Sunday, September 22, 2002

Getting Ready

Last year I wrote a novel in November. It was about 54,000 words.

The plot was decent, as were the characters. But I got stalled in several places because I didn’t know how to get from point A to point C. Basically, I needed help in the middle. A lot of help.

This year I’m getting ready now. I know the story I want to write and in order to make the transition from “stuff in my head” to “stuff in text format that makes sense” I am going to take some steps.

Some of these may be helpful to others who are also preparing for the great November attempt. They are in no particular order.

1. Get maps and other resource materials together. I’m setting my piece in San Francisco and Romania. So I’m going to get a great street map of San Francisco and a travel guide (you know, one of those blend-in-like-a-native thingies) for Romania. Set these by your desk.

2. Make lists of character names. I know this sounds weird, but it’s great to have a list of names that you can use at the drop of hat. I spent 90% of my first novel without a name for my main character. It woulda been so much easier if I just had one from the beginning.

3. Make notes of possible plot ideas and scenes, places and things. You think you know them now, but come November 22nd, you’ll be floundering for something and lamenting the fact that the book isn’t turning out at all like you thought it would ... those notes will really help keep you on track (if that’s your goal).

4. Read and watch things as research. My book is going to have some stuff about counterfeiting, so I’m going to gather some information about it so at least I’ll know what intaglio printing is ... These kinds of things are going to be very helpful when you’re stuck. We all relied on long descriptive, expository passages from time to time
to bulk up the word count. And hey, it’s fun, too.

5. Think up a couple of sentences that will sum up what you’re writing. If you tell people you’re writing a novel, their first question will be, “Oh, what’s it about?” Once you get tired of the snappy answer, “About 50,000 words.” you might wanna have something else to say. Mine is a caper style piece, about an artist who reluctantly gets involved with a bunch of counterfeiters in San Francisco. This will also help you focus on your goal of figure out how to make that come to life in 50,000 words or more.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 4:49 pm     NaNoWriMo

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During November it's all about me writing a novel. Sometimes it's about whalewatching. You know, and then there's other stuff.