Dear Writer,
Sometimes, it can be scary to try new things and start new projects. 50,000 words is a lot of writing to get done. It feels a bit like you’re scoop out the ocean with a teaspoon.
But you know what? New projects are exciting. New projects help us try new things. They help us step out of our comfort zones and break new ground.
Now is your chance to write that idea you’ve always wanted to try, but you’re too scared to sit down and write it. Now you can finally sit down and put together an outline.
Or now might be the perfect time to just jump in, with no planning whatsoever.
It’s still early on in the NaNoWriMo games. Do you want to add a wild subplot based off of that plot bunny you had three months ago? Go for it! Having a hard time coming up with ideas? Add all of your favorite celebrities as characters and make one of them a serial killer!
Now is your chance to go nuts with it. Nobody expects perfection from your NaNo novels. So don’t be timid, don’t be shy. If you enjoy writing it, that’s all that matters!
You’ve got this!
Places to Get Ideas
Still hunting for ideas?
Have no fear! Try these cool places to find ideas.
- Log in to Pinterest, look up dialogue prompts, pick two that you like, and figure out how to include them both in one scene.
- Steal a character from your favorite show and give them a cameo appearance in your novel. (Leslie Knope has cameo’d in my novels before. It’s just a rough draft! It’s 100% totally okay to put them in there for now.)
- Mess with physics. Add superpowers, take superpowers away, add elements of the supernatural… whatever keeps your brain guessing. Surprise yourself!
- The hero is secretly evil. The “villain” was the good guy all along.
- One character is murdered. You can write about the investigation as long as you want to. Then if you get bored, forget about it and pretend it never happened.
- Try switching genres (or subgenres) for a chapter. Again, it’s all about the word count, baby! You can always switch it back in the next draft.
Enjoy and good luck!
