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Steph Olivieri Bourbon ~ Writing Coach

Monthly Archives: October 2017

NaNoWriMo and How to Win-Tips to Succeed.

23 Monday Oct 2017

Posted by StephOBourbonWriter in Uncategorized

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NaNoWriMo, Novels, Teen fiction, Writing, writing tips, YA fiction

Hi Writers!!!

So it’s that time of year again and NaNoWriMo is upon us. I have done it every year since 2006 because it’s such a great way to get out a first draft.

I aim for 70,000 words because it pushes me more and I always finish. I currently write YA and when I started I was writing adult novels which generally have longer word counts. Here are my tips to make it FUN for you and so you can finish.

Me? I’m a bit crazy when it comes to writing, but I always try to finish by Thanksgiving. I divide up the word count by days. So yes, MATH.

This year Thanksgiving is on November 23rd so for me to hit 70,000 words I have to write 3043 words a day, every day. See how that works?

You GOT THIS. I know you can do it. The 3rd or fourth year I did it I was also working 50 hours a week and was in the running for a TV writing fellowship where they actually asked me to fly out a spec episode over a week. It’s about breaking up your day into units of time.

Yes, just like Will in About A Boy. Everything you do can be broken down and therefore making it seem less daunting.

Example: Gym-1 hour (1 unit), walking my dog 1/2 unit, cooking and eating dinner 2 units. Writing 3,000 words 3 units, work 6 to 8 units. Yes, your day will be longer, but that’s what it takes to be a writer–you know this, right?

Okay here is a simple list that I hope helps.

  1. Forget outlining and planning. I know there are people and places who start the NaNoWriMo outlining in Sept. Don’t do it, really it makes it much harder to hit a word count when you are constrained to an outline. You can do that in revisions. Just have a story idea, character and be FREE, you’ll love it.
  2. Don’t compare yourself to other writers. You are you and what you are writing is perfect for you.
  3. Make a word count daily plan and then hit it every day.
  4. Tell your family and friends that you are doing this and ask for the space you need to write.
  5. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day. You can always make it up, but try to stick it because it’s easier to do smaller amounts daily.
  6. Do NOT edit-this is the biggest one. Do NOT edit as you write or you could get stuck in chapter one forever.
  7. Be confident in your story.
  8. Buddy up with people on NaNo and use them as accountability buddies
  9. Be positive about you and your work even if you have those bad writing days–you can fix all of it in revisions
  10. Lastly, have fun!!!

“If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything!” ~ George McFly, Back to the Future tumblr_m8cibu9Ypc1rzz8vno1_500

 

https://nanowrimo.org/

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