Pep Talk: RedParrot

RedParrot is one of the most loyal readers of The Dabbler and is also a good friend of mine and long time Nanowrimo veteran. I’m thrilled to be hosting her pep talk here today.
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This is the end of week 3 and time to take the Epic Nano Superhero Quiz.

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More than 35, 000 words

Keep up the great work! You are made of win and well on your way. You can
take a week off and still finish in good form. But if you have 20,000 already, why
not try to break 100,000? Plan to take one of Sat or Sun every week and get two
or three big writing sessions in.

If you want to get even more out of the Nano experience, find one or two people who are at about your
pace. Make friends and keep each other motivated. Or help someone you know who is struggling a bit.
Either way, sharing the journey with others makes everything multiplies the fun.

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35,000-31,500

You are completely on track for 50,000 by the 30th. You are the Tortoise
personified. Slow and steady wins your race.

If you want to stay on track, use Dr Wicked (also known as Write or Die)-
– to give you a boost in word count.

One of the best interval trainings you can do is 10 or 15 minutes of focused writing with only 3 minute breaks in between. Because you do them back to back to back, something happens in your head and you just get “used” to the drill and forget about all the distractions that are so often blocks to writing. You will be amazed at how prolific you can become.

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15,000-25,000

You are making a superb effort and things are still well within range. All you
need to do is stay focused. Try to steal an extra 15 minutes instead of a TV show. Or clear a weekend afternoon for some focused keyboarding. You can TOTALLY do this.

No Plot? Friction makes fiction. The plot only thickens when things happen. So start a fire. Shoot someone. Stall a car. Miss a plane. Have a fight. That should get the party started.

Hate the characters? You could kill them all off and bring in some new ones. If you know what you hate
about them, give yourself a Mulligan and write “from here on, Bob no longer is/does , then carry on.

Just keep writing. Something great is going to happen to you and the characters.

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10,000-15,000

The good news is you have made a start. Every word counts and remember that editing is for December. Don’t worry too much about continuity or writing about characters you no longer like. Start a house fire, burn the place down and then write about the carpenter who builds a house and falls in love with the pastry chef.

Remember, this is Nano. It’s 50,000 words in 30 days, not a Pulitzer novel. Nano is about training your writing muscles to write. Cut yourself some slack. Relax. Write for fun. Consider this an experiment. No
matter how bad it is, if you do it, you TOTALLY get to brag about it. Trust me, winning is a conversation stopper and something you keep forever.

Participate in the Nano Forums. Sign up for a region. Go to a meet-up and chat on-line. First time or veteran, high word count or just getting started – you will be welcomed and showered with the love of comrades in arms.

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0-10, 000

You, my friend, have a date with destiny. In less than a month, you can become a SuperHero of epic proportions.

If you do this thing, you will give yourself the ability to write under pressure
when there’s “nothing to write about” – when the characters are dull and the plot incomprehensible. By Dec 1, you will have a new super power: the ability to just to write – freely with abandon.

So seize the moment. Show up. Sit down. Start writing. It’s about focus, habit and honouring the page. You have 50,000 words and they don’t write themselves.

Take a few deep breaths. Maybe make yourself a hot cocoa and sit. Block out some 15 minute intervals. If you can write at about 22 words per minute, you need about 5 15-minute sessions to get the daily quota of 1,677 words.

I know you can do it.

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