NaNo-NowWhereIGo?
If you're like half a million writers, you took part last month in NaNoWriMo, the national novel writing month. What if you won? You poured 50,000 words of your heart and soul onto the page, virtual or concrete. And when you read through it...
Well, no first draft is a complete winner. So what do you do now?
When I was doing NaNoWriMo, there was a single blog post on that subject. I've distilled some of the recommendations here.
But they're come a long way! Not only are there resources on what to do next, there is an official Now What challenge during the months of January and February! See an example here from 2023-24. Support for all your post-soul-pouring needs in one place.
What are some things you can do in the meantime?
- Get a deck of index cards (or the e-space equivalent). Read through your novel. Each time a scene changes, start a new card.
- Write on it:
- characters;
- action;
- how it advances either the emotional content or the plot.
- Look at your cards for point 3. Doesn't advance the emotions or plot? They're boring filler scenes. Chuck 'em.
- Look at your cards for point 1. Are there any characters you can dedup? Dr. Watson was Holmes's biographer... but he also did medical and pathology diagnoses, and as an army doctor was often Holmes's muscle as well. Conan Doyle could have written three separate characters, but combining these attributes made Dr. Watson a beloved and more realistic character.
- Finally, look at the order of the cards. What if you moved the first one somewhere else? What about the one in the middle? Play with rearranging the cards and see if something clicks. Is there more tension if you delay a scene, or bring one forward? Is there a more satisfying payoff? Have fun!
Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing
wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular
order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits.
