It’s that time of year again….

NaNoWriMo.

For those not familiar, November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) – a month-long writing event where you are challenged to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. I’ve been participating since 2011. Some years I have made the 50,000-word mark, and others I have fallen short. This year I will be attempting a rewrite of a novel I started in 2014 (was it really that long ago??). Hopefully, I’ll get it finished this time around. The idea for this novel has been quite persistent and I think it is high time I write it. And the characters are insisting.

Anyone who is familiar with my writing style knows that I really don’t plan much if anything before I start writing. I have the broad idea, maybe a particular scene, and a character or two who’ve volunteered to “go first.” That’s about it. It’s much like how I approach my art. I might have the basic idea – the main color scheme or whether it’s a landscape or abstract painting, but that’s all I know until I start. The most I can tell you about this novel is that it is sci-fi and set in the future, but not-too-distant future, and probably involves Mars. I’m partial to sci-fi and fantasy and try my hand occasionally at a more modern-day fiction, but I like the flexibility of sci-fi/fantasy. The ability to create worlds, create new races, new laws of physics and magic – these things appeal to me. And let’s be honest, sometimes the characters dictate all of it. Even if I have a storyline in my head, that doesn’t mean the characters won’t take over and demand a different plot. It happens more often than you might think.

My tips for writing.

I’ve been asked many times how I go about writing, so I thought I’d share a few things I find important to any writing endeavor.

1. MAKE IT A HABIT. If you want to be serious about writing, you have to make it a habit. Schedule time in your day/week for it, have a set place(s) to do it, and do it. Just like going to work. It has to be part of your routine. Don’t leave your writing time to chance, or something will always come up and writing will get put off.  
2. DON’T EXPECT PERFECTION. Writing is an art form. It takes practice. And a first draft is just that… a first draft. It is meant to be edited. It is more important to get the ideas written than it is to have it perfect on the first try.
3. DON’T EDIT UNTIL YOU ARE DONE. And even then, give it a little time before you start. It is so tempting to go over what we just wrote and edit the hell out of it. Don’t do it. Just keep writing. If you stop frequently to edit what you’ve recently written you’ll never get it done.
4. NEW IDEAS THAT AREN’T PART OF THE STORY… But what happens if other ideas pop in while you’re writing? Write them down, too. Don’t interrupt the creative flow just because it doesn’t fit in with your outline. Open a new document, turn to a new page, or open a new notebook and write the new idea until it is finished, then go back to what you were doing. Be okay with the creative flow, no matter where it takes you, and you are unlikely to develop writer’s block.
5. PLANNING VERSUS…NOT. Like I said earlier, I don’t/can’t plan my writing for beans. I just don’t work in a linear fashion. And it’s okay if you don’t either. Or if you do. If it helps you to make an outline and plan, then plan away. If that idea makes you want to scream, then don’t do it. There is no right or wrong here, no matter what anyone says. Do what is right for you.

All that being said, experiment. Be creative. Be flexible. And be persistent. Dedication and discipline will get you much further than if you rely on inspiration and motivation alone. Inspiration and motivation are catalysts to getting started, dedication and discipline will help you run the marathon.

It’s time for me to get working on that novel. Until next time…