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Danika Dinsmore

Storyteller / Activist

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NaNo preparation

NaNoWriMo 2014: Team Pantser

October 30, 2013 by openchannel 9 Comments

Every year during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) the discussion of “pantser” (one who writes by the seat of his or  her pants) vs. “Planner” (one who outlines in advance) pops up. For the past two years I’ve been boldly promoting the “Planner'” approach:

Weekend Workout: Prepping fo NaNo (or not)

Reading that post, I sound very convinced and quite smug. Really, there is no one way or best way to write a novel, there’s just the way that works for you. And this year, I’ve joined Team Pantser. Not necessarily because I’ve seen the light, but because I’m being forced to for lack of planning time. As a matter of fact, I can’t even begin until Nov 4, so I’m going to have to haul literary ass to catch up.

gizem vural
artwork by gizem viral

I was inspired by a recent discussion on this topic on a speculative fiction writers forum, and we heard from a few pantsers. There’s definitely something to be said for just going for it.

Jennifer (J.R.) Johnson wrote:

I spend no time outlining or researching. For me, the key to success is to achieve and maintain words-on-the-page momentum, and stopping to check an outline or fact just slows me down. In fact, anything that pushes me out of the story slows me down and is therefore banned from November.
 

 

Normally my system involves coming up with a basic idea (ok, a character and a situation) pretty much the night before. November 1st rolls around and I start writing. In the evening I spend about five minutes wondering where the story is going, scribble down a few notes about the most outrageous developments I can think of, then go to bed. Rinse and repeat:)
 

 

If the writing is slow I know I’m boring myself, so it’s time to throw in something crazy like ninjas (or whatever the equivalent is in your particular story)…
Robert Runte added:

 

I think the success of NaNoWriMo depends on using it to fix whatever has been stopping one from writing … the two big advantages for me were giving myself the daily deadline and forcing myself to keep moving forward rather than stopping to endlessly rewrite the same paragraph over and over again until finally making enough progress to realize the paragraph/scene doesn’t belong in the book….
 

 

I always start with a vague idea of where the book is going — I’ve usually had fragments of scenes, some characters in my head for awhile—and just launch into it . . . when things slow down, I try to throw something new at my protagonists to keep them hopping…
 

 

… But—and this is important— putting this pressure [of the NaNo]  on oneself shuts down internal critic, so images and plot twists and characters pop out of nowhere, things I couldn’t possibly force out of my subconscious if I allowed the boys downstairs a moment’s thought. So what happens is, in desperation to feed the wordcount, they hand anything brainstormed out the door, and some of it is way better than you get thinking about it. I often over think stuff and always over critical to the point of cutting off ideas before they have had a chance to develop into something workable. NaNoWriMo forces one to just go with it and see what works. So…that can often be very helpful
 
Now, if all this pansting talk has gotten you inspired and you want to join in, but you have NO IDEA what to write about. Sherry Ramsey sent along an article she posted on “random generators” to get you started:

Help for the NaNo Panicked Part One

 
As well, she has a slightly different version of my 50 First Lines exercise:
 
Help for the NaNo Panicked Part Two
 

 

I’ve actually never used one of my 50 First Lines exercises to write a novel (though I’ve gotten several short stories from them), but why not? You have to start somewhere.
 

 

I wanted to add that doing that NaNo takes a bit of “pantsing” no matter how much you like to plan. You need that momentum in order to finish 50,000 words in one month. The editor is going to have to be left behind simply to finish. And I really like that aspect of it.

 

If you’ve never done the NaNo, it’s a pretty unique experience. And there’s more to participating in NaNoWriMo than simply writing an entire novel in a month, although that’s pretty cool. There’s also the community, the dialogue, the sense of purpose, and the support. Oh, and the fun.

2013-Participant-Facebook-Cover

Filed Under: Archived Blog, NaNoWriMo, Pantsing, writing life Tagged With: NaNo preparation, NaNoWriMo

Weekend Workout: More NaNo / Novel Prep

October 19, 2012 by openchannel 3 Comments

In two days I’ll be off on a 3 week book tour in the U.S. so my posts might be sporadic (or simply reruns). But that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about you.

For those in preparation of NaNo, I’ve collected a few things for you:

From Bob Ray and Jack Remick’s Writing Blog: New Tips for the 2012 NaNo

This post covers setting, character, backstory, subplots, and structure. This is not just good advice for NaNo writers, it’s good advice for anyone starting any novel any time. And Bob and Jack have plenty of other exercises to keep you going for the entire month. This is an extremely helpful site for people working on novels run by two of the best writing instructors I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.

And if that’s not enough, there’s an entire PAGE of NaNo Prep advice, exercises, and offers on the NaNo site itself. Again, there’s plenty of information here for those not participating, but going to the site might inspire you to do so. I know it inspired me last year.

I wish I had time to write a new post for you. But, I did pop over to last year’s NaNo Prep and found THIS POST about how I prepared. It’s part inspiration, part permission, part practical preparation.

And just for kicks and giggles, here’s my NaNo Day One: Don’t Panic! post from last year if you’ve never NaNo’d before.

Have a great weekend!

Filed Under: Archived Blog, NaNoWriMo, weekend workout, writing exercises, writing life Tagged With: NaNo preparation, weekend workout, writing tips

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