Tag: National Novel Writing Month

Writing Tip of the Week: Follow That Outline!

Posted on by Ian Dawson
A story outline can keep you focused and prepared for what’s to come in your story and how it ends.

Writing a story outline is a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing since you know where the story is going and don’t have to worry or panic that you don’t see how it will end. On the other hand, an outline can feel like it’s stifling your creativity. You want to deviate, change course, or even cut a whole section that worked in your head and in the outline but fleshed out is lifeless and dull.

What to do, what to do.

For NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) last year, I drafted an outline to use as a roadmap to keep me focused and on track while I was working on my story. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave me enough information and story points to keep me writing each day and staying focused on the story I was writing.

But, as I said in the opening, there were places where I could feel the air getting sucked out of the story. There were moments when the conflict or even story-based information vanished during the drafting process. I could even see while writing weaknesses in the story that I hadn’t initially seen in just the outline.

So, let’s look at ways to work through these problems to avoid bigger headaches in the later stages of your writing project.

OPTION #1: Lock in Your Outline BEFORE You Start

Make things easy on yourself, and outline exactly how you want the story to go. Revise, refine, read and re-read. Make sure the outline is bulletproof and everything you want to say and do with your story and characters is embedded in the outline.

By starting off on solid footing, you now have the confidence to jump in and get that draft done faster than you would if you were making things up as you go along.

OPTION #2: Stick to the Outline You Have Even if It’s Not Working

This is the easiest solution. Maybe in subsequent drafts, you can cut or refine any rough patches that appear, but you have the story planned out from start to finish and want to get it done.

Living with the outline you have already completed will ensure you get to the story’s end. It also will help you feel a sense of accomplishment for tackling that cumbersome first draft.

OPTION #3: The Page One Re-Write

Scrap the whole outline and start over. There may have been a few things you liked and plan to keep, but the rest is out, and you’re starting fresh.  

This is an effective solution if it’s clear your story has more problems than rewrites and edits can fix. This will be a time-consuming process, so take your time with this outline and ensure the story works before you enter the drafting phase.

OPTION #4: Change as You Go

Another idea is to make changes to the story as you write your draft, using the outline as more of a reference than a hard-and-fast rulebook.

However, if you do this, make sure you’re checking for consistency. If you start making significant changes later in the outline, go back and see if what you previously wrote fits in with what you’re writing now. This could be anything from changing a character’s appearance, location descriptions, or story points. Yes, these can be fixed later, but making sure they are fixed while still top-of-mind is less stressful later.

Final Thoughts

These are only a few suggestions for working off a story outline. If you notice yourself deviating way too much from the outline, take the time to figure out where the story is headed and how you want to end it.  

Ideally, Option #1 is the best course of action. It may take longer to complete, but that will make the actual drafting process go smoother and faster in the long run.

While it is fun to let the Muse take over and decide the fate of your story and your characters, you may also want to get the story done in a timely manner. An outline can help you achieve your goal and move on to the next project. 

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writing Update: NaNoWriMo 2022 – Week #1

Posted on by Ian Dawson

Hello! I know it technically hasn’t been a week since NaNoWriMo began. Still, I wanted to update you on my progress and give you insights into some things I’ve also learned so far.

As of this posting, I have written 15,064 words. I’ve been doing my best to write daily for a few hours. Sometimes I can squeeze in an hour; other times, I can do three or more, depending on when I plan to write.

Week One Takeaways

• It’s amazing how much extra time you have to write when you aren’t glued to your phone or tablet, binge-watching a TV show, or doing other unproductive activities. By eliminating these distractions, I could easily find more time each day to write.

• I found writing at night a very productive way to write over multiple days. For example, if I started writing at 11pm on Tuesday and wrote until 1am on Wednesday. I now have written for two hours, but also for two days. This helped keep the daily writing consistent and kept the words flowing.

• Unlike a marathon, it’s okay to leap out of the gate with your writing at full force. If you can write more a day in the first week than the 1,667 words needed to hit 50,000 by the end, do it and keep going. Don’t pull back, and don’t stop once you hit that goal. Eventually, you might hit a creative wall, and those extra words will help you when you do.

• I’m using an outline for my third novel, and I’ve found that what I initially had for the opening once I fleshed it out wasn’t working like I thought it would. No worries. Since your goal is word count, this is a great time to play around and experiment if needed. You can write scenes for your characters that might not end up in the final project but are helping you explore your story and character and increase your word count.

• Even if you write something you don’t like, keep it in for now. Again, while you may be working on a project during NaNoWriMo, your main goal is to hit the magic 50,000-word goal. You can always cut, change, or move things later, but keep writing.

• I have been leaving myself notes in brackets [like these] at the start of each writing session to remind myself of any changes I wish to make to the previous sections I’ve written. That way, I can go back later and fix things.

The main goal is to keep writing and moving forward in your progress. Get through the story from start to finish and edit and change things later.

Keep on writing, and I’ll be back with more updates and maybe an article or two in the next week.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Fellow Readers and Writers, I’m Taking A Blog-Writing Break This November

Posted on by Ian Dawson

Hello!  As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, National Novel Writing Month begins on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.  I will be working on my third novel during November and won’t have time to write blog posts regularly.

However, during November, I will post about my progress, any writing problems I encountered, and how I worked through them.  

I hope all of you can participate in NaNoWriMo this year.  If not, keep on writing and being creative!

I’ll be back to my regular posting schedule in December.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writing Tip of the Week: Gearing Up for NaNoWriMo 2022

Posted on by Ian Dawson

In my last post, I talked about the upcoming NaNoWriMo November writing challenge, where you are tasked with writing 50,000 words in 30 days.  While that may seem a bit overwhelming to some, let’s talk about ways to make the experience better and your success possible.

By the Numbers

If we do some quick math, 50,000 words in 30 days equate to around 1,667 words per day. 

It’s always good to have some writing-based goal written down that you plan to accomplish each time you sit down to write.  Some days you’ll burn through those 1,667 words in no time, and other times it will feel like your brain is struggling to come up with the next word to type.  The key is attempting to reach this magic number each day.

You can keep track using a spreadsheet, copying and pasting each day’s work on your NaNoWriMo novel page or on a piece of paper.  However you do it, seeing your progress is fun and encouraging.  After some time, you won’t want to break the productivity chain.

Plan Ahead

With this writing challenge, knowing your story and where it’s going from start to finish is a good idea.  Take the guesswork out of what you’re writing daily, and know before you go.  

Whether you create a simple outline or a detailed one, have a plan in place and a general idea of where you want the story and main character to go throughout the story.  You can always rewrite and change things later, but getting the story down and the word-count goal met is the primary focus.

Live in Reality

As humans, we have stuff to do.  Work, family, shopping, sleep, etc.  Plus, November has Thanksgiving and Black Friday toward the end of the month.  

Life happens, and you will get busy and possibly not have time to hit the minimum word count for a day or two.  Don’t worry about it.  You can make it up another day.  Remember that you have 30 days to reach 50,000 words, so give yourself some slack in the event things arise that prevent you from writing for a few days during the month.

Just remember to get back to it and keep writing.

Have Fun

The key to making this challenge a positive and fun experience is to enjoy the process.  Be motivated to hop on the computer and write each day.  It shouldn’t be a slog, feel like a punishment, or make you dread sitting down at the computer.

Don’t think of it as work.  Think of this as a creative escape where the destination is 50,000 words of a story you enjoyed writing and bringing to life.  

If you burn through 50,000 words early, keep going.  Write, write, write.

What if I Don’t Make it?

Writing 50,000 words is a marathon.  And like marathon runners, sometimes things can get in the way that prevents us from hitting our goal in the time we planned to complete it.  

Again, life happens.

No matter how much you get done by November 30, I encourage you to keep writing.  Even if you hit 50,000 words a week or two into December, you still have reached the goal.

Then, next year, try again.  See what you can do to reach the goal sooner.

You can do it!  Hit that 50,000-word goal no matter what!

Final Thoughts

All the suggestions above can be used for any writing project and help you map your pathway to success.  While any big writing project can initially feel daunting, breaking it down into manageable chunks can keep your creative momentum going and ensure you cross the finish line.

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Writers, Are You Ready for NaNoWriMo 2022?

Posted on by Ian Dawson

November 1 is right around the corner, meaning NaNoWriMo returns once again. If you’ve never heard of it, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, an annual challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days.

Are you up for the challenge? I’ll be participating this year, and I encourage all new and seasoned writers to join.

Learn more and sign-up at the link below:

https://nanowrimo.org

The site offers many resources and tips to make your month a success.

You still have plenty of time to create and develop a story idea before NaNoWriMo begins. Start creating!

Happy Writing, and I’ll see you next time!

Have You Heard About NaNoWriMo?

Posted on by Ian Dawson

This coming Thursday, November 1, 2018, National Novel Writing Month begins.  If you have never heard of it, I encourage you to take part in NaNoWriMo, which is a worldwide event where writers are encouraged to sign-up and write 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30.

This is a great way to create a writing routine and discipline yourself into writing every day.  It’s also a great way to get a jump start on a rough draft of a new story, or even to motivate yourself to finish one you have already started.

Either way, it’s an opportunity to have a set writing goal that will keep you motivated to reach that 50,000-word mark by the end of November. 

You can sign-up here at the official NaNoWriMo site and check out the other stuff they offer.

Happy Writing!