NaNoWriMo! Tips and Tricks

Ok, so I am in NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. It's so much fun. :)

I'm writing about an immortal group of people who are fighting this war, but are losing, and choose to do something quite unexpected.

My word count is 42,000. I'm currently hovering around the 36,500 word mark...not bad. So. I know many of my friends who are doing NaNo are stuck. So, I'm deciding to list some of my personal tips. Believe me, there is nothing worse than staring at a blank sheet of paper/Word doc/whatever thinking of what to do next.

Here's what I do:

I. Listen to music! Choose something uplifting. I really recommend listening to classical. You're thinking, "Oh, God, no, not classical!" But classical can be really inspiring. I've listened to "The Thieving Magpie", which is REALLY light and airy. Heck, it inspired me to write a new chapter and finish it in less than an hour!

II. Visualize you holding a finished novel in your hands with your name on the cover. Since I started writing, I have always visualized one thing: holding a book with my name on the cover. It's a rather good inspirer. NaNo is doing their annual publishing collaboration with CreateSpace -- I was a fool not to take it last year, but I just might this year. I find that that little mental image helps unjam the dam of tangled words. :)

III. Include random scenes. I love to be classy. I have my characters randomly toasting each other halfway through dramatic scenes -- or awesome chase sequences. Take ten minutes, isolated from the rest of the world. Just write a random scene with a character or two. Don't, don't, don't worry! Just let the words flow. You can figure out how to add it later.

IV. If not enough words your problem? Never fear. I have a habit of "Victorian-izing" my sentences. If you've read Charles Dickens or George Eliot, you know what I mean. Regular Sentence: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. My Sentence: As the indolent hound looked on, the rapid fox performed a surprising leap over him -- surprising, considering the fox's caliber and swiftness, which were usually to be condemned. Almost twenty words extra right there! :)


So, yeah. Don't do it too much, though. You might bore yourself and then where would you be? But try it a bit. You may be surprised.
I also have some interviews in my story. I love slipping in an "erm", "er", "sorry", and the ubiquitious "um, so..." Works every time.

I hope this helps you! There are only 6 days left for NaNo to end. Try to make the most of it.

-Rob