Welcome back to another round of Bookish Debates! This month's quite the special one for most writers alike, for National Novel Writing Month is upon us. A time filled with frantic word-count, making stuff up as you go, and... strategies! But don't worry, if you aren't doing NaNo this year, there's always next—and these questions are for everyone!
---
Question posted on November 4, 2023
For writers: What are the best strategies for achieving that goal of 50k (or non-specifically, any word-count goal) within a set amount of time?
For readers: Do you enjoy reading NaNo drafts throughout November?
*All answers are slightly modified for grammar and structure.*
---
Winning response by WrennaStone
Writers: For me, NaNo is the one time my brain truly shifts gears into an editor-free mode where chaos reigns and anything can happen. I write so much faster and the ideas really start to pour in. After a full decade of partaking in NaNo, my brain has become used to the routine of sitting down November 1st and knowing it's time to get stuff done.
I use NaNo for something I call skeleton drafts, which are actually pre-first drafts. I'm a former playwright, so I've taken my muscle memory from that and used it to write out the entire book like I would a play. My strength is in dialogue, so I begin there and do a script with a combination of dialogue and stage direction, with a bit of the characters' internal thoughts poking in. It's just enough to really get the scene moving while allowing me to write at a much faster pace without worrying about all the little details I usually get stuck on---and I find that, once I go back to flesh it out into a first draft, I've actually managed to cover all of my bases in the skeleton draft because I wrote it without stressing myself out thinking too much.
Sprints can be helpful, but the most helpful thing for me is truly body-doubling. It's a strategy commonly used for people with ADHD (like myself) who struggle with executive dysfunction and task paralysis, because when we have another person with us, it helps to keep us on task. So whether I have another person with me irl or I'm sitting in a voice/video chat with online friends, it helps me to keep the motivation and write without staring at the wall daydreaming or scrolling through TikTok. It's something that even non-ADHDers can even benefit from. Let the presence of others shame you into getting your work done.
Usually once NaNo is done, I can carry that momentum over for the following months. So each November is now a nice reset to get me moving again after a year's worth of stress has slowed me back down
Readers: I do like reading first drafts! For myself, unless a book is super super riddled with errors, I don't have any trouble reading someone's first draft. If a book is good and has me sucked in, odds are I won't even notice (and I'm also dyslexic, so I'm going to read words wrong no matter what. Gimme all the sweet NaNo projects!
---
Second place response by MusicalKehleigh
Writer: I’ve done nano for a few years now, but this year was particularly chaotic and I genuinely did not think that I had either the time or mental capacity to participate. It seems that I was wrong. I think what pushed me this year is all the hype surrounding NaNo. November is the month to get those 50k words written, and with so many other people doing it and cheering you on, it’s way more fun to be binge-writing instead of binge-watching/ reading. Sometimes, writing is a chore, but this month, it’s been more enjoyable to do in my spare time.
Shorter writing sprints have really helped too. When I have a huge chunk of time to write, sometimes I’m slower and my editor brain takes over. 5-10 minute writing sprints help me to embrace the trash first draft and write as many words as I can in a short period of time.
The two previous years, I started a brand new novel on November first. Both times, I found it hard to get my momentum with writing. This year, I started my nano novel in August and had a couple months for the ideas to settle out. This strategy works better for me since I’m more of a discovery writer rather than a planner. I end up with this idea block where I can’t write because I have no plot, but I can’t plot because I have no idea what to write. My strategy has been to brainstorm a whole bunch of events, write a few chapters, then recap and figure out what comes next, then write a few more chapters, and so on.
Brain dumping sessions are very helpful every few days to figure out where the plot is going and to help me to keep up my momentum without getting stuck because I have no outline. With this strategy, I know what I'll be writing for 2-3 days before I have to come up with new stuff. I also have a master list (more like several chaotic lists scattered in my planning document) of events that need to happen. I find myself pulling from there when I'm stuck. Essentially, I'm kind of plotting and writing my novel at the same time all month long.
Readers: It’s easier for me to enjoy a book riddled with grammar errors and with less edited prose than in the past. I think it can just take more effort to focus on the underlying story when the prose is less eloquent. I would say it takes a slightly different mindset to read a first draft compared to a later draft. You kind of have to ignore the grammar and prose and focus on the actual events and characters more.
---
A huge round of applause to all of our participants in this month's Bookish Debate over on DL's discord server! Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules, and sparing us some word-count. You've got that 50k! Feel free to leave any further thoughts in the comments.
---
We'll see you here again soon!
YOU ARE READING
Dream Discussions
Non-FictionWhat is your favorite trope? Which POV is the best? What's the best genre? These are fun (and non-serious) debate questions we ask in our monthly event, Bookish Debates, held in our discord server. Every month, we ask our members a writing or readin...
