Last Minute NaNoWriMo Prep
By Rochelle Melander
So here we are, less than a week away from NaNoWriMo. If you have not had time to prepare, do not worry. These last minute preparation tips will help you get your book and your life ready for the month. Here are five ways to rescue your novel planning before the month starts:
By Rochelle Melander
So here we are, less than a week away from NaNoWriMo. If you have not had time to prepare, do not worry. These last minute preparation tips will help you get your book and your life ready for the month. Here are five ways to rescue your novel planning before the month starts:
1. Create a sequel or companion book. If you did NaNo before, you have a whole book complete with characters. Can you borrow the characters, put them in a new situation, and create a sequel to your first book? Or maybe you have one character who didn’t get quite enough attention last time around. Can you grab him or her, the location, and some of the other characters and create a new book around this character?
2. Borrow a plot. When you write historical fiction or true crime fiction, the plot is already done for you. Is there a little-known or famous event or person that you have always wanted to write about? This could be your chance to flesh out history and show readers what it might have been like to be Mary Todd Lincoln or Commodus of Rome.
3. Set it in Your World. In No Plot, No Problem, Chris Baty suggests setting your novel in a place you know well. That’s great advice. Why not set your novel where you live now? That way, when you need to know what the library, grocery store, or train station look like, you can write from memory or take a short field trip for more information.
3. Set it in Your World. In No Plot, No Problem, Chris Baty suggests setting your novel in a place you know well. That’s great advice. Why not set your novel where you live now? That way, when you need to know what the library, grocery store, or train station look like, you can write from memory or take a short field trip for more information.
4. Write Fan Fiction. If you’ve drooled over the characters in a novel, movie, or television show, wishing you would have created them—here’s your chance to pal around with them for the next month. Rather than create your own world, borrow from your favorite source of inspiration. If you’re really creative, you can honor multiple works in your single novel. Imagine Harriet the spy on a Star Trek voyage with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. It could be a wonderful ride!
5. Use a Work of Art. Have you ever wondered about the world of a painting or photograph—what happened before and after the moment the artist captured? This work of art might be your ticket to NaNoWriMo gold. Visit your local art museum or browse online for a painting or photograph that can inspire your novel. Use the characters and setting and create your own story.
5. Use a Work of Art. Have you ever wondered about the world of a painting or photograph—what happened before and after the moment the artist captured? This work of art might be your ticket to NaNoWriMo gold. Visit your local art museum or browse online for a painting or photograph that can inspire your novel. Use the characters and setting and create your own story.
Now that you have your plot underway, it’s time to get your life ready for the month of writing dangerously! Here are a few random tips to help you prepare for the month:
1. Cancel everything you absolutely do not have to do. Do not add any extra events—no dinner parties, book group meetings, coffee dates, or shopping excursions. NaNoWriMo is your extra thing this month.
2. Schedule your writing time for the whole month right now, in pen. Don’t let anything interfere with this scheduled time. For the next month, consider yourself a novelist with a deadline of November 30. Don’t shirk your duties. Show up and write!
3. Make a plan for emergencies. No doubt you are already worrying about the “what ifs” in your head. What if I get sick? What if my kid gets sick? What if I run out of steam? Instead of wondering, make a plan. What will you do if something happens mid-month to interrupt your writing time? Some writers load up on extra words during the first week so that they can take a few days off mid month. Others put in marathon days on weekends so that they can be available for work or family emergencies during the week. Do what works for you.
3. Make a plan for emergencies. No doubt you are already worrying about the “what ifs” in your head. What if I get sick? What if my kid gets sick? What if I run out of steam? Instead of wondering, make a plan. What will you do if something happens mid-month to interrupt your writing time? Some writers load up on extra words during the first week so that they can take a few days off mid month. Others put in marathon days on weekends so that they can be available for work or family emergencies during the week. Do what works for you.
4. Consider putting an away message on your email program at least for the weekends, “Hello friends, I have traveled to the far away land of NaNoWriMo and will be back on December 1. Until then, I have limited access to email.” You can put a similar message on your voice mail.
5. Buy plenty of caffeinated beverages, treats and made-ahead meals so that you don’t have to waste time shopping or cooking before the month. If possible, hide a little extra cash in a safe place so that you can treat yourself to quick and healthy take out dinners and coffee shop treats during the month. Trust me, you’ll need them!
Your turn. What are you doing to get ready for NaNo?
Find the focus, energy, and drive you need to start--and finish--your book. Everyone has dreamed of writing a book, but so many start writing only to stall out due to writer's block, mental fatigue, and other challenges. "Write-A-Thon" helps you overcome those stumbling blocks and complete your book once and for all. And you don't have to type away for years on end. Here's a plan that'll help you write your book--in twenty-six days!
"Write-A-Thon" gives you the tools, advice, and inspiration you need to succeed before, during, and after your writing race. Solid instruction, positive psychology, and inspiration from marathon runners will give you the momentum to take each step from here to the finish line.
Start out well prepared: Learn how to train your attitude, your writing, and your life--and plan your novel or nonfiction book.
Maintain your pace: Get advice and inspiration to stay motivated and keep writing.
Bask in your accomplishment: Find the best ways to recover and move forward once the marathon is over and you have a completed manuscript in hand.
Writing a book in twenty-six days may seem impossible--especially if you don't write full time--but in "Write-A-Thon," Rochelle Melander will teach you the life skills, performance techniques, and writing tools you need to finish your manuscript in less than a month--guaranteed!
Author: Rochelle Melander
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books
Published: October 18th 2011
Giveaway:
I hosting a giveaway of this book, Write-a-thon. It'll be a print copy, and so it'll be US and Canada. I'll pick a winner via random.org on November 3rd so you have till the end of the tour for you guys to enter.
To Enter:
In the comments, tell me something that you think you'd like about this book and your email.
For Bonus Entries, 1 each, (and if you've already done them for a previous giveaway, say that)
-follow this blog by GFC
-follow this blog by email
-follow me on twitter
-add this book on Goodreads
To Enter:
In the comments, tell me something that you think you'd like about this book and your email.
For Bonus Entries, 1 each, (and if you've already done them for a previous giveaway, say that)
-follow this blog by GFC
-follow this blog by email
-follow me on twitter
-add this book on Goodreads
Author Bio:
Rochelle Melander is a certified professional coach and the author of 10 books, including a new book to help fiction and nonfiction writers write fast: Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (And Live to Tell About It) (October 2011). Melander teaches professionals how to get published, establish credibility, and navigate the new world of social media. In 2006, Rochelle founded Dream Keepers Writing Group, a program that teaches writing to at-risk tweens and teens. Visit her online at www.writenowcoach.com.
Contact and Buy AKA Links:
Stops on the Tour:
Oct. 18 - Meet & Greet at Virtual Book Tour Cafe
Oct. 20 - Author Spotlight at Assisting Authors Online
Oct. 25 - Guest Blogging at Live to Read
Oct. 27 - Guest Blogging at Words I Write Crazy
Oct. 29 - Author Interviewed at Written in Blood
Nov. 2 - Guest Blogging at Ashley's Bookshelf
Nov. 4 - Author Interviewed at From the Mind of Omegia
Nov. 7 - Guest Blogging at Authors by Authors
Nov. 9 - Author Interviewed at Lisa Haselton's Interviews and Reviews
Nov. 11 - Review of Write-A-Thon at For the Love of Reading
Nov. 15 - Author Interviewed at BK Media & Entertainment
Nov. 17 - Guest Blogging at A-Z Publishing Services
This sounds like an interesting and motivational book. I would like to read it just to see what kind of advice Rochelle would give to write a book in 26 days!
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