National November Write a Novel Month

It’s December, which means that National November Write a Novel Month is officially over. I did my best to write a first draft of a mystery novel, but I didn’t finish. However, I learned several things that will help me in the future.

When I first sat down to write, I thought I was totally prepared. Ha! I’d menu planned for two months so I wouldn’t have to stop mid-month to menu plan for December. I’d figured I wouldn’t get any writing done on Thanksgiving as I’d be busy preparing dinner. Turns out I didn’t get any writing done the day after, either. I was too wound up from something that happened the day before (don’t worry, no one got hurt).

I started out writing by the seat of my pants, also known as “pantsing.” While that’s fine for short stories, essays, and poems, it’s not so great for a novel. I quickly lost track of time in my story and lost my place. I was trying to figure out how to fix that when I saw a discussion in an online group in which the owner of the group wrote that an outline was essential for a novel. I hate writing outlines! I even said as much in the group, but after thinking about it, I realized he was right. Sigh! So, I took a couple of days to write an outline and quickly discovered two things. One, it really does help you figure out the story and keep track of things. Two, it helped me spot some flaws I’d written into my story. So, I guess from now on I’ll be writing outlines for any novel I attempt to write from now on.

There were days when no matter how I tried to sit and write, there would be other things that required my immediate attention. By the time I got done dealing with those situations, it was time to cook dinner. Argh!!

Even on days when nothing went wrong, I didn’t always make my word count. In part, because I was going back to cross out the parts I knew were bogging my story down. If I can just park myself in my chair to write every day, I’ll get something done. As long as my computer’s not on. Lol

In the past, I’ve used journals for my writing, as I like to write first drafts longhand. This makes it harder to “correct” or “self-edit” as I go. There’s the added bonus of the tactile feel of pen and paper, not mention watching things take shape as my hand moves across the page. This time I decided to try using legal pads. After all that’s what a lot of authors use. Now I know why. It’s so much easier to just flip the page over to continue than to write down one page, move the book, write down the next, then flip the page, move the book back over, and repeat. There’s also margins on legal pads, which makes it easy to write little notes next to things, such as, “need to look up. . .” It would also be easier to hold on my lap if I’m in a situation where I’m writing while on a bus or some other mode of transportation. So, I’ve decided to switch to legal pads for my novel writing. I’ll continue to use journals for personal journaling and blog outlines, but legal pads really are a better option for novels, etc. I’ve even considered using colored legal pads for outlines, then plain white ones for the actual writing of the story.

I also learned that having a cup of peppermint tea nearby is nice. It keeps me from having the excuse of “being thirsty,” to get up and go get something to drink. It also helps to have snacks handy. This way if I get hungry or feel like my blood sugars are getting low, I can just grab a snack without having to leave the room.

During this time I tried listening to a classical music station. The problem with that was that because I don’t normally listen to classical music, it was distracting. I found myself paying more attention to the music than my writing. So, I got my Ipod out and listened to some favorite albums I’d downloaded. Turns out the best choices where albums I was really familiar with. I’d get so involved with my story that the music would fade while keeping outside noises at bay, so that I wasn’t disturbed until my arm got too tired.

The best albums were as follows:

“If I Could Turn Back Time” by Cher

“Hell Freezes Over” Eagles

“Greatest Hits” Pam Tillis

“                     “ Shania Twain

“Taking the Long Way Home” Dixie Chicks

Each of these albums lasts about an hour or so, I think. This means less interruptions to my creative process as I write. It’s always a pleasant surprise to pull myself out of my story and discover the album is nearly over, but I barely heard it after the first song or two. Occasionally, I’d write till the album ended, then I’d have to choose another one.

I realized part way through the month that as much as I love reading mysteries, I’d rather write historical romance. The fun of a mystery is trying to figure out who did it before the big reveal. You don’t get that when you try to write one, so this will probably be the only mystery I write – maybe.

I think maybe the best thing I learned was how to better manage my time. I’ve always tried to write in the mornings, but I’ve learned that it’s easier to take care of household tasks in the morning, then sit and write in the afternoons till it’s time to cook dinner. I wish I’d realized this years ago! Would have made my life easier. Well, as the saying goes, “live and learn.”

I knew when I started that I may not finish the novel, no matter how much I tried, but I figured if I learned things that would help me in the future, then it wasn’t time wasted. What I learned will also help me be better prepared for next year’s attempt. So, while I didn’t finish the novel in one month, I will keep working on it till I am done. I will take the lessons I learned and apply them to future writing.