NaNoWriMo - Planner, Pantser or Percolator?

I’m participating in NaNoWriMo. There I’ve said it. I am going to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. That’s what NaNoWriMo means. Every year hundreds of thousands writers come together in the comradery of doing something crazy, yeah, kind of like running a marathon or doing a triathlon…maybe that is why I am attracted to this…

According to the NaNoWriMo website www. http://nanowrimo.org 310,095 participants from 595 regions in 6 continents participated in the National Novel Writing Month contest in 2013. Some of the novels that have been written during NaNoWriMo include Sara Gruen’s “Water for Elephants”, Jason Hough’s “The Darwin Elevator” and Rainbow Rowell’s “Fangirl” just to name a few…okay lest I get carried away with visions of publication… the organization behind the month long write-a-thon is anticipating 400,000 writers from 200 countries coming together in a collective frenzy, all working toward writing 50,000 words during November…and I am officially one of them!

The non-profit, National Novel Writing Month is a 501 (c)(3) whose mission is in part to support, encourage and provide structure for writers both young and old to find their creative voice. NaNoWriMo has established a great support network for participants in this year’s challenge with forums, resources, help guides and regional municipalities staffed by volunteer Municipal Liaisons who act as cheerleaders and conveners of regional participants. Today I met the Municipal Liaisons for the region in which I am registered and I am super-pumped up.

I am participating in NaNoWriMo. There is something about making that statement that is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. But like running my first marathon, or birthing my first child – I am still happily naïve in my ignorance of the pain that will be involved, and I am realizing as I prepare how much I like being in that state of naivetés. At the regional meeting today, I asked the other writers for feedback and guidance and they were all so generous with their thought and suggestions. We are writing different genres, have different work schedules, different backgrounds and different levels of experience; yet the entire group assembled today obviously has a love of sharing stories through their creative voices, and in some cases, rely on their written words to express that unspoken personality.

One of my favorite things about this challenge is not only the support provided by NaNoWriMo, and the other writers and Municipal Liaisons, but I really like the accountability and challenge of the entire thing. I love the challenge of completing a marathon, of riding my bicycle across the State of Iowa, of those ultra-based challenges. When I have completed each of those activities, I have felt a huge sense of accomplishment and I can’t wait to get down and get dirty with this writing ultra.

So here’s what I am going to do – I am going to write that novel that has been screaming to be released from my brain and get the words out...all 50,000 of them. I am planning on using a variety of instruments to make that happen; from desktop and laptop computers, stacks and stacks of blank index cards, notebooks and a tape recorder, these words are going to find their voice. The regional group discussed strategies for working through those low moment and self-doubt and we engaged in an exercise to “put that inner editor in jail”. Mine is safely locked up and I hope to write with abandon. That was one of the pieces of advice I was given today that resonated with me, just write, don’t worry about editing, holding back or questioning the words – so my second commitment to myself (after committing to write a novel in a month) is to not second guess the words as they fall out on the pages.

One of my favorite things about this challenge is not only the support provided by NaNoWriMo, and the other writers and Municipal Liaisons, but I really like the accountability and challenge of the entire thing. I love the challenge of completing a marathon, of riding my bicycle across the State of Iowa, of those ultra-based challenges. When I have completed each of those activities, I have felt a huge sense of accomplishment and I can’t wait to get down and get dirty with this writing ultra.

I have put together a list of commitments I have made to myself to get to December 1^st successfully with 50,000 under my belt, here they are…

My NaNoWriMo Commitments:

• Write 1,750 words each day in November
• Do not second guess myself
• Write with abandon and just do it
• Stay focused
• Connect with other writers or my writing buddy if I get stuck or feel low
• Don’t look back
• Let go
• Drink a lot of water
• When I am scheduled to write, I will not engage with e-mail, the phone nor the internet
• Take 20 minutes each day to meditate or relax
• Have fun
• Be certain to upload and verify the work accomplished at the end

At the regional municipal meeting today there was quite a bit of discussion about whether to have an outline or not, whether to write in Word, by hand or in a writing program (I am going to try Scrivner), whether we are “Planners” or “Pantsers” and I learned so much today, Thank you to my regional writing buddies! I got some great ideas and realized that some of my strategies were really going to work.

Here’s what I am doing to prepare:

• I have cleared my calendar as much as I possibly can
• I have scheduled my writing time using a calendar supplied by another NaNoWriMo participant
• I have done quite a bit of research and am chomping at the bit to write
• I have an outline in my head and may commit it to index cards before November 1^st
• I have gathered a ton of material for color commentary about my story
• I cleaned my office, finished some large projects and ended some others
• I am visualizing the last day with the finished product
• I am reaching out and engaging with other participants (which is really really hard for me to do)
• I have downloaded a NaNoWriMo trial copy of Scrivner
• I will actually sit through the tutorial for Scrivner, even though it is over two hours long – with such a short writing schedule I can’t absorb the learning curve I would usually put myself through by not reading the instructions.
• I attended a writers’ workshop
• I am asking questions and absorbing everything
• I am getting super excited, yet staying calm
• And finally I am owning the fact that I am an in-betweener; both a planner and a pantser and am going to claim the title of “percolator”; stewing and thinking and planning in my head and yet flying by the seat of my pants when I sit at the computer and let the outline and words in my brain flow.

Well, wish me luck. I am hoping to write updates as palate cleansers – so look for updates. I am still working and my consulting business keeps me busy, so I will not be fully immersing myself every moment of the day during November and so will try to write updates when I am pulled from the mystery that is at hand…or is it afoot? You will have to read the book to find out!

Tonight I slayed the dragon. I wrote 50,000 words during NaNoWriMo 2014 and I am super stoked. I will post some hints for success in the prep article, but need to share 3 highlights here:

• Be fearless
• Just write and have fun
• Access great cheerleaders

All three of those components made a difference and I am pretty excited to be 50,000 words into a pretty great book. While I have gotten the winner designation - there are still a few more scenes to write and then come the edits. Because I followed the preceding advice, I did not edit as I wrote so I am looking forward to reading how this all came together. Stay tuned for updates as the edits move "You Are The Answer" one step closer to my readers - I know you will find the novel filled with suspense and thrills.

Now what are you waiting for - go and write, you can do it, everyone has a story.