The year that I succeeded in finishing my first novel, I made myself write 1667 words a day. Then use that to sketch out the basic signposts of your story — the scenes you have to hit on your way to the finish line, the character growth that has to happen, the plot twists that you’ve been salivating over in your imagination long before you started writing…. No long-term project will give you a consistent amount of excitement from start to finish, whether it’s novel-writing, athletic training, or marriage. Four different actors play Gloria Steinem; too bad they didn’t just stick with the best of them, Julianne Moore. Don't worry if you need to allow yourself an extra day or two for some tasks. Lancaster spends much of his writing time at the Everett Public Library, which is also hosting the local chapter event. Sometimes, in writing as in life, we get so excited by the initial idea that we write for hours…and then get bored. The third rail is the tension between the character’s desires and the misbeliefs that must be corrected in order for them to transform. Try it for free! It’s actually a nest of four tables, designed by Gianfranco Frattini in the 1960s. Even if the book hadn’t sold a single copy, it would still have been worth it.” Special Offer: How to write your memoir in 30 days, a new book from Reader’s Digest » As you become more familiar with the method, you'll find it easier to stay on schedule. Lancaster was one of them. When you stumble at one hurdle, you’ve lost a lot of time that you may not be able to make up. Wiesner has had 90 books published in the past 14 years, and been nominated for and/or won 124 awards. Fields said camaraderie can make the difference between meeting and not meeting the deadline. The reason for this is that the excitement to keep going will spill over into the next day. Always keep a finger on your overarching plot, the big picture, the underlying train rail that keeps your novel chugging along in the right direction. And now, so do you . Twitter: @ByEvanThompson. (That’s approximately 1,667 words per day). Take a lesson from the Judean date palm. But, for years, I never finished the story. Despite its flexibility, the 30-day method requires a great deal of commitment from you as a writer. (Okay, I did go past 1667, but not by more than a few hundred words). Instead of making up the story as he goes along, he has already created story outlines for the beginning, middle and end. Although I was no longer writing 1667 words for my novel, I found myself itching to keep writing…something. The outline you'll complete using the 30-day method will become a snapshot of your novel. I’ve participated in a novel writing competition almost every year for 10 years, and never once completed the story. Because you've revised it so thoroughly, it will read with all the completeness and excitement of a finished novel. Or tired. In the three days since Sunday I've managed a measly 1176 words, and I'm starting to … Writing Multiple Articles at Once is Easier Than You Think, 4 Medium YouTubers You’ll Fall in Love With, How Being Child-like Enhances a Writer’s Creativity. makes a claim that others might dispute. Using this outline to write the first draft of your book (which, in almost all cases, will be the final draft, needing only minor editing and polishing) should be so easy you might even feel a little guilty about it. Can I use an outline for writing any fiction genre? After a decade of trying, and failing, I was able to write THE END on the last page of the 100K+ word project, for the first time in my life. “Our job is primarily to setup a local community and help it thrive, but also keep it fun and welcoming,” said Stephanie Fields, the chapter’s liaison. Every novel writer knows: there is a muddle in the middle that leads you off the beaten track if you don’t plan ahead. “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”. is usually a single sentence near the beginning of your paper (most often, at the end of the first paragraph) that presents your argument to the reader. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel. The hope is that writers will be encouraged to push through if they see others working hard to meet the word count, Fields said. It starts with one word, then continues, word after word, idea after idea, until THE END. What: National Novel Writing Month “write-ins”, Where: Everett Public Library, Hoyt Avenue branch, 2702 Hoyt Ave., Everett, and Evergreen Way branch, 9512 Evergreen Way, Everett, When: Noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 3, 10, 17 and 24 at the Hoyt branch, and 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Nov. 25 at the Evergreen Way branch, More: 425-257-8250 or www.nanowrimo.org, www.epls.org. Will using an outline mean it will take me less time to complete a project from start to finish? Keep in mind that each of the six stages identified in this method has its own day-to-day schedule. But this method will probably make you work harder than you've ever worked before. Eric Lancaster self-published his first book, “To Hell On A Fast Horse,” after participating in National Novel Writing Month in 2017. The clearer your vision of the story before you start actually writing it, the more fleshed out your story will be once it makes it to paper. “I really wanted to plan it out to make it easier on myself,” Lancaster said. During NaNoWriMo, writers around the world challenge themselves to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Instead of writing fiction, I started writing nonfiction. He’s a cowboy, gambler and a drinker in his early 30s living in the Wild West. But ask the 25-year-old Everett man about his latest fictional character, and he’ll rattle off details without a moment’s hesitation. Like the third rail on a subway train (the electrified rail) the third rail is what powers your story. Still, the writers’ success rate of meeting the 50,000 word count was just 14 percent this past year. Locally, about 100 of Snohomish County’s 400 participants finished the challenge — twice the world average. Eric Lancaster of Everett is participating in National Novel Writing Month in November. EVERETT — Buford Colt isn’t alive — not yet, anyway. • This is an edited extract of First Draft in 30 Days (Writer's Digest Books) by Karen Wiesner. All the hard work will already have been done creating the outline. I can’t tell you how satisfying that felt. A doctor dreamed bringing the extinct fruit back to life — and she did. National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, is an internet challenge that gives people 30 days to write a 50,000-word book. Despite this, many are looking for a method that can give them direction – a method that embraces an individual's way of working but takes away none of the joy of creating. You'll just be getting your basics down at this point. The outline you create over the next 30 days will become the foundation upon which your entire novel will come to rest. He exists only in the rough outlines on Eric Lancaster’s laptop, in his notebooks and the recesses of his mind. Although in writing, as in life, there are “third, fourth, fifteenth…627th winds”). The books can be novels, memoirs, biographies or otherwise. Aso, I used my scene-by-scene outline from the previous step to make sure I was staying on track. This is what readers want to see in your story, because we all have desires and misbeliefs that mess with those desires in our own lives. What’s special about 50,000 words? Only 25 percent of Snohomish County’s National Novel Writing Month participants completed the challenge. This November, Lancaster is taking a different approach to writing what will become his second book — mostly by way of preparation. Without robbing you of the joy of your craft, this guide will teach you how to become a systematic, self-disciplined, productive author – no matter your genre or level of experience. Does it mean you've failed if it takes you 90 days instead of 30? First published on Sat 20 Oct 2012 00.03 BST. On days when I felt too lazy to write, I made myself write at least 1667 words. His father was killed at the Battle of Antietam in 1862 during the Civil War, and Buford’s mother died of tuberculosis when he was 10. So set smaller, weekly deadlines that break up your book into pieces. There is a time when you need to imagine the big picture, and there is a time when you need to put away the big picture and focus on putting one foot in front of the other. National Novel Writing Month dares you to write a 50,000-word book in just a month. But without proper planning, you can lose sight of your third rail and get, well, de-railed — leaving you with a bunch of loosely related incidents that don’t add up to a full story. Take your writing to a new level. Live webchat: Tim Lott advises on your novels, Days 1-6: creating your preliminary outline with characters, setting and plot, Day 2: Setting sketches and research strategies. These are small issues that can easily be cleared up in the editing process, but disrupt and derail us when we write. The first steps to creating a comprehensive outline are very rough — each building on the previous one. This first draft outline is the equivalent to the first draft of a manuscript. By revising a comprehensive outline of your novel, rather than the novel itself, you can revise 50 to 100 pages, instead of four times that. Some will enjoy the challenge; others will use the method while setting their own deadlines for each step. If there were no surprises for the writer, writing would be boring, and no one would do it unless they had to. “For me, it was sitting down and actually forcing myself to hit that word count,” Lancaster said. “Before, I would write and when I was done, I was done. Sat 20 Oct 2012 00.03 BST The nation’s many dialects and idioms delight — and often confuse — American travelers. It’s about 53,000 words. “It’s so supportive.”. No more wasted time or endless overhauls and revisions. “Snohomish County has maybe the best writing community I’ve ever seen,” Lancaster said. If you need more (or less) time to perform certain steps in the process, you can adjust your schedule easily. This snapshot can be adjusted and rearranged until it's smooth and strong. This was a totally different experience from before, when I focused ONLY on getting the highest wordcount possible. The key is to keep going through the dry spells until you hit the next interesting moment, or get your “second wind” (in runners’ terminology. And the project dies. Will using an outline reduce the number of rewrites I have to do? The venue hosts live-streaming shows and LP listening parties by up-and-coming local musicians. Instead of 1667 words, I stopped counting words (and ended up writing more). Or at 7:30 p.m. after work (where I spend most of my day writing). Hurdles include misspelled words and poor word choice. I’ve participated in a novel writing competition almost every year for 10 years, and never once completed the story. Lancaster plans to go to the library write-ins. And others still won't be willing to allow their muse to be harnessed in this way. The PUD is national leader in clean energy, with more than 95% of its energy coming from clean resources. I still plan to participate in NaNoWriMo next year — it’s fun and inspiring — but now I know I will not hit the 50,000 word goal without finishing the story. (Eric Lancaster). The challenge focuses on length rather than quality, so writers won’t get bogged down by editing. The traveling rodeo Buford joined after being orphaned has become his surrogate family. After finishing a full outline, you should feel you've got the makings of an entire book (your story should feel complete, solid, exciting and satisfying) and you should be desperate to start writing the book itself. I usually have no problem hitting the 50,000 word count goal. Nothing for a few days, then 2,000 words one day, nothing for a few more days, then I see the deadline looming and sit myself down to write 10,000 words in one shot. Is it possible for an outline to be flexible? Home and garden events and resources around Snohomish County. I would end the month feeling discouraged because I had written tens of thousands of words but was nowhere near the end of the tale. No less, and not (much) more. Even if you find the next 30 days difficult, persevere – it will get easier with experience. I know what it takes to finish — to win, in both senses of the word. As you're writing the first full draft of your book, you'll also be re-evaluating your outline periodically, as your story takes on a life of its own and moves in directions you might not have planned. Using a concept known as the “third rail,” Cron helps writers plan their novels while keeping an eye on the heart of the story, the deep, invisible motivations that truly drive an exciting story. Lancaster wrote about 1,667 words per day to pull it off. Started in 1999 by a freelance journalist in Oakland, California, NaNoWriMo has grown over the past 20 years into one of the largest writing events in the world; about 395,000 people on six continents participated in 2017. National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, is an internet challenge that gives people 30 days to write a 50,000-word book. “You’re almost writing a movie as you’re watching it,” he said. You won't stop evaluating the strength of your outline until the book is complete. The official word count goal is 50,000 words. Though his book still has a lot of unknowns, he’s also eager to see how each chapter fits together. So as November came to an end, I continued my 1667-a-day habit through December, and part of January, until I was able to write that precious “THE END” on the final page of the manuscript — 100,000+ words and about 3 months later. Can it take into account my individuality as a writer? The Write Up delivers writing advice, encouragement, and challenges right to your inbox each month. ... Day 1 —Select a book at random in the room. The listings include zoos, aquariums, museums, ice-skating rinks, shows and special walks. He also will continue to seek camaraderie through Snohomish County’s regional chapter of National Novel Writing Month by attending local writing events and joining virtual chat groups. I wanted to enjoy a few days without 1667 word goals. Then use these first six days to hone your idea using the fundamentals of character, setting and plot, Available for everyone, funded by readers, Tim Lott, author of Under the Same Stars, on why he swapped a suit for a nice lunch and a nap, Letting your ideas flow freely and frequently – however irrelevant they may appear – is the key to productivity. These individual schedules are discussed at length at the start of each corresponding chapter. With each step, you'll be developing more details about every aspect of the book, and your outline will grow to reflect that. In her keynote address at a Snohomish County health summit, author Ijeoma Oluo will discuss how racism harms physical and mental well-being. “You need to be comfortable writing garbage and turning it into diamonds later.”. (Kevin Clark / The Herald). He won’t do that until Nov. 1 — the day National Novel Writing Month kicks off. Not everyone will be able to complete a first draft outline in exactly 30 days on their first try, but that doesn't mean you'll never be able to do it. After finishing my first novel, I was proud of the accomplishment, but more than happy to let it sit for a while. The key to maintaining momentum is to parcel out your energy so that you have enough to power through on those inevitable days when you feel like you’re walking through molasses. Well now you have your chance with the 30 Day Book Challenge! They just see you clicking away on the keyboard.”. Grammarly makes sure everything you type is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free. An outline can be flexible, can be so complete it actually qualifies as the first draft of the novel. “The reason that the vast majority of manuscripts are rejected…is because they do not have a third rail.” — Lisa Cron. So every November ended with an odd sense of success mixed with failure. The Writing Cooperative is a community of people helping each other write better. On days when I wanted to keep going and going, I made myself stop at 1667 words. The husband and father also works as a Navy damage controlman at Naval Station Everett. This method is a way to lay out the full course of the story as it flows from beginning to end. The pandemic has made chest freezers hot commodities right up there with Lysol wipes and toilet paper. 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