Hints N' Links


“Editing while you write is like trying to cook in the grocery store.” --the divine Judyth Hill

There’s a legend afoot that some folks can write brilliant first drafts, and there are some Nanos so organized that they’ve got their characters, plot, outline -- the whole sheebang -- ready to go. All they have to do is breezily fill in the blanks while someone rubs their neck and brings them hot cocoa. I’m not one of those writers. But I am a two-time Nano winner, so I’m going to venture a few ideas that might help you do it, too.


  1. Write terrible prose. Allow yourself to write any junk that occurs to you. Really. No one is going to read your novel unless you let them.

  2. Stray off the subject. It’s OK if you are writing about intrigue in the court of Henry VIII and a penguin drives by in a Subaru. There’s no telling where a plot ninja may lead you. You can always fix that detour in December.

  3. Don’t save your great ideas for a time when you can do it better. You can’t ruin an idea by writing about it. What you can do is explore – learn everything you can about your characters and situation. Think of it as a 50,000 outline for the “real” book you’re going to write later.

  4. Kill your darlings. If a character gives you fits or if your carefully constructed plot constricts or unravels, toss it out. Kill it, ignore it, whatever it takes to get it out of your brain so something that will work can worm its way in.

  5. Take a break. Even if you are behind on your word count, you need time recharge. Take a walk, go to a party or a write-in. Do something fun. And take your pen and notebook with you. That feisty inner creator loves to pop out when you’re ignoring it.

Here are some (possibly) useful links you might want to check out:

What’s in a name?

Random name generator uses data from the US Census to match first and last names with differing degrees of probability.
Names from around the world
Etymology and history of first names
Surnames
Evil name, planet name, angel and demon name generators. Plus lots of links.
Place name generator.

Where am I?

A phenomenally complete Excel spreadsheet that helps you keep track of your progress. It could save you time, unless you use it obsessively just to watch the charts and graphs change. Includes a morale tracker.

What AM I doing?

It may be a bit late muck around with plotting, but you never know what you’re gonna need. This is where our character worksheet came from. The site also includes character biography worksheet, fantasy and sci-fi world-building forms, and story starters.

Is this for real?

Check out the Character and Plot Realism thread on the NaNo forum. This is the place to go for the skinny on weight-lifting, Italian folk magic, creative assassinations, or summoning angelic beings. It’s also a great place to mess around when all you really want to do is, well, procrastinate.

There’s lots of other information out in the big, bad world of the rest of the NaNo site. If you’ve got some time to kill, don’t hesitate to check it out.