Tag Archives: National Novel Writing Month

After NaNoWriMo – Editing Part 2

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Part 2 of the guest post by Bridget Whelan which I’ll be making much use of this month 😉

After NaNoWriMo
Three bite-size guides to editing and revising your NaNoWriMo novel.

PART Two

Put down everything that comes into your head and then you’re a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff’s worth, without pity, and destroy most of it – Collette

Five ways of editing that first rough draft

1) Cut and cut again. Be brutal. You thought you’d written 50,000 words of your NaNoWriMo novel? The harsh truth is that you probably need to ditch 20,000 of those words. You’ve got a copy of the original so you can chuck everything away knowing you have the freedom to change your mind. In fact, keep a copy of every major revision. It gives you confidence knowing that nothing is lost, and that every major change can be undone. The reality is that once paragraphs, pages and chapters have been deleted you’ll wonder how they ever had a home in your manuscript.

2) Remember that adjectives don’t get lonely: they do not have to travel around in pairs – the kind and pleasant man; the warm, dry day. Every time you see two together ask yourself which one you really, really need. Or if you need any.

3) Take a long, hard look at any descriptive passages, especially the ones you like the best. Samuel Johnson said that if he you ever come across a sentence he had written that struck him as being particularly elegant and finely crafted then he knew he had to cut it. It was probably written for his own enjoyment rather than because it helped the reader to understand what was going on.

4) Have you started in the right place? Classic advice is to start a story in MEDIAS RES – in the middle – in other words dive in. Have you chosen to start your NaNoWriMo novel a long time before the big event occurs? Why? If the answer is because it’s a good introduction or it sets the stage, then cut. Sometimes we write a beginning more for ourselves than the reader. We are working our way into the story, getting a feel for the characters and their take on the world. You might need that introduction to get you started, the reader doesn’t. So, write it if it helps you to launch a story and cut it out at the editing stage – which is now.

4) Show don’t tell is the command burnt into the heart of every creative writing student, but sometimes it’s ok to tell. The reader can’t live through every moment. Use dialogue to dramatise the big scenes, or the moments where important elements of character are revealed. It is not for the ordinary do-you-want-a-cup-of-tea exchanges (or boring small talk at parties unless it propels the narrative in some way.)
5) Don’t introduce all the characters at once. Do it one at a time with a little physical description or back story so we can remember them. (For example: Cara tucked a strand of her sand coloured behind her ear and swore softly, her previous career as an advertising writer meant she knew how to make words work for her.) Ask yourself if you have to give a name to all the minor characters. Remember that a name may be the least interesting thing about them. They could appear as their job or the function they carry out in the story. For example: the teacher said…. the neighbour smiled…

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Courtesy of Carlos Porto freedigitalphotos

Coming up in PART THREE six tips that will help you get your NaNoWriMo novel ready for a reader. But if you want to read that post, you’ll have to pop over to Bridget’s blog tomorrow 😉

Please leave a comment for Bridget with your thoughts and opinions, or pop over to Bridget’s Blog to say Hi

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After NaNoWrimo – Editing Part 1

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So how we all feeling this morning? Any Wrimo’s take it to the wire last night? We had one lady on the Kent FaceBook group who finally hit the 50k at just before 11.30pm (UK time). I couldn’t go to bed before she’d finished and validated.

So that’s it, my official ML duties are over! Awwwww, it’s been fun, but now this is where the real work starts. We have our 50,000 words, so now what? The theme this month on the old blog will be editing, and to start us off, a guest post by Bridget Whelan who teaches Creative Writing. I think this will be very handy 😉

After NaNoWriMo
Three bite-size guides to editing and revising your NaNoWriMo novel.

PART ONE

Write drunk, edit sober – Ernest Hemingway

The relief is wonderful. Nanowrimo is over, done and dusted for another year. You have so much freedom and so much time to do other things. Some of you may even have a NanNoWriMo certificate to prove you took the challenge and won and – as long as you didn’t write your name over and over again – you should be proud of yourself. Very proud.
​Of course, some of us didn’t mange 50,000 words, but as long as you have more words written now than you did on November 1st you’ve made an important step in your development as a writer. And you know that yourself until a small steely voice sounds in your head and says, it’s all rubbish. And the bits that aren’t rubbish have been done before.
​That’s the voice that stops you writing. That’s the voice that NaNoWriMo silences with a frenzy of activity. That’s the voice of an editor. It’s a mean-spirited companion, dismissive of hard work and effort. It won’t offer any rewards for sticking with it, reaching goals and staying up late. All it cares about is what’s on the page and when you come to look at what you’ve written during NaNoWriMo, that’s all you should be care about too. Even when it means blood on the floor.
​
Three things to do before you pick up a red pen or press delete

1) Rest and Recover. You wrote in a fever. You need the story to settle in your mind and you also need to create some distance if you’re going to listen to that editor’s voice. How long? At least two weeks.
2) Read. Anything except your NaNoWriMo novel. Read poetry for the language. Read cheap trashy novels you hate to learn what not to do. Read cheap trashy novels you love to learn how they captured you. Read action novels for pace and crime fiction for suspense. Read horror and speculative fiction for imagination and fairy tales for permission to push the boundaries (A brother and sister abandoned by their parents and enslaved by a female cannibal? Did you go as wild during NaNoWriMo as Hansel and Gretel?)
3) Watch the video of Kurt Vonnegut describing how to plot a best seller. It will have you laughing and thinking.

Four things to do when you read your NaNoWriMo novel again

1) Breath deeply. Dive in. If you can, try to read all the way through in one sitting. Ignore your emotions: horror, embarrassment, mild pleasure, surprise. Read with a pen in your hand and summarise every chapter (or five thousands words if it isn’t broken down into chapters yet). No one will see these notes so they can be as clunky as you like. Stick to about 100 words for each summary – these are working notes and shouldn’t take up too much of your writing time
2) Imagine you are being interviewed on radio. How would you describe your main character? What does your main character want? No waffle: be specific. The radio audience won’t like vague phrases about rites of passage or someone finding themselves.
3) Even if you have written The End in big bold letters and drawn a line underneath it, consider possible alternative ways of resolving the issues in your NaNoWriMo novel.
4) Ask yourself if you want to spend a lot of time living with this story and the people who inhabit it. Vikki described herself as being haunted by the story she was trying to tell in first Nanowrimo writing. That’s a very good place for a writer to be.

Coming up in PART TWO (tomorrow) five ways of editing that first rough draft.

A great article Bridget, I will definitely be following your advice 🙂

Please leave a comment for Bridget with your thoughts and opinions, or pop over to Bridget’s Blog to say Hi

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NaNoWriMo – The Last Day

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Today is the last day of Nano (so should that be YAY or SOB ? lol) So if you haven’t hit the 50,000 words by now you have approximately 22 hours (in the UK from the time this post went live) to pull your finger out and write!

It’s been a funny old month for me. Full of highs and lows. My first year as an official ML has been great fun. Elizabeth asked me a couple of days ago if I’d do it again next year, of course I would! 🙂

I’ve met a few Wrimo’s I didn’t know before who have now become FaceBook friends and learnt that I can write 9,000 words in a day. I went on a writing retreat (which was fantastic) and discovered that Mills & Boon books are much harder to write than you think they’ll be. I also learnt that my netbook cannot be trusted and have decided that he will retire from service before next year 😉

So what’s next? What do we now do with all those words? You have to edit *shudders* 😉

The lovely Bridget Whelan who teaches Creative Writing, has written a series of 3 blog posts for me, all about editing. See me, I never really know where to start when it comes to editing, so I’m hoping Bridget can sort me out. You’ll find part 1 and part 2 here over the next couple of days and then part 3 will be posted to Bridget’s blog, but I’ll give you the link 😉

So all that remains is for me to say CONGRATULATIONS! it doesn’t matter if you only wrote 10 words or 75,000 (yes, I do know someone who wrote that much and she has a baby and toddler!). Everyone who takes part in Nano and wrote something is a winner as far as I’m concerned.

So now it’s time to Party!

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Courtesy of Simon Howden freedigitalphotos.net

Do try to get to a TGIO Party if you can. We have ours tomorrow, I’m looking forward to it 🙂

Me? I finished up with just over 55,000 words which is more than 2011 but less than 2010…..and the less said about those 65,000 words the better 😉

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Today’s The Day People

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Sorry for the lateness of today’s blog pst (and yesterday’s) but I’ve not been at home, back now though 😉

So today the Nanowrimo Verification system kicks in. Yep, that means that all of you who have reached the 50K mark can now upload your words and have them verified, and be officially classed a winner 🙂

I’ve just done mine, so I am officially a winner!

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I feel a little bit guilty though, I didn’t do Nano this year the way it should be done. Some of you already know, but for those of you who don’t I ended up finishing my Mills & Boon experiment at 20,000 words. I briefly thought about giving up, but I wanted to complete the challenge. So the next 30,000 words were short stories.

But I tell you what….it was is probably the most enjoyable Nano I’ve participated in. To the point where I’m considering, next year, to do a short story a day for November. I guess it goes back to me being an ideas person. I love creating characters, creating crap to throw at them, and then, I kinda get bored. But I don’t consider myself a good short story writer. My endings suck lol. I can come up with the scenarios, the characters, but then I don’t know how to resolve the story, in a satisfying manner. I don’t resort to “and then he/she woke up” as a final line, but I’ve been tempted lol.

So congratulations to all the Nano winners, it’s been a blast! And those of you who haven’t finished yet,GO FOR IT you have 5 days!

So now that we have all these extra words that we didn’t have last month What’s the plan? What will you be doing with your Nano Words? Me, I’ll be fiddling with Sorrento Sunrise and trying to find 30,000 words to pad it out with lol 😉

What I Learnt From My First (and Second) Nanowrimo

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No post here today guys, sorry, but I’m over at Bridget Whelan’s talking about Nano 🙂

Pop on over, where you’ll find me rambling, and, as an extra treat…. A video of Natalie Goldberg 🙂

Bridget says….
I am very grateful that Vikki has come across from her own blog at The View Outside to give newcomers like me a taste of what Nanowrimo – the international writing event – means. It’s clear she was made for this kind of challenge. By my calculations she was writing over 4,500 words a day (yes, A DAY) when she began, but slowed down for the second year because she was worried about the quality/quantity issue.

I’m open mouthed at her work rate, her ability to just get down and do it and her generosity in sharing….Over to Vikki…

CLICK TO CONTINUE READING

Bridget teaches Creative Writing and has one novel under her belt (so far eh Bridget?) 😉

At the beginning of December Bridget will be stopping by here to give all you Wrimo’s some tips on editing. If you’re anything like me you’ll be asking yourself on the 1st of December…. where do I start?

And thanks Bridget, for letting me take over your blog 🙂

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My 10 Not So Secret Secrets to Winning NaNoWriMo

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Everyone’s talking about Nano. Well, I guess they would be, the count down to the 1st November started on the 1st October 😉

Most of you know that this is my 3rd year of Nano and that the previous 2 years I was, in fact, a winner. Nano 2010 changed my life. If it wasn’t for Chris Baty then I probably wouldn’t be writing now, but anyway, I digress. People keep asking me, “how do you do it?” Win at Nano that is. So I thought I’d give you my top tips. I hope they help 🙂

1. Come up with your novel idea in advance. Yeah yeah, all the pansters are booing at me, but seriously….I’m not saying you have to outline. I’m not saying you have to have this great plan of all the scenes, but, trust me, having a rough idea, a beginning, middle and end in your head, will really help. My Nano 2010 still remains unfinished because I didn’t have a clue where it was going, whereas Nano 2011 may only be 52,000 words, but is at least complete. Soooo much more satisfying 🙂

2. Aim for daily word count goals. To win at Nano you have to do 50,000 words right? Ok, so that equates to approx 1666 words a day. But what if aunt Alice comes to visit? Or little Billy gets sent home from school with head lice? Or, heavens forbid….hubby gets man flu!!!! You can quite easily lose a day. So, do a bit extra each day. Aim for 2,000 words or even 2,500. You might just need to be ahead at some stage 🙂

3. Forget about the quality. It’s quantity we want here. Not every single word has to be Booker Award Quality. No one ever has to see this novel. Chris Baty refers to this Nano written draft as “draft zero” ie, the pre first draft….remember that!

4. Have a comfortable environment. Here in the UK, I won’t care where I write as long as its warm lol. My preferred place is my desk, but, I’ll also be attending write ins and going on a retreat. So as long as I’m warm and comfy I’ll be fine 🙂 If you like to write to music, make sure you have your favourite tracks on hand, and if you like silence (like I do) plan your writing sessions around times you know you’ll be on your own.

5. DON’T edit. Now this one is really important!!!!!! Seriously, if you try to edit while you’re writing you will work yourself up into a state of panic, crash, and burn 😦 I know it’s hard, you just want to go back and correct passages, spelling mistakes etc. But don’t as you’ll lose momentum, and you’ll be doubling the amount of time it takes you to write one chapter. Forget about it….until the 1st of December 😉

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6. Try to eat healthily. Yeah, ummmmm, this is my advice, but I don’t normally take it lol. I tend to snack a lot during Nano. The family live on take out, and I hate to imagine how much chocolate and Pepsi I consume during November. Sooooo, my advice is, have whatever you need/want to keep you going, but, do yourself a favour, have at least 1 piece of fruit a day yeah?

7. Get support. The Nano forums are brilliant!!! You can get advice if you’re struggling with your plot, receive sympathy if you’re flagging, and feel like you’re part of a lovely big family. Join your local region and attend at least one Write In for your area. Your lovely ML’s who organise them are on hand to give you any advice and support over a latte 🙂

8. Tell the family! Or room mate. Basically, whoever you live with. In my house they know that 1. They probably won’t get words of more than 1syllable out of me during November, 2. They will run out of clean underwear unless someone is assigned to the laundry and 3. That there won’t be much cooking going on (not that there normally is anyway I hear my daughter cry!). So best to warn your nearest and dearest I think.

9. Don’t give up if its not working. Ok, so you’ve written 15,000 words of a novel you suddenly realise you hate. It’s utter rubbish and deserves to be thrown in the bin. I’ve known people to give up completely at that stage…. NOOOO! DON’T DO IT! just carry on with another novel, another idea at word 15,001 or write some short stories, or your memoirs, anything, and just add it on! 🙂 Whoever said it had to be a complete novel? It can be short stories, your memoirs, or even a journal, observations of your day. *whispers* there are even some rebels out there who use it to rewrite novels and to finish existing ones 🙂

10. Have fun and don’t panic! Ok, look, we know its about getting to the finish line, the 50,000 words that let’s you claim your winners certificate, but, lets not have a melt down. Officially, this entry shouldn’t be on the list because I’m supposed to be telling how to win, but, its my list so i can add what i want 😉 Winning, is in the eye of the beholder. So you only did 7,000 words? The car broke down, the schools pipes froze and all the kids were sent home for a week. These things happen (usually to me on a regular basis lol). But, if that 7,000 words is more than you’d usually write in November, well, you’re a winner in my book 🙂

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My Netbook, where all the Nano action takes place 🙂

I don’t claim to be an expert, this is only my 3rd year, but the above list is based on my own experience of what works for me 🙂

Good luck everyone who’s taking part, and if you have any other tips, please share 🙂

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Bonus post today…..

I’m guesting for Chris at The Kelworth Files, where he asked me a few Nano related questions 🙂

kelworthfiles's avatarThe Kelworth Files

I’m pleased to shine the spotlight on Vikki tonight!

What’s the most unusual part of your writing process?
It’s probably not unusual as such, but…..I have a practice session every day. Before I write anything else I do a writing prompt, by hand in my notebook. It’s usually first thing in the morning, that seems the best time. It gets my brain in gear, helps me to focus, and puts me in writing mode.

Where are your backup files?
I use memory sticks. I seem to collect unusual ones. I have a memory stick pen (pen one end, USB the other) and a necklace. The necklace looks like a black heart, but actually comes apart to reveal a USB.

What advice would you give to all your fellow WriMos?
Don’t give up! I’ve seen it happen too many times 😦 You get to 15,000 words (or less) and decide that…

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Will You Be Nano-ing?

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If you’ve never heard of Nanowrimo, get yourself over to C A Husted’s blog and see what it’s all about…..

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Nanowrimo, or National Novel Writing Month is where really silly people decide to write a 50,000 word novel in one month, yep, one month. It starts on the 1st November and ends at midnight on the 31st. To consider to be a winner you have to have written 50,000 words (which you then have to upload to get verified before you get your winners certificate).

Ok, we’re not really silly people as such, most of us are in full control of our faculties, most of the time 😉 But, it is a challenge, it does make for a hectic month, and if you manage to do the full 50,000 words you’ll be so sick of your WIP you’ll want to dump it in the nearest river! Just kidding with that last bit 😉

This will be my 3rd year as a participant (if you want to add me to your buddy list over there I’m angelchildvikki) and this year I’m a CoML to boot (like an area rep).

Now, I have a problem with this years Nano. I was intending to do my Mills & Boon novel. I did my “WIP Bible”, all the planning sorted, and I’m ready to go…..but, I’m doing the Faber course, so wouldn’t it be a better idea to concentrate on the Faber novel for Nano? Trying to write 2 novels at the same time, during Nano is madness, right? *slump*

Why do I always get myself into these messes? My husband despairs lol.

So it appears that I need to make a decision, seriously. Damiano and Kate just may have to go on the back burner until April 😉

And talking of Nano, if you’re passionate about it Suzan Butler and Anushka at Finding My Creature are both looking for bloggers who would like to do guest posts about Nano during November, I’m tempted. 😉

So, will you be Nano-ing this year?

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I Used To Write…..

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Some of you may remember my review of Jeff Goins You Are A Writer e book last month. No? Ok, find it here

Jeff held a competition but I didn’t have the guts to enter lol. A couple of days ago, the winner was announced. Dustin M Smith who blogs at Propensity For Curiosity won with this brilliant video 🙂

Now, doesn’t that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling? 🙂

As for me, am I still trying to believe I am a writer? Well, I managed to put it on my Facebook profile, that’s a start isn’t it? Lol 😉

Dustin talks about the fact that what he used to write was safe. Ahhhh, yeah, I think I’m very much the same. There is a lady in my writing class who is writing a novel that is a mixture of 2 different POV’s. When I asked her why, she said she was experimenting. Hmmmmm, I never experiment. So perhaps I should? do you experiment with your writing? And if you do, what kind of things have you tried? *goes off to attempt some deep and meaningful poetry*

Tonight, I’m going to a Nanowrimo event to meet Chris Baty…..yep, IN THE FLESH!