National Novel Writing Month
NaNoWriMo is for you!
What? I can clearly hear you saying. NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and you guessed it, it’s November!
It began in 1999 with the challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel during the thirty days of November. Each subsequent year more and more eager writers take up the challenge, and many start a successful career. Don’t believe me? Well, books like Water for Elephants, Fangirl, and WOOL began as rough drafts written in November!
So here at WDL we want to help you meet the challenge, but we realise that the challenge is challenging so we have some practical advice to get you started.
As in life, there are the doers and the planners, both types of people have become successful authors.
If you are a doer – you will probably stop reading here and go make a start. You will have an idea of what your novel is going to be, where it is going and who is in it. You will have the bones and enjoy fleshing it out as you go along. E.L. Doctrow, said: “Writing is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as the headlights, but you make the whole trip that way.” So here I’m going to say good luck and enjoy the ride.
But……
If you are a planner, we know you need a plan!
Take a breath, but don’t take all of November deciding on which plan suits you best! Overview them and see which one feels right and then start writing.
There are multiple popular writing methods to choose from, here are 3 of the most popular:
1. The Snowflake Method
3. The 5-Step Method
5. The 5-Draft Method
So, what’s the best method? We can’t answer that, but we encourage you to see what fits you and what feels comfortable to you instinctively. The method you choose will help you to commit and start writing your novel. But more importantly, it’s the one that will help see you through tot he end, to a finished manuscript.
You may like to join the Dalby Writers Club, or talk to your local library and see if anyone in your area is interested in starting one. If you’re a teen with a story so tell, use this month of motivation to get it completed and enter in Shout Out! Youth Storytelling Competition. WDL have electronic resources to help get you started, such as short courses on LinkedIn Learning, as well as bookclubs you can join to discuss authors and stories. Pop in and see your friendly, local librarian for more information.
Don’t forget to check out the NaNoWriMo website, as experts in the field they have some fantastic resources to help you draft your story. Character development questionnaires, plot generators and TONS of tips and tricks to get you on your way.
Happy Writing!