On NaNoWriMo. in Whey and Sonic Screwdrivers.

Month of November, write a 50k short novel. That’s it. Website for the uninitiated:

https://nanowrimo.org/

If I’ve written on what I’ve learned from NaNoWriMo, well, whatever, I’m a few years older. So, here we go.

If I mention to Nano to anyway, the first thing to try to justify it is that it is an exercise in defeating writings block. We are our own worst critic. We’re thinking “Ugh, this is horrible.” You know what? Write it anyway. WRITE SOME STEAMING PILE OF COW DUNG.

(Sorry, Liar Liar is one of my favorite movies.)

One of my favorite experiences is not knowing how a scene will proceed. No, really. One of my NanoNovels, I knew what the ending of the novel was. Oh, I got some good wordcount in. Beginning was awesome. But with the ending set in stone, I didn’t know what to do with the middle.

I tend to write character-based. My favorite nanonovel had a very loose plot/theme that spanned the novel with a nebulous “Will they? Will they not?” romance. On the other hand, the ONE time I actually outlined, I bombed. That was the BIGGAYDAN novel. The act of outlining handcuffed me and precluded any creativity. Maybe others can see their novel as an outline, but I can’t. I’m very much a pantser.

Character-based. I love getting into the heads of my characters. Take two characters, plop them into a situation or a starting topic, and just see what will happen. Sometimes unexpected things happen. I realize “Wait, this character wouldn’t do that”. So, they don’t.

I’ve been told I’m good at dialogue. It’s a matter of playing chess with yourself. Okay, MC1 says something. Okay, flip the board. Repeat what MC1 said, but put yourself in the headspace of MC2. What would MC2 say?

I actually like when I type something that makes no sense in dialogue. I catch myself from hitting the backspace. Instead, I have MC2 react that, even if its a “Wait, what?” And then MC1 says “Hang on, that made no sense, let me rephrase.” Because that is EXACTLY how we interact as humans in real life.

But what really adds to words, and the world of my novels is my Narrative Voice™. Take a step back, describe what is happening. I’m not sure what to say. I feel I find my novel once I know my narrative voice. Otherwise, my dialogue sequences feel like… people talking in a vacuum. Whenever I’m writing, I see my novel as a movie. There’s going to be sequences with no dialogue. I imagine a narrator discussing what is happening.

It is also important to remember you don’t need to mention EVERYTHING. As much as it is tempting for wordcount, brevity and keeping focus is important. Consider the two examples:

He pulls up before a house. He looks and verifies the house number at 447. He makes sure to stop short of their brown mailbox. Turning his keys counter-clockwise, his engine hums off. He opens his driver’s side door with his left hand. He puts his keys in his right jeans pocket. Stepping out onto the pavement with his left foot, he stands up outside his car. He closes the door of his car with his right hand, barely missing himself. He saunters past the brown mailbox and up the driveway. To the right of the driveway are short bushes. There is a small step up to reach the front door. Stepping up, he exhales slowly with trepidation. With a brief pause, he knocks on the door three times.

Or (And yes, I’m exaggerating to make a point.)

He’d double-checked the address, still he verifies the house number. He sighs deeply before her front door. Will she slam the door in his face? Will she be happy to see him? With trepidation, he knocks.

Ah, I think I answered my own qualm. “Narrative voice” is about the emotional cores of characters.

What’s also fun is shifting that narrative lens. Rather than focusing on MC1, following MC2 for a mid, getting inside their head and what they are thinking/feeling is fun.

Let’s see....

It is important to think of Nanowrimo as a First Draft. Or an Almost Draft. Imperfect. Spelling errors. Grammar errors. Plot inconsistencies. Character inconsistencies.

DOES NOT MATTER. As they say in the business, “Fix it in post”. Which version of the plot arc will work? You simply don’t know until you follow it through. Let me give you an example.

I had a scene where MC4 got into a car accident. MC1 snagged MC3 and went to see her in the hospital. As a scene, it worked. But in the novel, it felt off. But I didn’t delete it. A day or two later, I realized something. I thought about the repercussions of the scene. So I was able to write a further scene where MC1 is talking to MC3, addressing what had happened.

Write it. Follow it through.

And if it doesn’t work? Consider it a.... undeleted scene from a movie. : ) Toss it beyond your The End if you want. And count it towards wordcount. BECAUSE YOU WROTE IT.

I made the mistake this year of writing COMPLETELY out of order. This normally isn’t an issue. In the past, i would try to write in 1666-2k “quotas”. Once a scene/quota was finished I would reread it for grammar/spelling, usually adding to wordcount in the process. Then I’d save, and not look back. This year, my left eye was having severe issues. I had to type with my eyes closed.

Seriously. It was that bad. My eyes are open now, shh. Three sets of prescribed eyedrops, woo.

If you have some spark of something you want to write later WRITE IT. Just blaze it. Consider it a goalpost. Then go back to your previous “present”, and work towards it. And then edit as needed.

Considering most people tend to remember the beginning and end of entries the most, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite anecdotes regarding art.

Friend of mine was taking an art class. It started with them drawing something in a span of ten minutes. After ten minutes, they were told to put aside the first drawing, and draw the same thing again, not using the first as a reference. After a another ten minutes, they were told to do this again. And again.. And again. After an hour or so, they were told to stop.

In general, the last few drawings were better than the first few.

Practice.

I tend to write about myself. And I fully intend to write “the same” novel next year, about a protagonist trying to achieve agency.