NaNo Re-run

Yes, it's that time of year again.  In a few short days, writers from around Australia and New Zealand - and indeed the world - will be clearing their desks and schedules to once again write 50,000 words on their current WIP.

It's Novel Writing month and it's not too late to join.

What is NaNo?

What is NaNoWriMo, you might ask? NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. NaNo (for short) is a global and voluntary program in which millions of writers band together on the interwebs and encourage each to write 50,000 words or more. Here's a fuller explanation.

Why do NaNo?

Here's what a number of past participants have to say:

" It motivates me and then as I push myself to bang out the necessary word count my creative brain blocks the picky editor brain and great words and ideas are released."   

Jo Wanmer

"Nanowrimo is a great incentive to begin or complete a project but we have to remember that Nano is made for us (like the Sabbath 😊) we are not made for Nano! Use it as a tool to focus your writing but don't feel miserable if life gets in the way and you can't finish." 

Sue Jeffrey

"NaNo provides a great motivation to get that first draft written. One of my polished NaNo stories ended up winning my category of ACFW's 'First Impressions' contest, which ultimately got me a US agent and my publishing contract, so you could say I'm a fan of NaNoWriMo!" 

Carolyn Miller

But is NaNo really any good?

Some people will warn you not to do NaNo for a variety of reasons. 

• Writing fast (and without plans) results in unholy mess.
• The pressure of a deadline is too stressful.
• I can only write when the muse calls.
• I'd rather be editing, writing poetry, a graphic novel or have a smaller word goal.
• You can't really write a novel in a month.

Yes, can be, hmmm, fair enough, yes - true.

Here's the thing. I think writers often misunderstand the goal of NaNoWriMo and maybe in part that is because of its name. NaNo is about first drafts - and first drafts by their nature are messy - that's why manuscripts usually go through several drafts.

So yes, when December 1st comes around, it's not time to upload the result into KDP, Smashwords or Draft2Digital. This is just the start of the journey, not the finish line. Still, having 50,000 words (or even 20,000 or 10,000 or 60,000) is probably more than you would have had and once you get into the flow, you may be surprised at the words, ideas, scenes and plot twists that emerge.

Benefits of NaNoWriMo:

• It helps discipline - by getting into the practice of writing daily, and writing even when the muse is being coquettish. Sometimes just sitting down and writing ignites creativity. (It may take a day or a few.)
• Writing fast encourages the internal editor to take a short break while your writing brain gets the words down on paper - and that is often a good thing.
• Having a messy draft is better than having no draft at all.
• Plan to prepare in October (plans, character profiles, etc) and edit in December (or maybe January/February)
• It's a wonderful feeling hitting 'validate' and knowing you've finished. Yippee, congrats, Winner!!! 
• And there is always the option of being a NaNo rebel (yes, that's allowed too.)

So if you haven't done NaNo before - maybe this could be your year.  

If you have done it before, why not give it another go? 

Think about it, pray, take a risk.

For more reasons to do NaNo check here.

How to prepare for NaNo.

• Decide on a project (though you can change this if you want to)
• Sign up  - here
• Plan - if you are a plotter work out your outlines, character profiles, setting etc
• If you are a panster do research, find inspiration or just relax
• Clear your schedule as much as possible
• Tell people you are doing NaNo
• Connect with NaNo Buddies online or the local meet-ups to be encouraged and inspired
• Believe in yourself, you can do it
• And remember, even if you write 10,000 words not 50,000 - you are still a winner.

To connect up with others doing NaNo - there are two Facebook groups you can join ACW-NaNoNauts  and S'mores, Snores and Word Scores

Looking forward to doing NaNo with you this year.  :)

For more information - ACW 2015 series on NaNoWriMo:

Part One: What is NaNoWriMo? 3rd August 2015

Part Two:Why do NaNo? (Pros and Cons)  7 September 2015 

Part Three: Preparing for NaNo   5 October 2015 

Part Four: Ready, Set, Go  2 November 2015

Part Five:  Is there life after NaNo?  30 November 2015

Image of Ant's To Dos courtesy of SweetCrisis at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image of Slippery Surface Sign by Jeanette O'Hagan c 2014

Jeanette O’Hagan first started spinning tales in the world of Nardva at the age of nine. She enjoys writing fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. 

She is writing her Akrad’s Legacy Series—a Young Adult secondary world fantasy fiction with adventure, courtly intrigue and romantic elements. Her short stories and poems are published in a number of anthologies including Glimpses of Light, Another Time Another Place and Like a Girl. She has recently published her short novella, Heart of the Mountain and a flash fiction 'Space Junk' in Genrellly Speaking anthology.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and, more recently, a Master’s in writing. She is a member of a number of writers groups. She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends and pondering the meaning of life.  Jeanette lives in Brisbane with her husband and children.


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Why do NaNo? (Pros and Cons)

Part Two of NaNoWriMo series

by Jeanette O'Hagan

Is it September already? The year is flashing by. In less than two months NaNoWriMo will ramp up into a frenzy of writing across the world. The challenge—to write 50,000 words in one month. Depending on your genre and audience, that’s a small novel or at least a significant chunk of a larger one.

Popular as it is, NaNo has its detractors. It seems that you either love it or hate it.

What’s not to like about NaNo? Some say— 

• It panders to the idea that anyone can write a novel. 
• Anyone can scribble out a half-baked, cringe-worthy mess during NaNo and slap it on Amazon the next day (it does happen) but that’s not a good thing.
• For it contributes to the glut of poorly written, unedited, indie published novels flooding the market, dragging us all down and making it harder for the well edited, well-written books to be found.
• Writing fast without editing or planning only results in a disorganised mess that has to be discarded.
• The pressure of the deadline was too stressful or can result in neglecting family, friends, and work.
• It’s in the wrong month—everyone is too busy with the run up to Christmas, the exams and final year assessments (Australia) or Thanksgiving (USA).
• It didn’t work for me [insert name].

There is a morsel of truth in all these warnings but there are also many, many people (myself included) who have found NaNo a brilliant boost to their creativity and productivity, who have in fact been surprised by the quality of their NaNo draft at the end of the month. And not everyone is so naïve as to assume this draft won’t need editing, critiquing, polishing and proofing. :)

So, what are the advantages?

• For those have always wanted to write a novel—or have stalled in the process of writing, NaNo can give the impetus to get started. NaNo coverts ‘someday’ into ‘today.’
• Some people (me) work well to deadlines.
• Many, many writing experts and famous writers recommend that serious writers should write every day. NaNo gives you the chance to try out a daily disciple in a limited timeframe, encouraged by camaraderie and incentives.
• The NaNo goal is achievable—1667 words a day (a couple of hours writing)— but it is still challenging enough to stretch you.
• The deadline pushes you NOT to indulge in excuses or procrastinating.
• NaNoWriMo provides support through buddies, write-ins, events, write-offs, sprints, daily encouragement emails, and rewards.
• Planning or preparing beforehand can help you make the most of November.
• Writing fast without constantly stopping to edit and review helps you get into the ‘flow’ and allows your creativity to flourish. Being immersed in your narrative world, pays dividends in characterisation, plots, and overall 'feel' for your work.
• Even if you don’t write 50,000 words—or 10,000—each word written counts towards your long-term goals. That might be five or ten thousand more words than you would’ve written otherwise.
• There will be time after NaNo to edit messy drafts but you can't edit a blank page.
• NaNoWriMo recognises that the NaNo draft is not ready for publication. It encourages writers to make December the month of the Edit, and discusses the next steps budding authors can take, including the need for editorial services, and offers discounts on writing programs etc.
• Many NaNo projects have gone on to be indie or traditionally published (and some have become bestsellers).

So maybe instead of listing all the reasons why you can’t do NaNo, you could just give it a go, and surprise yourself.

Interested in joining us come November? 

Next month, I’ll explore ways to prepare for NaNo to get the most out of it. We will also be forming a FaceBook group of NaNo participants leading up to November — for camaraderie, encouragement and a touch of friendly rivalry along the way.

Part One: What is NaNoWriMo? 3rd August 2015

Part Two: Why do NaNo? (Pros and Cons)  7 September 2015 (That’s this one) 

Part Three: Preparing for NaNo   5 October 2015

Part Four: Ready, Set, Go  2 November 2015

Part Five:  Is there life after NaNo?  30 November 2015

Jeanette O'Hagan has a short story published in the general market Tied in Pink Romance Anthology  (profits from the anthology go towards Breast Cancer research) in December 2014 and two poems in the Poetica Christi’s Inner Child anthology launched in July 2015. She has practiced medicine, studied communication, history and theology and has taught theology.  She cares for her school-aged children, has just finished her Masters of Arts (Writing) at Swinburne University and is writing her Akrad's fantasy fiction series.  You can read some of her short fiction here. 

You can find her at her Facebook Page or at Goodreads or on her websites  JennysThread.com or Jeanette O'Hagan Writes .