Forget turkeys and football. NaNoWriMo—or National Novel Writing Month—has turned November into “da Writing Month.” But as so many authors have learned over the years, the best way to be successful in November is to start preparing for NaNoWriMo in October (aka Preptober). If you’re going to have a decent shot at writing 50k good words […]
November 7, 2016 by 26 Comments Outlining Your Novel3 Tips for Weaving Together Your Story’s Pieces (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 6)
Figuring out how to outline a novel is not a linear process. Particularly in the early brainstorming stages, outlining is not a simple progression from Step A to Step B. Your brain is going to be bouncing all over the place: Step A makes you realize something about Step Z, which makes you realize something about […]
October 17, 2016 by 94 Comments Outlining Your Novel3 Steps to Find the Heart of Your Story (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 3)
Most of the time when you start figuring out how to outline a story, you know one of two things about that story. Either you know the skeleton of your story (its premise or plot), or you know the heart of your story. But it’s not enough to have just one. You gotta have both. On its surface, […]
October 3, 2016 by 86 Comments Outlining Your NovelHow to Outline for NaNoWriMo: Should You Outline Your Novel?
Welcome to October—otherwise known as Cram Like Crazy for National Novel Writing Month (maybe we should call it LiCraFoNaNoMoWriMo—it’s got a certain ring, right?). Maybe you’re a NaNo veteran. Maybe you’re a tentative first-timer. Or maybe you’re not interested in writing 50,000 words in 30 days, but just want to figure out should you outline […]
January 25, 2016 by 61 Comments Editing Your NovelYour NaNo Novel Is a Hot Mess! How to Edit Your Book
Yay, you wrote a book! Now what are you supposed to do with it? Writing a manuscript often feels like a sprint to a finish line–but then you reach that finish line, only to realize it’s really just the beginning! In many ways, completing a first draft is the easy part of the writing (what? no! […]
October 5, 2015 by 79 Comments Writing Life7 Ways to Use NaNoWriMo to Make You a Better Writer All Year Long
Mention “NaNoWriMo” to a fellow writer and you’ll get one of two responses. They might just stare at you with raised eyebrows, wondering if your tongue tripped on its way out of bed that morning. More likely, however, their eyes will light up. NaNoWriMo–or National Novel Writing Month–has become the writer’s equivalent of the playoffs. It’s the […]
