For your viewing pleasure…The NaNoWriMo song!
Two weeks until NaNoWriMo’s launch. This year I’m writing an erotic romance entitled Rising Tide. So how do you get started with NaNoWriMo? Can you really write a novel in ONE month?
Yes.
Should you? If you’re wondering if you should…try it. If nothing else, it’ll give you a much better appreciation of the time it takes your favorite authors to pen another book. 🙂
How do you get started? That’s a great question. At the end of this post, I’ll have a list of links to awesome help sites for you. Until then…I’m just going to have to show you how I get started.
First up…Genre. What do you want to write? It’s got to be something interesting to you.
I challenge myself to something new in every NaNoWriMo. This year I want to write about an underwater civilization. It’ll be sexy (of course). I want it to take place now, but I want it to be dark. So let’s call it a Dark Fantasy Erotic Romance. You don’t have to be as specific, but I’ve been writing for a while so I get more particular about what I’m working on.
Rising Tide will be approximately 55k words (since 50k IS the minimum to win NaNo 🙂 ) .
I have two main characters. The hero belongs to the underwater civilization and the woman is a human underwater photographer. Now I get to start building up my characters and designing my underwater civilization. I’ll need a bad guy and at least two supporting characters. Much to ponder. 😀
Check out Lynn Viehl/S.L. Viehl’s blog for lots of help! She has great resources, character sheets, etc. Plus she’s giving away her ebook on how she writes for FREE.
National Novel Writing Month has a ton of resource guides and links in their FORUM.
What are you doing to prep for NaNo?
July
August
September
Lots of life interruption stuff happened this past quarter. It was tough to maintain focus. A lot of wonderful things happened despite the madness. The last quarter of 2012 will be filled with writing news. You know I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month again this year. I love me some NaNo.
That’s it on the writing front. I hope you’re taking stock of your goals and adjusting them appropriately.
It’s a motto I can’t do without. Write. Every. Day. Less than twenty-seven days until National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) begins. Are you ready?
Is this your first NaNo? Rest easy. There are tons of people out there with resources to help you get started. The Nanowrimo.org page is a great place to start. Some of my favorite authors do mini workshops during NaNo to keep you moving.
For new NaNo’ers and Vets alike, I’ve put together a list of resources that come in serious handy during the madness of 50k in a month (click on the names below, and they’ll open to the other sites)
Lynn Viehl (aka S.L. Viehl, Jessica Hall) is participating this year. Every year she has great hints, tips, and motivational posts. As a NYTimes bestselling author, she could be doing so many other things…what a great lady.
The Writer’s CheatSheet via No White Space.org. Guys, this is the end all-be all of cheat sheets. The plot layout (hero’s journey, the 12 steps to intimacy *cough* romance *cough*), and the character development lists (phobias, developing a character, archetypes, goal, and motivation) are amazing. Please, check it out.
Try new Software: These are NaNoWriMo sponsors. Note: the link takes you to the sponsor page, not the individual links. I use Scrivener, and bought it last year after I won NaNo (50% discount!!!).
What about some of these NYTimes Bestselling authors? They gave fantastic NaNoWriMo pep talks. Piers Anthony (Xanth and many others), Kelley Armstrong (Otherworld series), Meg Cabot (Princess Diaries), Neil Gaiman (Coraline), etc.
Join me. Write. I know you can do it! I’ll be right there in the trenches with you. Trust me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Dawn Montgomery
The Write Way, My Way 