NaNoWriMo 101 Basics Part 3

NaNoWriMo 101 Basics part 3
Writing the Rough Draft.

So now we arrive at the meat and bones of NaNoWriMo.  The rough draft!  You have your sprinting sheet ready, it looks real pretty there against the backdrop of your computer, stuck up on your wall with duct tape, or you have it minimized on the tool bar.   What now?

Most times I do a warm up.  Something totally non related to the Nano project.  Writing is like any other exercise, except it is mental...but just because it is done in the psyche, doesn't mean you don't have to warm up first.  Like a runner stretching before a workout, getting your brain warmed up is not a bad idea.   There are some writing prompts on the Writers Digest site, and also some really good ones online.  Here are a few to check out:

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/daily-writing-prompts/
http://www.writing.com/main/writing_prompts
http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/
http://poster.4teachers.org/worksheet/view.php?ID=1309

I just randomly pick out a prompt, and do a 10 minute timed writing.   I usually do those long hand.  There is something about the pen on paper, that accesses my creative side.  Using a computer, just doesn't give me that "In the moment," feeling.  I keep the notebook, and when I reread them later, I find great lines, or it may spark an idea for something new. Some of these may make it into my work in progress, but mostly they show up in new projects...but that is another blog for another time.

So now I'm ready to work on my Nano project.  I usually have an idea where I am starting.  As long as there is a flow going, that is how I work.  If I start getting bored, I either A) Stop working on it, and take a break.  B) I jump around to somewhere else in the story.   NOTE:  I put a note in the manuscript that is what I'm doing.  If that does not work, then I go with C) to another project, or do a writing prompt...this circumvents the internal critic.

If I do take a break, I go play with the dog (I also have a cat now), or take a walk, or watch some TV.  Housework is oftentimes cathartic, and gets you into a zen moment.  Whatever way you choose to get past the "block" AKA "Internal Critic," you need to choose what works for you.  Because, sometimes if you try to force it, your mind rebels to the point where you just won't do it.

Be good to yourself, and give yourself permission to take that break