So NanoWrimo has just begun and people are already starting to get busy with writing. I just wanted to share a couple of things that may help distress or encourage those who are doing NanoWrimo this month.
1. Quick and dirty:
The first draft is not necessarily meant to be good. It is something that is meant for improvement and that will sort of give you a baseline fore your story. So that other better drafts can come from your first draft.
2. Quality not quantity.
It's true that the goal is to write about fifty thousand words or more by the end of November. And I suppose this relates to the bit above. But in the end it doesn't really matter about the word count if your novel sucks. It is better to have fewer words and have your novel be incredible than to have less words and have it suck.
3.Notes.
I was unable to really get a baseline for my novel going because I had signed up so late, but also because I had not taken note or allowed myself the time to really brainstorm and write down my ideas. So it is always a great idea to take a break, to take some notes gets your thoughts together before continuing.
4. Music.
It is always good to get inspired and be creative while writing. I find that music really, helps with this. Here are some songs that may be good for a boost of inspiration.
Born to Die-Lana Del Rey
Digital Rot-Tan Vampires
Wishing Well-The Airborne Toxic Event
Until We Bleed-Lykke Li
Armistice-Phoenix
Shake Me Down-Cage The Elephant
Oblivion-Bastille
Pompeii-Bastille
Dog Days Are Over- Florence+The Machine
Blue Jeans-Lana Del Rey
Fluorescent Adolescent-Arctic Monkeys
Peaches-In The Valley Below
Cough Syrup-Young The Giant
5. Books.
Each and every author has their own writing style. And voice. So it may be a good idea to grab some inspiration from other books.
Do not copy or plagiarize. But practice writing with their style. See how you like it and see if it may be possible to incorporate a mixture of styles within your story.
6. Tweaks.
It may be necessary while writing to go back and read or fix paragraphs or word choices every once in while. In order to make the story continuously better. I find that I often have to stop and read through the sentences and paragraphs I've just written before going back and tweaking it. Sentence structures and wording are also vital to the story-line. Often times a couple of words have the power to make the story better or worse. Which in a way I suppose is why writing can be so hard most of the time.
7. Dictionary's.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Sometimes it is vital to have a dictionary lying around. Not only because of the diversity of words that could be used to make your story more interesting. But also, if there ever comes a time when spelling or grammar needs to be checked than it's good to have around.
8. Avoid the use of cliches while writing. It is often refreshing to see new or unused story ideas and back grounds. So be creative!
9.Avoid repeating sentences and wording.
10. Try not to over explain things. It is good to appeal to the five senses. Taste, Touch, Sight, Smell, and sound. Often times it is easy to over explain or examine things which can lead to a boring story structure. However appealing to the readers five senses is something that is vital. "How did it feel, smell, look, sound, taste, etc."
11. And finally if what your writing seems boring to you it is probably going to be boring to the reader as well. So it may be necessary to try and change up your writing every once in a while. Remember falling action, climax, falling action, and major plot points.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
