Na-No! *Clap Clap*
Wri-Mo! *Clap Clap*
Na-No! *Clap Clap*
Wri-Mo! *Clap Clap*
Yes, it’s that time of year! Time for tens of thousands intrepid souls to ignore friends, family and pumpkin spice everything in order to write themselves a novel.
National Novel Writing Month!!
Some of you might be writing your first novel, some of you might be writing your tenth, but it will be a great experience for everybody.
Here are some resources that might help.
First and most importantly, all of my very best writing tips are contained in my guide to writing a novel: How to Write a Novel: 47 Rules for Writing a Stupendously Ultimate Novel You Will Love Forever. The great James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner, said these kind words:
“In his 47 brilliant rules, Nathan Bransford has nailed everything I’ve always wanted to tell people about writing a book but never knew how. Wonderfully thought out with lots of practical examples, this is a must-read for anyone brave enough to try their hand at a novel. It’s also a great review for experienced writers. Highly recommended.”
However, if you prefer your advice for free you have also come to the right place! Here are some posts that will help you along the way:
How to write a novel (overview)
How to choose an idea for a novel
How to get started writing a novel
How to find a writing style that works for you
How to get over writer’s block
Make sure your characters have goals and obstacles
All about conflict
Seven keys to writing good dialogue
What makes a great setting
Do you have a plot?
Five ways to stay motivated
The solution to every writing problem that has ever existed
Writing Advice Database
Good luck!!
Anonymous says
It just wouldn't be November without NaNoWriMo!!
Lost Carlson Rhoads says
Does this participation disqualify ones work for future submissions?
Julie Musil says
LOVE NaNo! This will be my sixth year. Thanks for the great roundup.
wendy says
Lost Carlson Rhoads, I believe you can submit a work written for NaNoWriMo anywhere. I've not been a part of this, but I've heard other people comment to the effect that their NaNo efforts where submitted to editors, etc, after the competition…or whatever it is. I don't come from the States, myself.
Anonymous says
NaNoWriMo has no judges, except yourself. No one reads your entry, unless you share it. When you "upload" your effort, it's just to update your word count, since the goal is quantity, not quality. You can even use a tool that obfusticates your words but leaves the word count intact.
Entering does not disqualify your story for anything. It's a writing exercise, designed to exercise those writing muscles. And for some of us its a struggle to write 50k words in a month but worth the effort.
Sheena-kay Graham says
I'm in again this year and excited to be on a roll! Thanks for the advice Nate.
Lilian Jade says
This will be my first time trying out NaNoWriMo
fingers crossed
Ani Alexander says
For me, NaNoWriMo is a great accountability tool. Besides that it helps with creating daily writing habit!