Yesterday in my NaNoWriMo Game Plan I promised a list of the National Novel Writing Month resources I’ve found to be most useful.
Unfortunately, it’s entirely possible to spend all your time reading about, rather than doing, NaNoWriMo. If you see this after November 1 and want to write a NaNo novel, I recommend you just check out the FAQ on the official site and jump right in.
Detailed Resources – for everything you need to know about NaNo
- NaNoWriMo.org is the best place to start learning about NaNo. The FAQ section is detailed and thorough, including this list of published NaNo writers. I would recommend registering with the site. If you register, you can upload your novel (with the text scrambled if you like) at the end of the month to participate in the word count. Also, with registration you can ask other writers questions in the forums and find local writing groups, many of which have regular writing sessions you can join. I’ve found the forums to be a wealth of ideas and knowledge, from thoughts on character development to discussions of favorite authors.
- No Plot? No Problem! by NaNo founder Chris Baty is a humorous and insightful look at tackling the month-long novel. Read my review.
- NaNo for the New and the Insane: A NaNoWriMo Survival Guide by Lazette Gifford is a free e-book available on her website. A different take on NaNo from No Plot? No Problem!, Lazette takes a more methodical approach, including detailed advice on outlining, the benefits and dangers of getting involved in the forums, setting goals, and starting the rewriting phase.
Tips on surviving NaNo from previous participants
- Angela Booth offers tips on picking a genre, collecting ideas, fleshing out characters, and how to plot using storyboards.
- CornerScribe lists some basic planning to do before NaNo and how to stay on track with your writing.
- DIYPlanner member iScribe gives tips from her experience as a first-time winner last year.
Resources for the end of November – for those already looking ahead
- National Novel Finishing Month (NaNoFiMo) is for those who may have written 50,000 words but still didn’t finish their first drafts. I’m not sure if the forums will be active again this year, but the Resources page may have some tools you can use.
- National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo) continues the process.
Again, I don’t know if the project is ongoing, but there are some useful articles.The next NaNoEdMo begins in March 2008. - And for a change of pace, Script Frenzy, affiliated with NaNoWriMo, is for playwrights and screenwriters to finish a draft in the month of June.
