How to...Keep Moving the Story Forward: a NaNoWriMo article

I talk about it a LOT in this blog. One way I say is to ask "who what when where why and how"? But there's another way to do it and I must confess, I just recently realized what it was I was doing.

The trick is

Tips for CampNaNoWriMo

Welcome to this post, CampNaNoWriMoers.

I wouldn't call myself a veteran NaNoer but I have been through quite a few of them. And I know what you must be going through right now, trying to see into the future, one month later, when you have met your word count and feeling mighty proud of yourself...but then, there's that moment of doubt.

Can I do it? Me? Can I really commit to this? Am I serious enough to do it?

Getting those first few words down on the screen might be painful.

"Once upon a time... no that's not it. Jim was alone in the old cabin and...no that doesn't work. Where's my creative spark when I need it!"

And even if you get to 1,500 words, you still might wonder if you were in over your head when you signed up for this.

Someone of you may have even signed up with NO PLAN on how each chapter will go.

But don't fear! Here are some helpful tidbits (and an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PLANNING TOOL at the end of this article).

These are little bits from other articles in this blog. If you would like to read the article the bits came from and learn a little more, I added the link :)


Just write even if it sounds stupid.

Google wallpaper in Google Images for visual inspiration.

Write the first part on paper. Apparently the act of writing by hand can keep you focused on your story and away from distractions. But don't feel obligated to write the whole story by hand :0
(From - How to: Start Writing Again)



If you have a plot line, write the climax scene first. The one where the MC is in such trouble. Make it your temporary "prologue" and go from there. Inspire yourself :)

Writers are often pressured not to write cliche. But for NaNo, you can write cliche. Use it to get you started.

Imagine you are watching your story. Imagine an opening scene in a movie. What do we see first? Describe that.
(From - How to: Begin Writing a New Story (5 Tips))



There are many different types of beginnings, as you may well know. Here are some for you to consider trying:

NaNoWriMo CRUNCH: The last 5000 words

Hi there, fellow NaNoWriMo warriors! :D

How is your novel coming along? For those of you who have finished, lucky you, you can sit back and relax now. No, seriously, CONGRATS! :D

What about those of you still not there yet? Is the word count still too far away? Well, just do your absolute best. Even if you don't make it in the end, at least you tried :) And, there's always next year!

What about those of you, like me, who are down to writing the last 5000 or so words?

This is the NaNoWriMo CRUNCH. The second big one besides that time of Writer'sblockitis danger.

For me, anyway,

NaNoWriMo CRUNCH: 3 Ways to Keep Going

CRUNCH! Nope, not cereal or Captain Crunch. This is about Writer'sblockitis during, oh please no but it does happen, NaNoWriMo.

I'm doing NaNo now. Currently about 20,000 words and no, not suffering from Writer'sblockitis but I have experienced this during NaNo. But I still became a WINNER.

How did I do it???

Well, there is an important thing that I keep telling myself when I feel like I'm getting to that CRUNCH in NaNoWriMo. That is,

First Time NaNoWriMo: Prepping

With NaNoWriMo around the bend in four or five days, I thought I'd tell those of you who are doing it for the first time, how you should prep yourself for it.

I'm guessing you're at the end of your own personal prepping but here are a few things I do that have helped for many NaNoWriMo tries and this time as well.

1. Use the Story Outline Template

2. Look up images in Google Images that represent or loosely represent the many places you want to write about. It's good to get a visual on it.

3. Make folders and sort the pics in them.
Example: Village, Mystic Creatures, Main Character Sketch, the Main Square

4. Do a few doodles of your characters but don't push yourself to come up with the perfect look. You can always come up with the details later while you write.

5. Leave it alone but keep contemplating on it. Don't think too deeply about it until you actually need to write it.

6. Work on other projects to get a boost for your writing momentum. Writing for a whole month after having not written for weeks can be hard on you because you might end up suffering from Writer'sblockitis and get nowhere, ending up just wasting your time. To not waste your time, write little stories, even one-page short stories to keep that writing momentum. Another thing you can do is read books that inspire you or watch movies that inspire you.

IMPORTANT TIP: