Word by Word

Practical insights for writers from Jessica P Morrell

If it’s November….it must be NaNoWriMo

Written By: Jessica Morrell - Nov• 01•17

It’s that time again. And I’m not talking about all the Christmas folderol in the stores already. Writers everywhere know that November is the month for joining National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Time to hunker down, write your heart out at a dizzying pace, aiming for 50,000 words by December 1. On November 1, 2015 I wrote a long, detailed, and dare I say, practical post about the whole matter of writing fast and smart. You can find it here and it’s called NaNoWriMo Hacks & a Bit of Tough Love.

And from October 31, 2014 here (Slightly Crazy: Map Your Course to Survive NaNoWriMo) is a list of the essentials every novel needs:

  1. A knowable protagonist who will fascinate readers.
  2. A problem that needs solving or a goal that needs reaching.
  3.  An understanding of your protagonist’s inner and outer desires.
  4.  An interesting/workable locale.
  5.  A menace/threat hanging over the protagonist.
  6.  An antagonist.
  7.  How it will all work out.

Good luck. Write fast, don’t edit, don’t look back, live the story. If you get stuck jump past that scene and carry on. Keep asking yourself: what does my character want. Then block that desire.

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