Following NaNo Prep Week 4 theme: Build a Strong World for Your Characters, NaNo guest Liza Wolff-Francis shares her expertise on how your setting can shape your story.
An obvious part of beginning a novel is the where of the story, the place, or setting, but sometimes as writers, we don’t think of it first, preferring to jump to plot or characters. The setting helps the writer and the reader feel grounded in a story. It also helps move the story forward.
Setting includes landscape, like what a reader sees in a place. Where is this story happening? Other factors that make up the setting include season, weather, time of day, and time in history. Is where the story takes place an urban or rural environment? What’s the main religion? What language is spoken? Under what conditions do people live? You may or may not mention all of this, but as the writer, it’s important to know these things.
It’s time to face one of the hardest stages of writing your novel: plotting. Are you a pantser or a plotter? If you’re not sure yet, NaNo guest Will Soulsby-McCreath will take us through their steps on how to figure out where you and your project fall on this particular spectrum.
People will talk about being a pantser or a plotter like you’re going to land in one of these boxes and stay there for the rest of your life, but I just don’t think that’s true. I think it’s better represented as a galaxy: people orbit (or don’t orbit) different planets at different times and to different extents.
Plotting, pantsing, and plantsing all have their benefits and downfalls, which is why it’s important to try to figure out what will work for you as soon as possible.
Don’t forget, what works for you is defined as what gets you to the end of your manuscript with the most ease.
So how do you figure out what planet you’re orbiting?
So there’s this thing, National Novel Writing Month, where a person writes a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. These people are referred to as crazy. I am one of them.
And there’s this guy, Chris Baty. Baty helped make NaNoWriMo a thing. He even wrote a book about it. A book about writing a book. It’s meta. In this book he gave advice on just how to write a book in 30 days. Lots and lots of advice. Because writing is hard.
Really hard.
Really, REALLY hard.
But this guy, Baty? He’s pretty smart about it. One of the things he talks about is to know your weakness as a writer. I have a bunch, but the main one is getting distracted by internetz.
See, the thing is, I try. I really do. I try to research all the things and stuff I need to research before I write, but sometimes I’ll be going on my merry way and BOOM I forgot what I named that hospital. Or BOOM I don’t know what the parts to a horse’s saddle is. So I go to Google and Google tells me. But it never stops there. I always go, “While I’m here, I might as well check [insert your time-wasting social media site of choice].” And then, BOOM - an hour has passed and I haven’t touched what I was writing.
This is no good. I need to focus and not break my momentum while I’m writing. Stopping to open a browser and searching on Google breaks my momentum. So what do I do? Research even more? As much as I’d like to think I can predict everything that happens in my plot, some things I just can’t foresee. And that’s a good thing! No, it’s great! That’s one of the best things about writing, when I’m surprised when X, Y, or Z happens.
Instead of extensive, mind-numbing research, I do this. Whenever I find myself stalling to think of a name or an adjective or literally anything else, I write elephant instead. Elephant. And then go on my merry way.
It felt really stupid when I started. The worse is when I read what I’ve written and forgot that I slapped on an elephant in the middle of an intense scene.
But it works!
I promise, I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t.
And when I edit, all I do is find each “elephant” with the search option of whatever word-processor I’m using and insert it’s rightful word - the well-researched-after-I’ve-written-the-book word. I’ve told a few people about my Elephant Technique, and I knew a few people who use different words: cantaloupe, poodle, febreze. It all works.
BOOM, distraction gone. Please enjoy BMO dancing as you go forth and write all the things.
Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Writing Mastery Academy, a 2021 NaNo sponsor, was founded by Jessica Brody, author of the bestselling plotting guide Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. In this post, Jessica shares her tips for getting words down on the page quickly, aka Fast Drafting:
As an author who writes on more than 350,000 words per year, I like to joke that every month is a NaNoWriMo for me. So with the real NaNoWriMo approaching, I thought I’d share my top 3 tips for writing quickly and efficiently, which you can use to easily smash through that 50k mark this November!
1. You Don’t Need an Outline. You Only Need 5 Things.
As the author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, I’m used to talking about plot. But as any happy “pantser” will tell you, you don’t have to start a novel with a full plot outline (although you certainly can!).
No matter if you’re a die hard plotter, pantser or somewhere in between, I urge you to, at the very least, sit down and brainstorm 5 things about your main character, your plot, and your world before you begin writing.
Now that NaNoWriMo is getting closer, it’s time to start thinking about planning and outlining. While this is a strategy that doesn’t work for everyone, it’s undeniable that it might come in handy when it comes to writing a novel.
If you’re still deciding whether outlining is for you or not, you might want to take a look at the bullet points below. We put together the pros and cons of outlining. These cons are arguments often used by those who don’t like outlining, and we also present ways of going around those cons. However, as you will conclude after this, there is no right answer when it comes to knowing whether you should outline your story or not. It works for some people, but it just doesn’t for others. After reading this, though, you’ll hopefully have a clearer idea of where you stand when it comes to this.
Pros of Outlining:
You’ll write faster. If you know exactly where you need to take your story next, it makes writing easier, thus allowing you to write faster. Writing faster works as great motivation, given that you’ll feel more productive and want to keep going.
It’s not as likely to get stuck with plot twists. Given that your plot twists and what happens afterwards are already planned out, there’s less of a chance of you being stuck wondering where you should take your story next.
You’re less likely to get writer’s block. While losing the motivation to write can happen to anyone while writing a story - whether they planned it out or not -, if you know where your story is going, it’s less likely that you’ll get writer’s block. Still, it’s always good to keep track of the things that can motivate you.
It avoids inconsistencies. If you have an outline of your plot that you can go back to later, it makes it easier to avoid inconsistencies. The same thing happens if you decide to outline the basic aspects of your character’s life and personality.
It increases the chance of having a good first draft. The less you have to edit after writing your first draft, the better (as long as the final product is exactly what you feel it needs to be). With an outline, you increase the chances of having a first draft that pleases you instead of one that feels like a burden to edit.
Cons of Outlining:
It keeps you from being spontaneous. However… While, with an outline, it’s expected that you have most of your story planned out, nothing is 100% set. There’s no rule saying you can’t go back and change your mind. As your story progresses and you feel the need to change something in order to keep your characters in character or for the sake of the plot, there’s nothing keeping you from doing so. It’s okay to go back and change your outline if you feel the need to do so.
It may turn out to be not as good as you thought. However… Sometimes, a certain idea sounds great when you outline a story, but as you write it down… It just doesn’t seem as good. However, like I said above, if you have a completely different idea and the plan you originally had becomes useless, it’s okay to let go of that outline or start an outline from scratch. Again, outlining a story is supposed to help you, not be a burden. Don’t feel obliged to follow an outline if it’s becoming too difficult. It’s okay to give up on it and/or start a new one.
How does one outline?
Brainstorming. I think brainstorms are one of the most powerful things when it comes to planning out your novels. Write down every single thing you can think of about your story. Don’t worry about whether it makes sense. Just write down aspects of your story, whether they’re going to be important, crucial or useless. Just write things down. This will give you material to work later on.
Connect the ideas. Now, try to create some kind of connection between your ideas. Connect the ones that are related, and make sure you also write down how they are related to each other. If there is any idea that doesn’t seem to fit with any of the others, ask yourself if it is important in your story. If the answer is yes, ask yourself why, and how it will fit in your story.
Develop your characters. Your story is going to be strongly influenced by your characters’ goals, motives and personalities, and therefore it’s important that you know them well enough before starting to actually plan out your story.
Take a break. Stepping away from what you already have and forcing yourself to think about something else puts things in perspective. When you go back to thinking about it, you’ll be able to have a more unbiased opinion about it. Check if the ideas and their connections still make sense.
Break the story into chapters. This allows you to have an organized plan, to which you can go back later if need be. Deciding what happens on chapter one, chapter two and so on can help you making sure you have a well-structured story. You can also write down a list of the events that happen, in the right order, and then see how you can divide them by chapters.
Edit your outline. Go back and read everything. Does the beginning of your story ignite the conflict, or does it take too long for it to start being… a conflict? Does every question get its answer? Is your conflict resolved by the end of your book? If you answer no to any of these questions, it’s time to go back and edit what needs to be edited!
Don’t be afraid of skipping or adding any step. This is not an exact science, and outlining works differently for all of us. You just have to find your style, to realize what works best for you. These tips might help you, but you shouldn’t limit yourself to them.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to write anything in text form. Diagrams also work for most people, though they can get confusing if you add too much information, or incomplete if you add too little information. You have to find what works best for you.
There are several methods used for Outlining, most of them more precise then the tips above, so make sure you also check those out. (Links below)
For further reading: (I took inspiration from these websites, so check them out!)
Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Aeon Timeline,a 2022 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a visual hub for your entire story. NaNoWriMo writers can try out a free trial of Aeon Timeline through December 15! In this post, the folks at Aeon share a few ways that making a timeline for your novel can help your story:
If you are like me your story has been gnawing inside you for months. An intriguing premise; a character to explore; a surprise twist; a cliffhanger ending—something is telling you that you are the person to write this story.
Yet every year, only one in ten Wrimos make it to the end. Over 200,000 promising novels are abandoned—typically in the sticky middle stages.
At Aeon Timeline, we believe that visual planning with timelines can bring purpose to your writing, add depth to your characters, and sustain your creative energy until the end.
Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. World Anvil, a 2021 NaNoWriMo sponsor, helps you develop and organize your characters, plot, and world setting. Today, World Anvil founder Janet Forbes is here to share some pro tips for worldbuilding. Don’t forget to check out the offer to NaNoWriMo writers for 30% off a World Anvil membership!
I talk to hundreds of writers every week, in our World AnvilQ&A live streams, our World Anvil writing challenges, and meetings with our professional authors. And mostly, they’re encountering the same few worldbuilding problems! Here are the 3 most common worldbuilding mistakes, and how you can fix them:
1. Mary-Sue Worldbuilding
You’re probably familiar with the Mary-Sue—a flawless, artificial-feeling main character. Mary Sue Worldbuilding follows in the same vein. If everything in your setting is directly related to your main character, it feels like the world revolves around them. It’s too convenient and artificial. That’s Mary-Sue worldbuilding.
Mary-Sue worldbuilding is usually caused by worldbuilding exclusively around your plot. Introducing larger-scale conflict in the backdrop of your setting, current affairs like civil or religious movements, war, disasters, or technological breakthroughs, can help expand the world beyond just your main character.
Plotting? Pantsing? Why not both!
Billy Ovid Boyles, a longtime NaNoWriMo participant is a proud Plontser and has tips on how you can utilize plontsing for your novel!
Well, it’s that time of year. My desk is covered with articles about plotting versus pantsing. I’ve had my own experience with the two approaches and confess that these days, I’m a hybrid. I’m a Plontser. I both plot and pants. Sounds absurd? It’s not. In fact, it seems to me the most straightforward way to proceed with a novel. There are four things I keep in mind when I’m prepping for NaNo.
Why are people ashamed of writing fanfic? I just saw someone who is writing a fanfic for NanoWriMo - who has dedicated themselves to writing 50k words of fanfic this month - say that fanfic was their ‘secret shame’ on a forum entirely made up of fanfic writers.
And you know what? That’s not at all uncommon. I can’t even count the times I’ve seen fanfic disparaged as something for teenage girls or unworthy all together and I think I’ve finally worked out why. And the reason irks me just as much as the fact that this happens.
But do you know what I think? I think that shame comes from being bold enough to dare to have a voice. I think we’re viewing our own perspectives as somehow less, unworthy in comparison to the ‘norm’ of ‘real’ storytelling that we see validated by being put on television and movie screens and bookstore shelves. While we might, as a culture, tolerate such daring activity amongst teenage girls, we also view it as childish, something women are meant to outgrow, something shameful to hold onto as adults. But it isn’t just fanfic we’re shaming. It’s our voices, our validity, and that makes me sick.
So be a fanfic writer. Be the best goddamned fanfic writer you can be. Use your voice and be proud of it because it’s yours. There is nothing ‘less’ about fanfic. And there never will be.
Worldbuilding can be one of the most daunting tasks that a writer can embark on, but fear not! Siera Schubach, an awarding-winning author, is here to save the day and give you a great guide to building your fantasy world without knowing every detail.
Have you ever wanted to write a fantasy story but felt overwhelmed by the concept of worldbuilding?
As a fantasy writer myself, I’m going to tell you a little secret: Worldbuilding isn’t as complicated as it is made out to be.
Here are a few steps you can take to build a strong, layered, and interesting fantasy world without any prep.
The Plot is the Point
Do you know every single language on Earth? Do you know the customs and cultures of every person on the planet? I expect the answer is “no” (unless you’re an all knowing oracle in which case, I have some questions). We don’t know every detail of the world we live in now, and you don’t need to know all the details of the world you are creating either.
There are over seven different species (that I know of) in my fantasy world, but the only ones I know much about are those that factor heavily into the story. You don’t need to know the vast history of a character who is only mentioned in passing.
