~~This Time It's Different by Evans Blue~~

Language Barriers?

Friday, November 30, 2012

~~NaNoWriMo Tips and Tricks--Advice Post~~

In celebration of THE FINAL DAY OF NANOWRIMO, I would like to post something that might help you guys for next year--and, if you are like me and feel like doing a Writing Extravaganza during XMAS Break, over the next few months.

What is my Writing Extravaganza, you ask?

Why, a full 24-hour writing session with an end goal of 50,000 words. Just to prove I can. It will probably be horrific, and it won't be very well thought out, but it will probably just be a novel about vampires and emo stuff. Or crazy sadistic Christmas elves. Whichever strikes my fancy.

This will be long my loves.

I will cover: The Best Things to Nom, Caffeine Benefits and Detriments, How to Slaughter your Inner Editor, When You're On a Roll, Don't Jinx Yourself, Writer's Block, Texting and Distractions, Don't Let It Run Your Life, Hand Care, When and Where, and Determination.


1. THE BEST THINGS TO NOM

Okay guys, if you're like me, you like having something to nibble on when you're writing. Lots of chewing and low in calories sounds good, especially if you like having a lot to eat. I find my mind relaxes a lot more with the regular movements of chewing, and it also keeps you from forgetting to eat. And forgetting to eat can, and does, happen a lot.
So, what should you be eating?

-Vegetables, Fruits and Nuts: They're good for you, and require a lot of chewing and are pretty low in calories. Also, celery is extremely good--it is actually negative calories. I love celery, and if you find it boring, spice it up with a bowl of salad dressing or any of your favorite dips.

-Chocolate-Covered Coffee Beans: Okay, this really isn't that healthy. However, it is delicious and filled with caffeine and sugar. Basically all of the needed substances in one small bit. Basically, this will be my mainstay food and writing companion for every major writing session I do. EMERGENCY CAFFEINE!

-Popcorn: POPCORN! Popcorn is amazing, popcorn is heaven, popcorn is food! Easy to make and nomming heaven. Flavour it any way you like, make it all tasty, make it all good! And you are ready to write!

-Trail Mix: Don't knock it til you try it! It is very healthy and it takes a lot of chewing. Therefore, it is good to keep at your side when you're writing. Just be careful not to spill any, as that stuff can get EVERYWHERE! Trust me you guys. I know. I've done it before, and it was not that fun sleeping when you're lying on a large amount of bits of trail mix....

-Gum: Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew! Endless chewing with not many bad sides and a variety of flavours. Gum is great, but I still will always stick to my incredibly good chocolate-covered coffee beans.
 

2. CAFFEINE BENEFITS AND DETRIMENTS
 
Caffeine is incredible. It keeps you awake, gives massive rushes of speedy energy, and if you're like me it wakes you up oh so perfectly in the morning. I love caffeine, in all its forms: Tea, coffee, energy drinks, and dozens of other forms. I can't get enough of coffee.
 
However, coffee really does stain your teeth a lot and it's so easy to get addicted. When you get addicted, and don't get it, be ready for headaches and bad moods. I hate it when that happens. Once, my dad god HALF-CAFF coffee, so it was a straight two weeks of me in a bad mood and angry. And then, when I noticed he had bought me half-caff, I almost killed him. He was the reason I was being forced to drink several cups of coffee JUST to make the headache go away!
 
And....There's also other bad sides to caffeine. You crash. You crash and you get tired and exhausted and you just get crazy. It's not fun, but one quick cup of coffee--or even Emergency Dark Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans--and you are set. The coffee beans have plenty of caffeine themselves, so they do cause you to crash later.
 

3. HOW TO SLAUGHTER YOUR INNER EDITOR
 
Okay people. this section is probably the most important one there is. You know that little voice in your brain that worries and freaks out and tends to say you're doing badly? Well, writers have them. And writers have the very worst kind possible: The inner editor. Now, this little fella lives upstairs from your Muse, who is that crazy person with multi-colored eyes who always seems to be dancing. The inner editor is boring and might just resemble your high school math teacher, for reasons no one really understands. Mine makes a bit more sense--I have always pictured George (yes, I named him last year) as skinny and dressed in military clothes. He has a three-cornered hat.
 
What I need all of you to do is follow my instructions.
 
1. Close your eyes

2. Picture your inner editor. What does he/she look like? Is it human? What does their voice sound like?

3. Picture a cage. Imagine it. Look at the cage.

4. Put the inner editor in the cage

5. Close the door on the cage

6. Put the cage in a large wooden box

7. Put a padlock on the box

8. Set fire to the box

9. Smile

10. GO AND WRITE!
 
You may need to repeat this process--or variants of it--a lot. I myself need to repeat it every year, and sometimes multiple times before and even during writing sessions.
 

4. WHEN YOU'RE ON A ROLL
 
All of us should know this feeling of high. Your fingers are flowing across the keys, you're writing like mad, and every minute you write more words than you ever deemed possible. Your words are leaping onto the page, flowing from your fingertips and across the screen like black blood on white, and everything you write is perfect.
 
And.....Your dad calls you for dinner. Your mom says you forgot to do your chores. Your brother needs to know if you'd care to get your butt off of the computer so he could work on the homework he's been putting off when you're writing. Your boss calls and asks if you would like to come in to work--ever.
 
Here's my advice.
 
If it is not life threatening, ignore it! Tell them you're sorry, or copy down some of your novel into a notepad and go someplace else, and just keep writing. KEEP WRITING! When you're on a role, stop for absolutely nothing.
 
And, when you have done what you feel is enough, save save save save save, and go and apologize. If they know you, they'll forgive you for it. Most of my family is used to just putting my food in the fridge, and let me get it after I'm done working.


5. DON'T JINX YOURSELF

Okay, this is pretty important. Don't talk about it too much, okay? Really don't. It is a really easy way to jinx yourself. Unless you need advice, talking about it too much will just jinx you. And people just will tend to put a lot of pressure on you. Be safe you guys, and be careful. Once you get jinxed, it is really hard for you to get un-jinxed.


6. WRITER'S BLOCK

You're writing a lot. Everything is going so well. You have ideas going through your head like they're on speed, and everything is PERFECT! But....Then you get a blank spot in your head. Yeah. I absolutely hate that moment, and all of us know it.

There is no real automatic cure for writer's block.

But...Here's a few tips.

-Take a long, hot shower

-Eat something

-Get a drink of water

-Take a walk

-Write a letter to yourself

-Try thinking of things in a new light


7. TEXTING AND DISTRACTIONS

Okay, so what is worth leaving your story for? Nothing, except eating, sleeping, school, and family emergencies. I know all of us have cell phones and forums and things to check and do--but do they matter? Not at all. And that doesn't mean you can't reward yourself with a text every now and then--just make sure it's only one text for a reward, and keep the rewards to only once every few pages. And, if your friends or any other people who are distracting you know what you're up to, they won't mind. In fact, maybe schedule some time to write, and let people know not to bug you then. It'll help a lot, trust me.



8. DON'T LET IT RUN YOUR LIFE

Okay guys, seeing as I said in number seven that you shouldn't let NaNoWriMo be interrupted by anything, I just want to make sure you guys don't go too overboard with this. NaNoWriMo is important, but so is your family. And so is sleep. SLEEP YOU IDIOTS SLEEP!

And do homework, too. It is so easy to just get lost in writing and not notice time passing until it's midnight....four am....noon....

And you realize you haven't eaten, you haven't slept, and you have missed work/school/doctor's appointments or never heard the fire alarm go off....

Yeah....That happens a lot, people.

Or....

You get so obsessed that people actually avoid you and think you're crazy.

THAT happens even more often.

Don't do that, guys.....Don't be too obsessed. Obsession is healthy, but do not let it get to overly scary levels.....And don't let it interfere with things too much, alright?


9. HAND CARE

Okay kids. Look at your hands. They are amazing things, aren't they? Bones and skin and muscles, all wrapped up into nice and useful hand-shaped packages. What jobs do your hands do? They do a lot. High five, hand shake, open things, crack things....AND TYPE THINGS!

Your hands are amazing things and tools. During NaNoWriMo, they are doing a shit load of work. Be careful and take care of your hands. Make sure they aren't too stiff or sore in places, and maybe even get a wrist brace or do some exercises with your wrists to fend off carpal tunnel syndrome. It is really not good for your hands to be doing so much work without a break.

And, as it is cold, keep them moisturized. Just don't let the computer keys get all greasy....


10. WHEN AND WHERE

I like writing in bed, or on the couch. All nice and comfy. Curled up and warm, or sitting upright and just a bit bent over. Sometimes, I lie on my stomach and put the laptop in front of me, resting my chin on a pillow. Right now, I'm on my back with my knees up and my legs crossed at the knee, with the front of my laptop on my belly and the hinge on my right thigh. Comfyness.....

Of course, there's no real time or place people can or should write. You can go to coffee shops (yay for Tim Hortons!) or even write to and from work/school. Unless you drive. Then don't write. I usually would go for when you're high energy and there's no real distractions or immediate concerns--after school when I have a fresh cup of coffee to wake me up again sounds good for me, all ensconced in my well-lit room. The most important thing is to write, my loves, whenever you can.

And, if you say you don't have enough time, cut down on what doesn't matter. Like TV, social media....Math homework.....


11. DETERMINATION

You need to be determined to write. You need to have a drive and be willing to work, work hard, and work fast. Not everyone can, or is willing to do that. I am. And so I am a writer. My loves, writing for NaNoWriMo is a personal challenge. Do it so you can prove to others, but mainly to yourself, that you can and will write a novel. It might not be good and it will need to be edited, but it is a novel nonetheless.

I wish all of you luck in your search, my loves.

May your fingers always fly across the keys!

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