So I’m assuming that you are talking about NaNoWriMo and I hope I’ll be able to help you. Now the #1 thing you should do is to write, obviously, but that’s not an answer you can do anything with. So I’m turning this into a bit of a general ‘things to help with nano’ post.
At this point, four days of writing, my word count is this:
Now, I’m very much ahead, and you might want to start throwing things across the room. But I’m not in any way able to win nano more than you. If I’d stop right now and you’d continue to write, you’d win, and I wouldn’t. But I can tell what helped me, what I struggle with, some motivation, etc. I don’t know if you’re writing fanfiction or anything, so examples will be based on my story, which is a destiel fic.
Mentality
The main, #1 thing I keep telling myself and which is very much helping me get through:
Allow yourself to write garbage.
Your story doesn’t have to be beautiful and perfect and good. It’s, for now, about quantity. Everything I’ve written right now is shit. I’m tryna write in a way that does not demotivate me, so I’m not just slamming words on the page. But please don’t worry about it. Here’s my first few sentences:
Honestly, there’s a lot wrong here. It doesn’t really make sense, grammar is off-ish, it could be written more eloquent and beautiful and I should use better synonyms and that ‘yourself’ is really off and… Well. Whatever. I just let it be like that. It’s been like that since I wrote it down four days ago and I haven’t changed it. I want to, because it’s shit, but that’s what December’s for. Writing a first draft is shoveling sand into a box so that later you can build castles (thanks Shannon Hale). It isn’t perfect and shouldn’t be.
I think realizing that what you get on paper isn’t supposed to be good or perfect in any way is the major key to me continuing to write.
Mental Stuff You Can Do
Write what you love.
Now, this sounds like a paradox, but let me explain. I want snow and Christmas vibes and more snow and Christmas vibes, so I made sure that is a constant and important theme throughout my fic. What do you want to read? What do you want to write? Don’t worry about what others like or how many times it’s been written, if you wanna write it, write it. This is more about the contents of your story than the way it’s been written (like what I talked about above). It helps if you write things you enjoy or look forward to writing. I desperately wanted to write 14×04-based Dean in this fic even though he’s a 19 y/o hunter at the beginning… so I put in a 15-year time skip and changed the outline to have it make sense. You can make it work.
Write for yourself, not for nano.
Do I think this fic is gonna end up at 50k? I’m afraid it’s gonna be shorter though I’ve been told it does seem like I’ll get it to 50k. I’m bad at gauging so we’ll see. But if it doesn’t end at 50k, I’ll just write random drabbles to make up for it. Write the thing you want to write, don’t write something just to get it to 50k. Even if you never end up reaching 50k, you wrote something for you and that’s way more important than that badge.
This post is hella important and you must read it and keep that in mind. Print it and put it on your wall or fridge or whatever. Keep this in mind.
Practical Stuff You Can Do
Talk about your story.
People are amazing with giving you new ideas or thoughts or point out flaws and issues in your story. Do it!!!!! Brainstorm with people!!!! It will get you going again. Promised.
Outline, or re-outline.
Doesn’t need to be long or anything. Just write down for yourself the things that have to happen/you want to happen, even if they’re small details. I only yesterday made this 5-point outline (or rather, someone else did while we were brainstorming), and I’m writing from point to point (tryna squeeze in 10k in between each.) It’s easier to have a few points to write towards, for me, at least.
Skip ahead.
Don’t know a scene or how to transition? Whatever. Just write the scene you know or feel super excited about. Pick those cherries, write what you feel like writing right now. Wanna write that smutty scene? Go for it. Wanna write the end? You go. It’ll get you in the writing zone.
Do some free writing!!!
Yes, do the writing you won’t end up using. Just write whatever comes to mind even if it’s just “this is shit and blah blah im a moose”. Just take 10 minutes or however long you wish to write whatever comes to mind. You can try to keep it related to your story but it doesn’t have to be. It will, also psychologically, break that blank-page fear and get you comfortable with writing things that aren’t perfect.
Sprint. Sprint. Sprint. Sprint.
If you write 417 words in a sprint, 4 times a day, you will reach your goal. Now, you have some words to catch up on, but it’s doable. Write for 30 minutes and write only, then stop, see how much you wrote. Try to beat yourself (or others, I’ll get onto that), see if you can write more than last time in the same amount of minutes.
Join my super awesome discord.
Self-promo! I have a destiel writers discord where we do a lot of sprints together and also have a nano chat where we cry and support each other. Idk if you’re a destiel writer but you should totally join if you are (don’t have to be writing destiel for nano though!)
Visuals and Audio.
I got a pinterest board with all the inspiration for this fic as I do with most long things I write. It’s super useful but make sure you don’t end up spending hours on pinterest (it happens). I stick pictures of the things in my draft as well, like:
Eek, another part of my horrible unedited bad first drafty writing… It’s just to get that creativity & inspiration going, and it helps.
For audio, I listen to calming christmas/winter vibe stuff, like this, also lots of christmas instrumentals, because that’s what works for my fic. But listen to whatever music kind of works for the vibes you’re going for. Listening to this music makes me feel like I should be writing. It helps.
This is so long Rose pls stop talking!!!
Okay I’m done. I could give more random small tips and things that help me, but I don’t want to bother you with too much, just hmu if you need more. Good luck, you can definitely get there.
However, if it’s affecting your mental health or yourself very negatively, don’t push yourself too much or burn yourself out. You come first.
Embarrass your protagonist. Make them seem weak and vulnerable in some way.
Shoot someone. That always takes the reader by surprise.
In relation, kidnap someone. Or, rather, make it seem to your protagonist like someone has been kidnapped.
Have one of your side characters disappear or become unavailable for some reason. This will frustrate your protagonist.
Have someone kiss the wrong girl, boy, or person, especially if you’ve been setting up a romance angle. It’s annoying.
If this story involves parents, have them argue. Push the threat of divorce, even if you know it won’t ever happen. It’ll make your readers nervous.
Have someone frame your protagonist for a crime they didn’t commit. This could range from a dispute to a minor crime to a full-blown felony.
If this is a fantasy story involving magic or witchcraft, create a terrible accident that’s a direct result of their spell-casting.
Injure your protagonist in some way, or push them into a treacherous scenario where they might not make it out alive.
Have two side characters who are both close to the protagonist get into a literal fist-fight. This creates tension for the reader, especially if these characters are well-developed, because they won’t know who to root for.
Make your protagonist get lost somewhere (at night in the middle of town, in the woods, in someone else’s house, etc.)
Involve a murder. It can be as in-depth and as important as you want it to be.
Introduce a new character that seems to prey on your protagonist’s flaws and bring them out to light.
If it’s in-character, have one of your characters get drunk or take drugs. Show the fallout of that decision through your protagonist.
Spread a rumor about your protagonist.
If your protagonist is in high-school, create drama in the school atmosphere. A death of a student, even if your protagonist didn’t know them personally, changes the vibe.
If your story involves children, have one of them do something dangerous (touch a hot stove, run out into the road, etc.) and show how the protagonist responds to this, even if the child isn’t related to them.
In a fantasy story, toss out the idea of a rebellion or war between clans or villages (or whatever units you are working with).
Add a scenario where your protagonist has to make a choice. We all have watched movies where we have screamed don’t go in there! at the top of our lungs at the main character. Make them go in there.
Have your protagonist find something, even if they don’t understand the importance of it yet. A key, a document, an old stuffed animal, etc.
Have your protagonist get involved in some sort of verbal altercation with someone else, even if they weren’t the one who started it.
Let your protagonist get sick. No, but really, this happens in real life all the time and it’s rarely ever talked about in literature, unless it’s at its extremes. It could range from a common cold to pneumonia. Maybe they end up in the hospital because of it. Maybe they are unable to do that one thing (whatever that may be) because of it.
Have someone unexpected knock on your protagonist’s door.
Introduce a character that takes immediate interest in your protagonist’s past, which might trigger a flashback.
Have your protagonist try to hide something from someone else and fail.
Formulate some sort of argument or dispute between your protagonist and their love interest to push them apart.
Have your protagonist lose something of great value in their house and show their struggle to find it. This will frustrate the reader just as much as the protagonist.
Create a situation where your protagonist needs to sneak out in the middle of the night for some reason.
Prevent your character from getting home or to an important destination in some way (a car accident, a bad storm, flat tire, running out of gas, etc.)
A mental illness or a conscious decision to avoid sexual contact.
An asexual person (“ace” for short) is simply someone who does not experience sexual attraction. That’s all there is to it. Aces can be any sex or gender or age or ethnic background or body type, can be rich or poor, can wear any clothing style, and can be any religion or political affiliation. (http://www.whatisasexuality.com/intro/)
Developing an asexual character:
So you want to make or further develop an ace character? Awesome sauce! Here are some questions to ask yourself to delve deeper into your character’s mind and experience:
Decide where on the asexual spectrum your character lies. Does it change/fluctuate? Under what circumstances does it fluctuate? (Keep in mind that this can change over time)
How does your character think/feel about being on the asexual spectrum?
How does your character feel towards sex? Neutral, sex-repulsed, sex-positive? Does it depend on the circumstance/person?
If your character were to find themselves in a sexual situation, what would their reaction be?
How does your character tell people about being asexual (if they tell people at all)?
How do other characters react to your character’s asexuality? How does your character react/respond to these reactions?
How does the society in your story react to asexuality? How does this affect your character? What assumptions do others have about asexuality/your character?
When did/will your character realize that they are on the asexual spectrum? How does/will your character think/feel about this? Is the realization because of a specific event, a gradual understanding/coming to terms, etc?
Writing an asexual character:
Keep in mind that asexual does not mean emotionless. Your character should still have emotional actions and reactions to events in line with their personality.
If the setting allows for it, it might be good to have your character specifically state they are asexual. This will help the reader understand where your character is coming from. Having other characters react and ask questions will help mitigate an info dump.
Be wary of having a plot that calls for the character’s asexuality to be a problem fixed by ‘good’ sex or a sexual relationship. In this instance it might be better to rethink your character’s orientation.
Do let your character have close intimate non-sexual relationships with other characters.
Try to avoid making your character asexual simply as a plot device. It should be an integral part of who they are, not a quirk.
If your asexual character is a minor character it might be best to avoid having them be the comedic relief as this can reinforce stereotypes of asexuals being socially inept or naive.
The Asexuality Spectrum:
When writing an asexual character it is good to keep in mind that asexuality itself is a broad spectrum, not necessarily a simple sliding scale. Your character might fall anywhere on this spectrum. Here is a nifty graphic to help describe this concept:
Sex-repulsed asexuals: those who want nothing to do with sex, period.
Sex-positive asexuals: those who are okay with sex.
Sex-indifferent: those who don’t care but don’t object to engaging in sex.
Circumstantial: those who are only okay with sex under very specific circumstances, such as needing a strong emotional bond (demisexual).
Where your character falls is worth a bit of consideration and many points on the spectrum do have a specific name. As always, sexuality can be fluid and change over time so where your character falls on the asexual spectrum could change.
Tropes to Avoid:
Tropes are tropes for a reason and none of these are bad in and of themselves, however like a lot of tropes they often perpetuate stereotypes and thus should be used cautiously.
Warning: The following link has highly negative content that we do not endorse. It is merely to illustrate the attitude that some have toward asexuality.
Initially I usually handle it by announcing gloomily that I can no longer write, have never been any good at it, and anything I’ve managed to do so far in the writing business was probably just sheer blind luck anyway.
Then I mope a bit. I drink a lot of tea. Check with Amanda and find out if she’d still love me if I never wrote anything again (she always says yes). Call my agent to apologise because, obviously, she will have to spend the rest of my life and hers getting me out of any existing writing contracts.
And then, after a few days of that, I get interested in something and start writing and get happy, and am usually vaguely surprised when someone mentions how miserable I was a few weeks before.
This is still true. And worth reblogging because people still ask…
Karate, SPN Demonic Octopus Guardian 