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NaNoWriMo: Getting started

Amy Leibowitz nanowrimo news

Are you as excited as I am that it's almost National Novel Writing Month? I don't know about you, but since I'm a product of the 1970s, I still sing the Muppet Show theme song in my head when I'm excited about something starting. (Okay...maybe that's not a '70s thing. Maybe it's just me.)

So, let's talk about getting things going. If you're a serious planner, you probably already have everything organized and ready to go, even with two weeks left until NaNo starts. If you're a pantser, probably not so much, but hopefully you've at least got your idea. If you're like me, you're somewhere in the middle. Is that a plantser? A panner? Either way, my method is halfway in between. I know what I'm writing and I have the basics sketched, but I'm not planned down to the detail.

Struggling to find a concept for the story? Maybe you're brand new to NaNo, or maybe you're fresh out of ideas that don't sound stale and overdone. You can check out this list of 365 creative writing prompts for suggestions. Or how about some prompts just for women who love women?

For me, the biggest hurdle is always, "How the heck do I start this thing?" Even if I know the general idea of the opening scene, my struggle is in finding the right first line. Believe me, this can get me hung up for a while. For those of you who have the same trouble, let me offer you some inspiration from the greats. You can check out this web site for a list of (someone's, not mine) the 100 best opening lines. Maybe you have a few of your own.

Finally, for some of us, we need visuals or sounds. You can check out any number of fun NaNo-related things on Pinterest, from pictures to charts to inspiring quotes. If you're on Spotify, you can find user-created mixes to inspire you. Just don't get so caught up in browsing that you forget to write the novel!

Are you NaNo'ing this year? Leave us a comment or a Tweet to tell us about it. Happy writing!



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