Is this your first year doing NaNoWriMo?
Nope! How many times have you done it and have you won? This will be my fourth. My first was in ’09, and I’ve done it each year since. I won in ’09 and ’10, but not in ’11. What is the best tip you can give to a first-time NaNo'er? The best tip I’d give to a NaNo’er is not to get overwhelmed by looking at it as, “50,000 words in ONE MONTH – aaaaagggghhh!!!” Just focus on the daily goal. If you can get out 1,667 words a day, you’ll hit the 50K mark. So just focus on THAT. It’s very, very doable. How much preparation do you plan to do before November 1st? I try to prepare by just thinking and thinking and thinking about what my story will be. I’m a pantser, not a plotter. I mean, I do basic notes about characters, things like that, but not a chapter-by-chapter outline or anything. This year, I actually am doing more prep work than before, because I decided my male MC is a professional soccer player. Great. I know NOTHING about soccer, or that world. Got some homework to do!
Got anything you'd like to tell us about this year’s project? I’m using this NaNo to kick off writing my next series. This will be Book One of a four book series. So… I’ve kind of been thinking on the whole SERIES while planning. Narrowing it down to just write Book One will feel like less work once I start, I guess. Anything else you'd like to share? What I’ve said to friends who do NaNoWriMo is this: hitting 50K in 30 days is fantastic. But if you don’t, it’s NOT a big deal. There’s no monetary/tangible prize on the line, you’re not dropping a deadline, you’re not letting anyone down – except yourself. It’s about the EFFORT here, not the end result. Because ultimately, even if you only write a few thousand words? That’s a few thousand more words than you had before November 1st. And that’s a win, no matter what. Have fun doing it. It’s a cool thing. Jennifer Gracen writes contemporary romance and romantic women’s fiction. She is represented by the Sullivan Maxx Literary Agency. She is also a freelance copy editor, a mother of two incredible young boys, and a social media addict. You can often find her on Twitter and Facebook. She believes an intervention is imminent, but doesn’t care. Last year she was known by many as the NaNoWriMo Head Cheerleader, a tag she wears with pride since she loves supporting and cheering on her fellow writers.
Author website: http://jennifergracen.wordpress.com
Copy Editing website: http://jgce.wordpress.com
Breaking the 50k into bite size chunks is the best advice ever! Terrific, encouraging post!! Thank you, Jennifer!! :)
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