How To Write for National Novel Writing Month

If you're here, and you haven't yet registered for NaNoWriMo, please don't forget to do so. I don't mind if you leave and then come back. To be honest, I don't even mind if you leave and then don't come back. NaNoWriMo is such a great experience, that simply to encourage new participants is enough of a warm fuzzy for me.

So go register!

I think one of the coolest, and possibly most intimidating part of the NaNoWriMo.org website are the NaNoWriMo Forums.

My first year as a NaNoWriMo participant, the forums weren't quite as well-organized as they are now. Currently, when you sign up you are able to customize your region, and select which other regional forums you wish to view. So instead of seeing each forum for each state and country (which adds up to a LOT of forums to scroll through), you'll see all the regular ones, plus one or two that are applicable for your region.

I get to see the Lehigh Valley forums and the Pennsylvania: Elsewhere forums, because I'm really halfway between two great areas that may have get togethers (which is going to be a whole 'nother module).

Wait! There are too many forums for me - I'm overwhelmed!

Well hey, there's a solution for that, too! If your page is taking too long to load, Chris Baty (he's the founder of NaNoWriMo) and team have added a page specifically for you. It's called Forum Select, and does exactly what it says it will do. It lets you hide certain forums that you think you won't want to post in, and helps with that "OMG, there's just too much here" feeling.

I recommend just diving right in. Jump into a discussion, read about other people's plots, join a challenge, or ask a question to other NaNo'ers who may have a solution to smash your writer's block wall down into smithereens.

If you're anything like me, you've spent every spare second of thought since you first heard about National Novel Writing Month thinking of what you'll write when November arrives. Part of NaNoWriMo is that what you write in November is Original. No polishing off that story you started writing in high school - keep that project for the momentum you'll have in December, when you're in the habit of writing every day.

For November, you need something new and fresh. That's what this Lens is really about. How many different ways can you brainstorm? Let me show and tell you! What if you want someone else to give you a plot? I can point the way! Need some wild and crazy inspiration? You are in the right place, my friend!

Read on!

Before you write a novel, you have to know what you're writing about, right?

Not exactly.

National Novel Writing Month is a program to allow you to write a novel. Note: I did not say "write a good novel", "write a well-written novel", or "write a novel that makes sense".

The only requirement of NaNoWriMo is that you write 50,000 words in 30 days.

You just need to write, and write fast. Paper notebook, computer, AlphaSmart or typewriter - it doesn't matter. It is perfectly acceptable to arrive at November armed only with your laptop.

So if you want to skip the next few IDEA sections, you don't need to feel guilty. Why don't you have a cookie while you scroll?

Brainstorming, for me, is a great way to come up with new ideas that are off the beaten path. It's also probably the easiest place to start - all you need is a piece of paper and a pen, and your brain (don't leave that one at home).

I like to start with an open EditPad Lite document and just start typing in things in a list. Whatever comes to mind, I type. I don't discard stupid ideas - in fact, this is critical. Write down the stupid ideas and let them lead you to the good ones. Invariably, after writing down something like, "A dog walks down the street and meets a cow," I'll come up with something that could be the next The Eyre Affair. It's really amazing how it works.

If you've never drawn a Mind Map before, start by checking out this great online program, Text 2 Mind Map. The months of the year is an example of what mind mapping can be.

Personally, I don't prefer using the computer for this method of idea generation. I like to grab my current favorite notebook, put a word in the center of the page, and start drawing lines (I skip the circles they taught me in school). Even though I'm a fanatic for symmetry, I don't get discouraged when one level is starting to look like a small forest, and the other side of the page is blank. I just grab more paper, and start taping it together.

So if you're desperate for an idea and the other two options aren't tripping your trigger, there's a place where you can go and pick from a pre-thought-up plot, and just start from there.

Yep, the NaNoWriMo Forums!

There are tons of places on the forums to look for ideas, but allow me to point you in a couple of good directions.

Word Wars, Prompts and Scripts
This forum, even during the "off season", is a wonderful place to get writing prompts and is a good jumping off point for any novel.

Role Play and Communal Story Building
Sneak into this forum to see what other people are doing, and see if anything strikes your fancy. Of course you don't want to do exactly what someone else is doing, but you can get great ideas when you see the momentum others have built up!

Genre Lounges
Not a forum itself, but a collection of forums each divided neatly into genres. You may find some wonderful inspiration here as you see others talk about their novels and novel ideas, and you can also use this opportunity to bounce ideas off of others.

I've always found the idea of plot generators wonderful, but the actual application terribly intimidating. If you're good at following direction, this could be a great avenue for you. If you just need something, anything, then this could be your dream.

I say, never pass judgment until you check it out for yourself!

Random Plot Generator
"You can hit your browser's Reload button for another set of plot ideas, though that's not the point of the exercise." Unless, of course, you're looking for an idea for NaNoWriMo - then it's perfect!

Plot Twist Generator
It was created just for NaNoWriMo participants, so really, you can't go wrong here, IMHO. You can set it to generate up to 50 plot twists, and when you add all those up, you could pretty much base your novel on what this generator comes up for you!

Seventh Sanctum Story Generator
If you're hankering for a story within a story, give this story generator a try. Tell it how many stories, and in what category (or all of them). You can even print your results!

Take a moment and click the star to Favorite this Lens. Every few days between now and November 1st, 2008 I'm going to post a new module, or tweak one I've created before. I'll send out a little message when I update, and you'll only get them if you favorite this Lens.

I'll see you in November!