Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Dabble, a 2023 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a tool specifically designed for fiction novelists. Today, Dabbler Robert Smith shares a few tips to help you set daily writing goals that will work for you:
November looms, and with it the thrilling, harrowing, and sometimes carb-loaded journey of National Novel Writing Month. As we tie our writer's capes and ready ourselves for a month of intense creation, there's a small matter we need to address: our writing goals.
The Weight of 50,000 Words
Setting goals for NaNoWriMo is like setting a pace for a marathon. You wouldn't expect to sprint a marathon. The same goes for writing. If you try to sprint through, chances are you'll burn out faster than a candle in a windstorm.
However, only doing the minimum can leave you in a precarious position. Because if something comes up—and something always comes up—you’re suddenly behind on your goal, and that can really hurt morale.
So here are some goal setting tips to crush NaNoWriMo this year:
12 Tips for Drafting Forward During NaNoWriMo (And Beyond!)
ALT
To accomplish your big writing goals, you have to focus on drafting forward. The team over at Freewrite knows how to do that better than most! Freewrite, a 2023 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a dedicated distraction-free drafting device designed just for writers to separate the drafting from the editing process and get words on the page. Today, the Freewrite team is here to share their top 12 tips for doing just that:
Here at Freewrite, we love when NaNoWriMo comes around, because we’re all about helping writers set their stories free. We’re big proponents of the “write now, edit later” method of writing to help writers reach writing flow and increase productivity. The goal of drafting forward (and NaNoWriMo!) is to get a first draft recorded and translate your thoughts into writing on the page.
We’re going to share the top tips we recommend to writers who want to try this method but don’t know where to start. Try these out during your next writing session to see how they help you ditch the distractions and make serious progress!
1. Save research for later. (Or start with it!)
Yes, research is important. But it can also quickly turn into a form of procrastination. Complete the bulk of your research before you start writing, or, if it’s a topic you know well, commit to doing any research after. When you’re drafting and come to a place where you need to fact-check or gather information, simply leave a note to yourself right there in the text and continue drafting.
2. Plan well.
With a timed challenge like NaNoWriMo, it helps to plan out your daily benchmarks in order to finish on time. Consider setting a daily word count goal or making a schedule for the month so you know exactly where you stand each day. Make an outline if you’re a plotter, or if you’re a pantser, spend some time getting into the world of your story.
3. Decide you’re going to write a messy first draft.
We recommend stating it outright to yourself, or maybe writing it down on a Post-It where you can see it each day: My goal is to write a messy first draft. Embrace that imperfection so that you can write more freely!
4. Silence your inner critic.
As you write, revisit your messy first draft goal and resist the urge to critique or edit your work as you go along. Instead, concentrate on getting your thoughts down without judgment. This means not overanalyzing each sentence. Did that last sentence sound ridiculous? Who cares?! Anything goes in a messy first draft. You’ll refine and revise later!
5. Turn off your inner spell-check.
Freewrite devices have no spell-check or grammar checker for a reason. Every squiggly line is a distraction, a moment that your writing flow is broken and you have to resist going back to fix typos. Even if your eyes recognize a typo, train your brain to fix it later! Remember: we’re focusing on getting out thoughts and ideas in the first draft, not grammar.
6. Eliminate external distractions.
We’ve done the hard work for you by creating Freewrite. 😉 Now, put your phone in the other room, turn off the TV, and start writing.
7. Write quickly.
This is just another way to trick your brain into writing from that deep, creative place that can’t be reached when you’re overthinking. Strive for a flow state where you’re typing at the speed that your thoughts come to you.
8. Use placeholders.
If you can’t think of the right word or need to look up a source, just insert a placeholder and keep writing. Our favorite placeholder is “xx” because that can easily be searched in editing software later. Other people like the more straightforward “[INSERT SOMETHING FUNNY]” or “[CHECK SOURCE]”. You can fill in those gaps during the editing phase.
9. Keep moving forward.
If you encounter writer’s block or a difficult section, resist the temptation to stop and dwell on it. Skip to another part in your story and return to the challenging section later. We like to add a note to ourselves right there in the draft to remind us to come back to that spot when editing.
10. No back-tracking.
Often while drafting, a brilliant sentence will come to us. But it’s describing something we just described. What to do? Do not go back, delete the first sentence, and replace it. Simply keep writing the new sentence! These redundancies are easy to correct later.
11. Experiment.
Try different styles and approaches without judgement. You can compare and contrast and pick the best one later, during the editing stage.
12. Write!
Relish in the creative flow and the freedom of having one job to do: writing. Don’t worry about grammar or story structure. Focus on the joy of creating.
With a few tweaks in how you draft, we hope you’ll be surprised by how much you write, the creative ideas your imagination comes up with, and how much fun you have while writing.
And if you try the above rules of forward drafting, we’d love to hear your experience!
Reminder: NaNoWriMo 2023 participants are eligible for a special Freewrite offer. Find all the details here.
“I’ve known several cases of writers who decide to write about something and they research the hell out of it and when they’re ready to write, they can’t move because they are so burdened. I start writing. Whatever I need somehow comes to hand.”
Okay, real post time (but keep those boops booping) - You want to do NaNoWriMo tomorrow, but you don't want to go anywhere near the main organization and their website. Here's a list of alternatives you can try:
Rogue Writers - International group launched to provide an alternative for writers. Their website has challenges, free tools, and more.
Shut Up and Write - Find in-person or online groups to write together with!
NoQuWriCo - A November writing challenge with tools, tips, and encouragement to make it through the month! (Thanks to someone letting me know - this is a Christian alternative. Try another if that does not appeal to you!)
Your local library - If you did NaNo events through your library, chances are they're still doing it this year. Make sure you check in with all the resources you've used in the past, as they're likely still around.
Whatever you decide to do tomorrow, good luck! And remember, if you want to still use the NaNo website but don't like their AI policies and the rest of it, just don't give them money! Laugh to yourself, evilly, as you update your word count. It's very validating.
Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. ProWritingAid, a 2023 NaNo sponsor, helps you turn your rough first draft into a clean, clear, publish-ready manuscript. Today, authorKrystal N. Craiker shares some tips on how to make sure your first draft has some good bones to start with:
One question I often hear about National Novel Writing Month is, “Won’t my novel be of terrible quality?”
It’s true that writing 50,000 words in 30 days won’t give you a polished manuscript. And it’s always great to embrace the creative mess of the first draft.
However, there are some tricks to ensure that your first draft has plenty of usable content. These tips are also a great way to move your story along when you get stuck.
been thinking a lot lately about how clichés are actually very useful parts of language. it's not that I don't understand where the writing advice to avoid clichés comes from, but like so much commonly-repeated, pithy writing advice, it loses vital nuance. which is, in this case, that clichés are clichés for a reason. so I guess if I had to pick one (1) piece of writing advice for newer writers, it's that if you try and indiscriminately replace every single cliché with something original and exciting, your writing may actually suffer.
one reason commonly given for not relying on clichés is that they make your writing "unexciting". this is true! if you use clichés constantly readers will start to glaze over them because they're too familiar, which means important details get lost. (Pacing, clarity and atmosphere can also suffer from cliché bloat for the same reason). But that familiarity is also why clichés can be a great tool! let's say there's two things readers need to know about a scene: the first thing is that it's dark, and the second is that there is Something Scary in the room with the character. you need the reader to know it's dark so they can visualise the scene, but it's not what you want the reader to focus on. a well-worn cliché like "It was black as pitch" or "Character couldn't even see their hand in front of their face" conveys that information quickly, striking a nice balance between atmospheric and utilitarian. You are now free to use your lavish description on the Something Scary, which is where you want the bulk of your readers' attention to fall.
So, yes, be careful with clichés. But also don't be so afraid to use them that you get bogged down in replacing every single one with dazzling, exciting prose. sometimes water is "ice-cold" or a character finds themself "back at square one" or a sound "sets your teeth on edge", and that's just fine.
So if you've only been loosely paying attention, the NaNoWriMo organization has collapsed in a controversy of mismanagement, lack of oversight, abusive forum moderation and a whole host of issues that's resulted in souring the whole thing for a great deal of people. While the spirit of NaNoing will probably continue, a lot of people understandably don't want anything to officially do with the organization anymore.
But you - like I have - still think NaNoWriMo has been very useful to get writing done. Here's some ideas on how to keep going.
How to Get Started
Think Local - All those places you used for NaNo events, libraries, schools, cafes, etc - may be more than willing to launch something similar with enough interest. Just because it won't have the NaNoWriMo name slapped on it doesn't meant it can't continue. My local library has started a monthly write-in event, for example.
Take the Initiative - If you know of a group that you usually NaNo with, it's never too late or early to reach out to them about create an alternative plan. You probably aren't the only one thinking about it!
Talk to your (former) ML - Many Municipal Liaisons I know feel burned by NaNo and won't join it again, but they did love running the event. My local ML is continuing our group under a different name, and yours might appreciate getting assistance or sharing resources about how to run a month-long writing event if you ask.
Find Your People - If you're in school, new to an area, or just not good at reaching out, I feel you. But if you do nothing, you get nothing. Reach out to people you know. Online Discord or Zoom meetings can work just as well as in-person events if you're too remote or broke to meet.
What to Use to Get Started
Shut up and Write provides quick and easy ways to find local groups or form your own to carry the write-in momentum all year round.
MyWriteClub copies the writing tracking method of NaNoWriMo to keep track of your wordcount.
Regular old Excel. Or LibreOffice if you'd prefer to wash your hands of Microsoft. It's not as exciting, but a regular spreadsheet with an AutoSum of your daily progress can work just as well as a fancy website.
You can keep going with the NaNo energy without the official name. My local library has started a monthly write-in, and I know many people who have found success with Shut Up and Write. Look into what works for you!
But this is fine. Doing the (worldbuilding) work is important. Showing it (all)? Not so much. The minute the details of world-construction start distracting your reader from the story you’re trying to tell, you’ve started undercutting your narrative’s effectiveness.
Less is more, here. If you know your build’s detail well, it’ll come out naturally enough where needed as you write. Just relax and let it ooze out through the cracks at its own pace.
This is a completely fair question. The simplest answer:
Yes, absolutely, write it down! Just not in your prose narrative.
The main reason (IMO) not to do this is because it'll inevitably throw off the timing and structure of your prose. The natural flow of your narration and its interaction with dialogue is one of the most important things to get right in writing. Forcing yourself to maneuver your writing's flow around material that may or may not wind up in the final text is like running a race on a track that you've purposely left strewn with cinderblocks and boulders. It's not kind to you (because it forces you to expend energy you don't need to spend on this purpose), and it's not good for your work.
That said: by all means, take notes on everything in your worldbuilding that seems like you'll need to remember it. But find a safe place to keep this stuff separate from your prose where you can find it quickly—either just to add something, or to use it in the work.
If you're working mostly digitally, a good place is in a separate folder stored along with the files where you're doing the actual writing work. Depending on the software you're using for your writing, you may already have a place to store notes inside the main project but separate from the prose work. (Scrivener, which I've used for years and heartily recommend, has this. In fact, this is one of the reasons I started using it in the first place: I was tired of losing track of the many, many notes lying around the place when I've had five or six projects running at once.)
(For those who might be curious, Scrivener's option for "inline" notes looks like this. That right-hand column can be collapsed away out of sight when you don't need to see the notes: but they're always aligned with the section where you've decided you may need or want them, and you can easily move them around if you find they'll work better somewhere else.)
...There are lots of other digital options. Here's a favorite one: You can very successfully keep worldbuilding work in a wiki—either quite a complex one (like the Errantry Concordance presently being converted to a new format) or a very simple HTML-based one like TiddlyWiki, which you can keep on a USB drive. (See also "wiki on a stick.") Once there, you can cut-n-paste material from the wiki into your text in Word or Google Docs or whatever.
I've used both wiki types, and like them both for different reasons. If you've got a LOT of stuff to store, the heavier-duty MediaWiki software may be the best way to go as you get started. I mean... there's nearly a million words of published Young Wizards stuff now, and I promise you, when you've got a mlllion words of prose and the worldbuilding behind it, you will forget stuff if you don't make notes about it.Guaranteed. So this was my preferred approach for the YW material. But for other books I went with multiple TiddlyWiki installations, and those worked just fine.
You can also use a wiki not just for storage, but for active development of new worldbuild ideas. These can then be stored at the end of a prose chapter as footnotes linked to a URL in the wiki. Some brand-new concepts and events that have turned up in the last few YW books were developed out of notes on already-extant material appearing in the Concordance.)
...Now, possibly you prefer to do your worldbuilding-notes work on paper. And why not? As long as you're storing your notes where you can find them, and can readily associate individual pieces of info with the part(s) of your writing where they may be needed, you're fine. ...Probably the simplest way to do this is to insert note-specific page-locating tags into your prose—or at the top or bottom of chapters, if they're less distracting that way.
I still have paper notes on the Middle Kingdoms works that were made this way. They've traveled thousands of miles with me, from home to home, since the first book came out. (Ten years or so ago I took the precaution of scanning them; then uploaded them to the cloud later on.)
"Look," she said (as if on a cooking show): "here's one I made earlier."
...circa around 1976. With a table of contents for the couple of hundred pages of scraps, notes, linguistic stuff, timelines, heraldic info and sketches, genealogies, etc etc. (90% of which material has never appeared in any of the books in the main sequence orthe interstitials—because it hasn't needed to. What has appeared is sprinkled through the narrative, rather than shoveled onto it. ...And this is a good reason to use this method: because material that gets inserted into the narrative has an unnerving tendency to stay there... even if it's an infodump.)
That ToC has sometimes proven almost more useful than the notes themselves—as it's enabled me to look up a given note, determine whether anything in it is still germane, and include (or discard) that piece of business in a matter of moments.
Anyway. Whether working electronically or on paper, definitely take all the notes on your world that you feel likely to need. Once you've got them safely tucked away where they're hard to lose, I suspect you'll find it easier to just let them slide out of your head onto the page in the process of everyday composition. And if you have trouble remembering something, you'll know it'll be ready and waiting for you. :)
