My Heads in NaNo
So as some of you may know, I am currently neck deep in NaNoWriMo. As such, my thoughts are continuously on my book and my word count. Unfortunately, it can be pretty difficult when we are in the midst of something we are fully and joyfully engaged in, to pull our minds out of it and concentrate on anything else.
So rather than trying to write something else while distracted, I’ve decided to share a few of the tricks I’ve been using to write my 30 day novel with any other aspiring novelists out there.
In NaNoWriMo, you are either a Pantser or a Planner. You either take your chances in real time, or plan the heck out of everything. I my friends, am a Planner.
Some people can sit down and write out three chapters with very little effort, my best friend as well as my mentor seem to have this ability. Personally, I am easily distracted and am prone to writers block. Knowing this, I have decided to take an approach that better accommodates my personality to gear myself for success.
Food: I love food; I’m always hungry and always snacking. If I let myself get hungry while writing, chances are good that I will walk away to make myself an awesome snack or meal and sit down to Netflix while I eat. Once that happens, I’m pretty well lost to the cause. Knowing this, I strategically organized my work station; my desk now includes a variety of trail mix, candies, and snack foods. Great big shoutout to my mother who made me a junk food care package complete with popcorn, bacon, and kraft dinner for when something a little more substantial than trail mix, chocolate, and fuzzy peaches, is needed (all of which she also included in the package.) Now, I can eat while I write without leaving the train of thought.
Distractions: Some writers can sit with friends in a café writing their stories with absolutely no hindrance. I however, tend to notice the mother and her child who just walked in, the way the coffee is bugging my nose because I hate coffee, the silly laugh someone has at the other end of the room, the paint and drywall on that mans cargo pants indicating he is a contractor……Squirrel! Yep, I’m that person. While in writing mode, I can create worlds or bring a characters entire world crashing down around them however, if you talk to me while I’m on a role….. my train of thought is completely derailed. To prevent this, I’ve taken to putting in my sound muffling earphones and putting up signs on my desk at work reminding people about NaNoWrimo and asking them not to disturb me when I’m in full writer’s mode and the ‘I’m on break’ sign is posted. While at home, I'm at my carefully organized office space away from the many other distractions the world has to offer.
Visuals: I’m a very visual person so it helps for me to see where I’m going with my story when I start to lose momentum or am looking for ways to get from one plot element to the next. Knowing this, I wrote each of my plot points down on a paper and hung them up on a string across my wall as a visual timeline. As more ideas cross my mind, I can hang them up in their appropriate place on the timeline and when I start to need a boost, I look at it to see where I’m at. Located just above that, I have written down various memories belonging to my characters so that I can randomly toss those in when there is need. Finally, to the left of the timeline and memories, I have a calendar to track my word count for additional encouragement and motivation.
In NaNoWriMo, you are either a Pantser or a Planner. You either take your chances in real time, or plan the heck out of everything. I my friends, am a Planner.
Some people can sit down and write out three chapters with very little effort, my best friend as well as my mentor seem to have this ability. Personally, I am easily distracted and am prone to writers block. Knowing this, I have decided to take an approach that better accommodates my personality to gear myself for success.
Food: I love food; I’m always hungry and always snacking. If I let myself get hungry while writing, chances are good that I will walk away to make myself an awesome snack or meal and sit down to Netflix while I eat. Once that happens, I’m pretty well lost to the cause. Knowing this, I strategically organized my work station; my desk now includes a variety of trail mix, candies, and snack foods. Great big shoutout to my mother who made me a junk food care package complete with popcorn, bacon, and kraft dinner for when something a little more substantial than trail mix, chocolate, and fuzzy peaches, is needed (all of which she also included in the package.) Now, I can eat while I write without leaving the train of thought.
Distractions: Some writers can sit with friends in a café writing their stories with absolutely no hindrance. I however, tend to notice the mother and her child who just walked in, the way the coffee is bugging my nose because I hate coffee, the silly laugh someone has at the other end of the room, the paint and drywall on that mans cargo pants indicating he is a contractor……Squirrel! Yep, I’m that person. While in writing mode, I can create worlds or bring a characters entire world crashing down around them however, if you talk to me while I’m on a role….. my train of thought is completely derailed. To prevent this, I’ve taken to putting in my sound muffling earphones and putting up signs on my desk at work reminding people about NaNoWrimo and asking them not to disturb me when I’m in full writer’s mode and the ‘I’m on break’ sign is posted. While at home, I'm at my carefully organized office space away from the many other distractions the world has to offer.
Visuals: I’m a very visual person so it helps for me to see where I’m going with my story when I start to lose momentum or am looking for ways to get from one plot element to the next. Knowing this, I wrote each of my plot points down on a paper and hung them up on a string across my wall as a visual timeline. As more ideas cross my mind, I can hang them up in their appropriate place on the timeline and when I start to need a boost, I look at it to see where I’m at. Located just above that, I have written down various memories belonging to my characters so that I can randomly toss those in when there is need. Finally, to the left of the timeline and memories, I have a calendar to track my word count for additional encouragement and motivation.
Are you a writer? Are you a Planner or a Pantser? When it comes to blog posts, I’m definitely more of a Pantser but a book definitely takes a lot more planning. These are just some of the ways I prepare and keep afloat during NaNoWriMo. What are your tricks and habits when it comes to your creativity? Let me know in the comments below.
Cheers!
The Bra Street Rambler
What you do works and it shows in your book. You are an amazing writer who brings us along on your imaginary train.
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