Yes, it’s that time of year when the bitching begins. When assorted random whingers start bitching and moaning about NaNoWriMo and how it encourages people to think they can write. How it results in a bombardment of badly written drafts being sent to agents from overenthusiastic wannabes and how everyone gets all self congratulatory for doing something that a real writer should be doing anyway.
Whinge, moan, whine, bollocks.
NaNoWriMo is fun and the people who do it are having fun. If you don’t like it, tough shit. You’re certainly not going to stop me from killing even more monkeys and assorted civilians than ever before with nothing more than the power of my mind. It’s just too much fun to pass up.
But enough about the naysayers, or miserable wankers, as I like to call them. This post is all about the great plan of action I came up with to help me get through this year’s NaNo.
I’ve been working on a story for a few months, but I wanted to put in some real work to get that plot just right before I start writing. I felt that NaNoWriMo wouldn’t be the right way to do that story justice. So I decided instead that I would go back to my first NaNo story, Monkeygeddon.
I’d planned all sorts of stuff for that story, including several sequels, so writing Monkeygeddon 2 seemed like the way forward.
I say “planned”, what I actually mean is, I had a couple of ideas. My idea for Monkeygeddon 2 involved my hero going back into Monkey Land, for one reason or another, with a bunch of marines. But that’s as much as I had. What I needed was to plot it out properly.
I started over a month ago.
I say “started”, what I mean is, I had a really hard think. Or nap. I forget which, it was all so… so… thingy. Anyway, a few days passed and I wasn’t really getting anywhere.
I say “a few days”, what I mean is a month passed and I hadn’t managed to do anything resembling a plan or a plot. So yesterday, I made a start and today, the day before NaNoWriMo 2012 is due to start, I have half a side of A4 written out.
It doesn’t sound like much, because it isn’t much. But I’m looking on the bright side. I have enough plot to get me through the first couple of chapters. The way I see it, I can be writing chapter one while planning chapter 3. As long as I keep that up, I’ll be able to plan 2 chapters ahead of what I’m actually writing and can stay ahead of the game.
Should be easy.
And if it isn’t? Who cares? This is NaNoWriMo and it’s all about the fun. Writing 50,000 words is easier than it sounds (famous last words) if you remember to not edit as you go. Seriously, don’t do it. And, no, that’s not as easy as it sounds. But at the end of November, even if you don’t have a workable novel, you’ll have learned that you can write without editing and can easily bash out a first draft novel in quick time.
Keep reminding yourself that this gets easier with practice and is a skill worth learning. Don’t believe me? The great pulp writer, Walter Gibson, used to write two 60,000 word novels per month for three years.
Walter wrote like a maniac for money, you’re doing it for fun. So don’t stress over it. Pay no attention to the naysayers, the whiners, the whingers. You know, the miserable wankers. Keep writing and have fun doing it. And if it does get a bit much for you, get on Twitter or Facebook or the NaNoWriMo forums. There are thousands of us taking part and I guarantee, you won’t be the only one looking for a shoulder and a kind word.
Now, go NaNo!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I still haven’t decided whether or not to join in this year and if I do, what will I write about?
This writing business is a lark, isn’t it?
The best thing about writing is that you can write about anything. I suggest you do a novel about the great war between the vampires and the pub quiz leagues that resulted in the invention of The Twist.
You’re welcome.
Am still waiting for the Monkeygeddon movie!!!!!
I’m still waiting for Peter Jackson to call.
Love the post. About to start NaNo myself…a first-timer, and will have to double-lock that inner-editor away…and throw away the key!
As I’m sure many people are tired of hearing me say, it took me two weeks to kill off that inner editor on my first NaNo. It’s really hard, but totally worth it. I found the best thing to do is to just keep writing. If you find yourself stuck for a decent description of what a person is doing or saying, just write it as notes for yourself. Remember editing is for December. November is for getting the story down, it doesn’t need to be perfect. In fact it helps if it isn’t.
Babble, leave notes, make comments about how stupid a character is for doing the things they’re doing. Anything.
NaNo is an odd creature and word count is more important than anything else. You probably won’t write like this at any other time of year, but it’s great practice and great fun.
And, good luck in your first NaNo
I’ve done NaNo a couple of times and watched the Inner Critic scream, drag, and finally get tossed over the edge. This year I picked the book idea where I’ve had trouble pinning down the middle–I know (now) that this is just the kind of problem that is best demolished by Week 3.
Today, though? EEEEEK!
Week 3 will be perfect. You get up a good head of steam and plough right through.
Such fun
Okay for you Nettie, you can write. What about us poor sods who can’t get around to admitting we’re hopeless!
I’m on of the curmudgeons whose not doing NaNo, it would distract me from editing. After all, writing should be the FUN part, but sometimes there’s the time to get down and do the dirty work (and it’s easy enough to get distracted, last thing I need is an excuse). I agree with the statement that NaNoWriMo encourages people to do what writers should already be doing. But hey, here’s to hoping that with that encouragement, in all the terrible writing I’m sure it generates, maybe it creates a few great writers too.
If people don’t write, how will they know if they can do it?
I think it’s great to encourage people to give it try but as you say, it does produce a lot of awful stuff. I know my own attempt needed so much work doing to it that I had to rip the whole thing up and start again. but what I learned from writing that first awful draft was that the story is sound. With a bit more thought and better execution it’ll be fine.
The danger with new NaNoers is that they get very excited at their abilities and need to be reigned in before they start sending first or even zero drafts to agents and publishers. But that’s for December. For now, I think everyone who wants to have a go should be encouraged to do so.
It’s all about practice and proving to yourself that you can do it. And as you say, it might create a few great writers.
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