll understand when you sign up. It’s great). I entered the word count, and I won my first nanowrimo.

It was the first victory under my belt. And it was proof that I was capable of dedicating myself and my creativity in to something bigger, something tangible, something awesome. I had completed and done something that so many people never do. And, I had a fully-fledged (albeit rambling, gramatically incorrect and confused) novel! I had written a novel!!

So this year is going to be my third time participating in Nanowrimo. I’ve already announced my novel (it even has a cover this year!!) and I’m really, really excited. This year’s going to be the best one yet! And I want YOU to join me. If you’ve never heard of nanowrimo, sign up and give it a try. If you’re on the fence about it, sign up and give it a try!! Let’s be friends, and let’s write and encourage each other!

I’ve got some really cool, helpful posts lined up this year for it, to! So stay tuned, and let’s get this Nanowrimo party started!!