Getting Ready for NaNoWriMo

Any Gravelle (left) and Renée Gendron CanCon 2018

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Article disponible en français

In November 2018, I’ll have participated three times in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The purpose of the NaNoWriMo is to encourage participants to write 50,000 words in November. For full-time authors, this goal is easy to reach because it’s the length of a novel intended for teens and young adults. For other writers like me, NaNoWriMo gives me the motivation to write daily. The two manuscripts I wrote will never see the light of day, but NaNoWriMo allowed me to finish the projects.

To achieve 50,000 words in a month, you need to write 2,000 words daily. To accomplish that, you need to plan writing sessions, even if you’ve only got thirty minutes to spare. The point of NaNoWriMo is to write every day without getting sick of writing. In November, I concentrate on writing, and I gain twofold from this focus. At the same time, I tell people that the world doesn’t stop turning if you haven’t reached your 50,000-word target by the 30th of November.
If you’re stubborn like me, I advise you to plan your manuscript and to fill out a character sheet by the 1st of November. The more details you can plan, the more likely you’ll reach your goal. For motivation and support, it’s also a good thing to join one of the many groups at NaNoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/. I visit the site frequently, attend meetings, and review what others have written.

My day planner becomes my best friend in November. To ensure that I’m well organised, I pick the writing groups that are closest to where I live. If you live in Ottawa, Ontario, the meeting groups meet throughout the city. If the meetings are too far from where I live, I schedule writing time at home to avoid wasting time travelling.

I also give myself some slack. If my week is hectic, I give myself permission to slow down on the writing goals. I know that I’m busy in other areas of my life, and all I’ll do is sit down in front of the screen and not be able to type. During my first NaNoWriMo, I finished my manuscript and started editing it. It was there that I realised the work involved in producing a polished novel.

If you’re like me, then the slightest noise distracts you. It’s important to choose your writing groups wisely because many of them meet in cafés where there is a lot of background noise.  To improve my productivity, I decided to work from the library or from home. While working, I’ve learned to put a wall around myself, to focus on the writing, but it’s not always easy ignoring everything that is happening around you. Despite my best efforts, I’ve had many lapses in concentration, and I wasn’t as productive as I would have liked.

During my second NaNoWriMo, I made the mistake of picking a subject I found interesting but didn’t know much about. I suggest that you write about something that you know well and are passionate about. If you’re writing about something you don’t know well, then I recommend you do your research before November.

For those who reach 50,000 words, I suggest that you put off sending it to beta-readers and an editor. It’s the first draft, and it will have to be reworked before you can share it. 50,000 words are about half of the length of a full-length novel targeted at adults, and you’ll still be writing your manuscript at the end of the month. I know that you’re eager to receive feedback on your work, but wait until you’ve improved it to the best of your abilities before sending it out. The first draft is just a draft. Editing takes twice as long as writing. It’s important to put yourself in the mindset of the readers when you’re editing, take into account how they see the book.

Above all, the first thing you need for NaNoWriMo is a passion for writing because during the month you'll, doubt yourself and your abilities. If you’re posting your manuscript online or just sharing it with your friends, you run the risk of rejection and negative feedback. There are many more that become discouraged when they realise just how much work goes into writing a finished book. There are countless times where I’ve been at tradeshows and fairs for up to six hours, and I didn’t sell one book. Keep in mind, not many readers are willing to pay full price for a book. It’s important to stay grounded and to keep your expectations realistic and to be cognizant of the effort required to produce a finished book. It helped me to join two professional writers associations and to discuss my challenges with them. It’s also good to surround yourself with people you know and trust.

I wish you a fantastic November full of adventures.
 
Any Gravelle

I fell in love with books when I was a child. At first, I wrote stories about the tv shows I watched, and I started to create my own characters in 2013. This is how I discovered what I want to do with my life. I wrote two short stories Alyson and un voyage interrompu, and one poem Les différences that have been published in an anthology in French called Plumes en liberté in 2017. Four other stories will be released in Au-delà des mots in 2019. Most of my stories are about relationships, and I often add a cute cowboy. I’m also a member of the Ottawa Romance Writers Association and of les auteurs et auteures de l’Outaouais.
@AnyGB_Auteure  
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