Hurdle #1: Right on Schedule

 

I’ve been told every writer hits a hurdle around the second week of NaNoWriMo.

Today is Day 7, so right on schedule.

I spent the better part of the morning trying to figure out where my novel was going next. I get this with every novel, of course, but NaNo has the unique ability to bring it to a head quickly.

I did some fiddling around on NaNoWriMo.org. I made up a cover. See?

 

 

That’s all well and good if I don’t plan on finishing a novel in 30 days. But what if I do?

Here’s a few things I did to get myself back on track:

#1: I looked ahead. While reading the end first might spoil a book for a reader, for an author it’s essential. You need to know where you’re heading if you’re going to figure out how to get there.

#2: I cleared out the clutter. My head was bouncing with all kinds of ideas I want to write about–just not yet. So I jotted them down in point form or phrases right in the document. I use square brackets like this [ ] so I can use the find function to check for these little notes later.

#3: I reviewed. I read back over yesterday’s work to get myself back into the character and the setting. I don’t know about you, but write better when I’m immersed in the emotion of the scene I’m writing. If I don’t feel it, it’s forced.

#4: I jumped in. I shushed that picky voice in my head that craves instant perfection and I just wrote. After all, that’s what NaNoWriMo is all about. Pure output. I can get the words on the page now, and fix them later.

I’m sure this won’t be the last hurdle I face. But I’m pretty optimistic so far.

Word count as of day 7? 12, 028 and still going strong.