5 Things I Learned by NOT doing NaNoWriMo

I was really sad to miss on out NaNoWriMo this year, because I really love it.

I love the write-ins, the socials, the overall energy, and even the popping, fizzing excitement on the website itself. It’s like a separate, festive season just for writers. In fact, someone a few weeks ago in late October was remarking on how November is just so bleak and blah, and I had to jump in and say, “No way–it’s one of my favourite months!”

She seemed startled by my enthusiasm and asked whether it was my birthday month or something. When I explained about NaNo, truth to tell, she seemed even more nonplussed, but never mind. I imagine you get the point–I luurrve NaNoWriMo.

And alas… this year, I was the gloomy little Edward Gorey child, standing outside the candyshop window, watching all the excitement going on within.

But for all those of you like me, who just didn’t have the time, and/or the wherewithal to participate this year, things are not all bad. There are still lessons to be learned. I highlight five, in descending order.

NaNo Tech

Tags

alphasmart dana, dragon dictation, index card for the ipad, scrivener, selfcontrol, total recall app, writechain, writeordie, ywriter

O how I love thee, Alphasmart!

Over the years, I’ve made use of many different tools, technologies, and techniques to aid in my writing–and in my completion of NaNoWriMos past. Given that November is fast approaching, I thought it might be fun to put together a list (also, I just couldn’t resist the title of this post) of some of the ones that have helped me most. So, here they are (in no particular order):

In Anticipation of NaNoWriMo…

Some of you may already be committed to doing NaNo this year. Others may be feeling a little more tentative and not quite ready to take the plunge. I say–do it. Dip a toe in, or jump headlong into the deep end. Even if you don’t get to the end, it’s a really fun and challenging experience!

Many people plunge into NaNo with no intention of ever showing people what they’ve written. It’s for themselves, to be able to say they did it. Or it might be to experience the joy and exhilaration of the creative flow that comes when everything starts coming together. This range of motivations is part of what makes NaNoWriMo so great.

As for me, I like to look at NaNo, not just as an opportunity to write frenziedly and try to get as many words in as possible–I like to see it as a way to get a workable, preliminary draft of something that I can develop at some future point into a finished product. Last year, I got up to about 65K, and then had to stop because school was getting too busy.

There are, of course, all the usual tips for those who fear they won’t make it (spelling out numbers, etc.). I’m ambivalent about a lot of those, as I have to just go back and standardize them later or change them as needed to make the mss usable. I generally ignore those “word count plumping” strategies. Make use of them if you feel you need to, but if you’re thinking you might someday edit what you’ve written into something for wider consumption, then remember that they will ultimately be one more barrier to the process of getting the work cleaned up. And since I hate cleaning up (*sigh* I really do. Just ask my husband!), I’d rather minimize the initial untidiness wherever possible.

So, what are some tips that have worked in helping me to reach 50K?