Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009

Writing tips

If you're thinking of exercising your creativity and taking part in National Novel Writing Month, those who've done it before have a few tips to share:

Amanda Renee, 37

participant since 2003

"The key is to keep it simple. I don't go back and edit, but I also don't write gibberish. I just run with it."

"I'll speak the dialogue aloud as I write it. Sometimes I'll even perform the movements of my characters so I can feel the sensations and accurately describe them. If a character is trying something new, I try it. There is no better way to describe something than to experience it yourself."

"It helps to share my ideas with those close to me. It keeps the story alive and in the forefront. Added bonus, if you don't write one day, you will have people bugging you about it."

"NaNoWriMo.org motivates you on a daily basis. From motivational blogs, to chat rooms, to widgets for your MySpace/Facebook pages, there is a friendly competition going on amongst the participants. It keeps me going."

Devin Blake, 30

a two-time participant

"One thing that is always stressed by the people behind the NaNoWriMo is quantity over quality. There's plenty of time to go back and fix those problem spots. The real goal is to prove to yourself that you can write a 50,000-word novel in a month, regardless of how perfect it is."

"It's not really about finding the time, it's finding the drive. If you have the drive, you will find the time. There is also a strange camaraderie gained from the fact that you're not alone on this journey. There are thousands of other people furiously typing along with you. And aside from the obvious goal, there are friends to be made from this experience. The forum on the Web site offers places where participants can meet up by regions and even organize get-togethers."

Erin Shropshire, 21

participated in 2008

Shropshire recommended telling everybody you know that you're about to write a novel. That will make it harder to back out once the going gets tough. "You don't want to look like a failure," she said.

Ralph Gallagher, 19

participated in 2008

Gallagher suggested finding other writers to work with who are also participating, setting goals and making use of the forums on the Web site.

Remember that it's something you can do. "Everybody has the talent to write something," Gallagher said. "It's just whether they have the patience and motivation to see it through."

Jason Ockert, creative

writing professor at

CCU

"The worst thing you can do is keep going back and revising chapter one. It's best to plow ahead and then go back and try to identify what is really crucial about the piece."

"My advice about getting started is to write the scenes that you are most excited about first. Don't worry about beginning, middle and ending. If you really capture a good scene, you can begin to fill in the blanks, to contextualize setting and character and all the rest of the tools we use to construct a narrative."

"The moment you start thinking you're going to run into a wall, you will."