Can You Write a Novel in Thirty Days?

Could you imagine completing an entire novel in a month?

It sounds insane, I'm sure. But it's an insanity called National Novel Writing Month, which attracts thousands of participants every year. In some ways, it's a contest, but the only person you're really competing against is yourself. NaNoWriMo, as it's shortened to, occurs every year and runs from November 1st through November 30th.

The rules are very simple: during this month-long period, participants must try to complete a 50,000 word novel, a novel they started from scratch. At the end, they can submit their work to NaNoWriMo for word verification. And... that's it. There aren't any prizes given out, no publishing deals awarded, just the satisfaction that you've finished a novel.

"What? All that hard work for nothing? What a rip-off!"

I can see why you might think that, but you first have to ask yourself, "if I'm only writing a novel to win something, then why the hell am I writing a novel?" Playing the lottery is far less stressful and far less time-consuming. For a writer, completing that first novel is an incredibly huge accomplishment, and completing it in a month is an even bigger one. Some first-time writers work on that novel for years -- I know one writer who's been hard at work on a novel for the better part of a decade.

Participation in NaNoWriMo is an exciting and rewarding experience. I've been doing it since 2003 and even though only one of my novels was actually completed, I still have a blast with it. I plan on coming back again this November, have an idea fired up and ready to go. Some friends and I are starting a little competition amongst ourselves to see who can get to the finish line first, in an effort to boost our enthusiasm to complete our respective novels.

Now, those of you who are considering joining might be saying to yourselves, "how the hell am I going to find enough time to write a novel in one month?" And I'll be honest, it's not easy. But it is possible. If you break it down by pure numbers, you have thirty days to write 50,000 words. If you write 2,000 words a day, that means you'll meet the goal in twenty-five days. 2,000 words is roughly around ten double-spaced pages. Doesn't seem like that much, does it? Those who are used to cranking out short stories are probably thinking, "I can easily write ten pages a day for twenty-five days."

And you probably can. But it is a bit more challenging than that. Because those ten pages a day are contributing to a larger story. So you have to add enough to the story in those ten pages without stretching the story beyond its limits, and you have to make sure you don't burn yourself out while writing your novel. It's a tough balance to strike. In the four years I've participated in NaNoWriMo, I've only completed a novel once. There's one, key ingredient that's essential to sustaining your novel throughout the entire month.

You have to have an idea you're passionate about.

My published novel, Fallen, was written in 2005 during NaNoWriMo. But I wasn't able to finish the novel I began in 2006 (in fact, a year later and I'm only at the halfway mark). This made me go back and examine what was different when writing Fallen compared to the other years I did NaNoWriMo. And I realized it was the central idea. The concept behind Fallen struck me randomly about two months before NaNoWriMo began. So I spent two months thinking about the story. Those two months allowed me to lay out a lot of groundwork in my head and when the time came to write, I just went nuts. I produced the novel at a breakneck speed, barely encountering any difficulties while writing.

There are a few things you need to do when deciding to sign up for NaNoWriMo, and a few things you need to do while writing.

1. Find an idea you're passionate about - I already went over this above, but I can't stress it enough. Having an idea you're passionate about is crucial, because if you're not passionate about your idea, how are you going to fill up 50,000 words to discuss it? Sure, it's possible to drag it out, but the story won't be very good and no one will want to read it.

2. Start thinking about your characters before you write - It's been said many times in the past that if you have well-developed characters, the story will write itself, and it's usually true. If you create several characters and develop their personalities and their back-story and put them together, the way they interact will propel the story forward in ways you could never have imagined.

3. Don't think, just write - Planning ahead is a good idea, but you also don't have enough time to sit around and sometimes, planning out too much can be counter-productive. I've had stories planned out completely, where everything was perfectly orchestrated and ready to go. And when the time came to write, I was burned out. Before November, take some time to reflect on your ideas and characters, but when it comes to the story details, keep it general.

To use an analogy, there are two ways you can find your way to a destination. You can use a map, which lays out all the roads you can take very clearly for you, or you can use a compass and just go in the general direction of your goal. Don't draw a map when planning out your story -- get a compass. Know the general direction you want to go, but don't get bogged down with the specifics. Part of the fun of writing is seeing where your subconscious will lead you. And sometimes, your subconscious is a better writer than you, because your subconscious won't automatically dismiss potentially great ideas.

4. Stay motivated - There are a number of ways to stay motivated. The best one is to have a friend involved in NaNoWriMo as well. If you don't have one, check out the forums on the website. You can other writers who are writing in your genre or even in your area -- and sometimes, people in your area will schedule write nights where a bunch of you gather together at someone's house or a coffee shop with laptops or notebook paper and just write. Some friendly competition is a great motivator.

5. Environment - Have an environment that's conducive to writing. It doesn't have to be the only place you write, but you should have a place dedicated to writing, where you can just relax, crank up the tunes, light the incense, or whatever it takes for you to get into a good writing mood. If at all possible, this should be a home office but it's not necessary.

6. Write whenever possible - You should have a general writing spot and you should try to have a designated writing time, at least an hour a night or so. But beyond that, write whenever you can. Even carrying around a small little notepad you can jot some things down in is a good idea. If you're stuck in traffic and you get some ideas, jot down some notes. While you're on the train, jot down some notes. Eating lunch alone, jot down some notes. If you have access to a computer at your job and you get some downtime, don't waste it taking surveys on Facebook, spend it adding some more things to your novel. I always try to e-mail an updated version of my novel to myself as much as possible. And in this age of flashdrives and memory cards, it's even easier to bring your novel with you.

7. Do not edit - If you get strung up with editing at this point in the game, you will never finish. November 1st through the 30th is for writing. You only have one month to finish your novel, whereas you have a large amount of time to devote to editing. So don't edit, don't revise, just write. Your novel could very well be a mess by the time you're finished, but that's part of the fun of writing.

8. Write what you know, research what you don't - It's a cliché, but it's pretty true. And by saying this, I don't mean you should only write your life story -- write what you know is not the same as write your auto-biography. Think about your experiences, people you know, books you've read, movies you've seen, etc. Use them as templates for your own ideas you'd like to explore in your story. In Fallen, I used a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/fantasy story using Christian mythology as a way to express themes related to family and East Asian religion. And when it comes to things you don't know, research, research, research.

9. Develop your own style - This is probably the most important piece of advice I can give. If you want to be a great writer, you have to find your own voice and develop your own style. That means everything I've just said should only be considered a guideline at best. These aren't hard and fast rules, these are just things that have worked for me. And ultimately, you need to find what works for you, but that will only happen through trial and error.

10. Caffeine is your friend - 'Nuff said.

These guidelines have served me well in my writing. And if you follow them, I can't promise you'll finish your novel. But they're some guidelines that just might help you, too. So go on over to nanowrimo.org and get yourself signed up. I'll see you on the NaNoWriMo forums.