I’ll be on hiatus for a while dealing with post-COVID issues, but I wanted to make sure some resources were more obvious for those doing NaNoWriMo events. Are you a Scrivener user? I have compiled most of the resources that I use into a single Scrivener template, available as both Scrivener 3 template and aContinue reading “NaNoWriMo Resources”
Tag Archives: NaNoWriMo
Thank Goodness It’s Over!
National Novel Writing Month is over! It’s a relief and a loss, I’ve found, because the crazy and almost manic nature of the writing and socializing with other Wrimos is both energizing during November and then quite noticeably absent once December rolls around. There’s not a lot that does that for me outside of NaNoWriMo,Continue reading “Thank Goodness It’s Over!”
Pace Yourself: Halfway Through NaNoWriMo
Whew! Where does the time go? I can’t believe we’ve already passed the halfway point of November. Are you anywhere near the midpoint of your story? I’m doing better than I’d anticipated, but I’m only about 12k (25%) into my ghostwritten novel, which isn’t the midpoint, not by a long shot. How’s your word count,Continue reading “Pace Yourself: Halfway Through NaNoWriMo”
NaNoWriMo: You Can Do This!
We’ve reached day four already, I can’t believe it! How is your word count looking? The stated goal for day four is 6668 words, and if you’re on track, awesome! If not, don’t fret, there’s always time for a word sprint or three, and you have more words written than you did when you started.Continue reading “NaNoWriMo: You Can Do This!”
Last Shot at Plot (Get Ready, Get Set…)
Having already covered Plot Formulae back at the end of September, I’m hoping that those of you without a complete outline at this point have at least some ideas about how to get there. But this is the final stretch, the point where we all are scrabbling at the walls to try and claw outContinue reading “Last Shot at Plot (Get Ready, Get Set…)”
There’s No Place Like Home: Setting in Fiction
Many writers focus on their characters or their plot. Fantasy and science fiction writers will create fantastic and intricate settings that are shown off over the course of their books, like a fancy car they have to show all their friends. But where’s the middle ground? Setting is the stage for all of your plotContinue reading “There’s No Place Like Home: Setting in Fiction”
Who is your Character, and what does he do?
Taking a cue from Ahnold, this is only the first of many questions you need to ask of your characters. (Also, welcome back to the meaty article series for National Novel Preparation Month.) Some authors swear by the infinite detail system, in which you systemically and categorically (but perhaps arbitrarily) write down every possible detailContinue reading “Who is your Character, and what does he do?”
Countdown to NaNoWriMo!
We’ve reached October, and we can all count the days until November and National Novel Writing Month roll around! (I searched for an appropriately excited-scared gif for this blog post, but I just couldn’t find one thrilled enough.) So! How goes your planning for NaNoWriMo? Hopefully you’ve decided on a premise from however many ideasContinue reading “Countdown to NaNoWriMo!”
Pretty Please, Pick a Plot!
By which I mean, write down your plot outline before you start writing. “But I’m a panster! I don’t outline!” Tell you a secret? So am I. Doesn’t matter. The reason you should outline is because November is a hectic month for pretty much everyone – I have a theory that’s precisely why we doContinue reading “Pretty Please, Pick a Plot!”
Ideas and Conceptualization
So far this month I’ve discussed fiction genres and narration with an eye toward helping those planning on writing during National Novel Writing Month. It can be handy to start big and work inward, so the tasks so far have only been general. This week we start getting serious. This is a big entry, so take it in stages! I’ve given suggestions for starting to brainstorm on characters, setting, and plot, but I’ll be getting into them in more detail in coming weeks, so if you don’t have everything you may need yet, that’s okay. We’ll get there. The goal this week is to start distilling ideas you have into a more focused concept.
Marie Efromson 