Writing Inspiration
Looking for advice on planning, story structure, and crafting great characters? Or just want to procrastinate on your novel in a way that feels productive?
We’ve got you covered! Here are some resources that people on the NaNo 2.0 team have created or found useful in their own writing. Have a suggestion for something we should include? Send it our way!
Books
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders - An MFA in book form.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - National bestseller on the writing life and how to survive it.
Brave the Page by National Novel Writing Month - A fun writing guide for young writers by NaNoWriMo staff.
Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk - Essays on how writing changed everything.
Dialogue by Robert McKee - Deep dive on dialogue from the author of Story.
Fruitflesh by Gayle Brandeis - Guide to writing with the senses by a longtime NaNoWriMo participant.
Hooked by Les Edgerton - On how to write fiction that grabs readers from the first line.
How to Write A Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson - Plotting using the Snowflake Method.
How Story Works by Lani Diane Rich - Clear, fun guide to story structure from a longtime NaNoWriMo participant.
If You Want To Write by Brenda Ueland - Originally written in 1938, the books that started all writing books and never fell out of print.
No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty - A guide to writing a novel in 30 days by NaNoWriMo founder and NaNo 2.0 member Chris.
On Writing by Stephen King - One of Time Magazine’s top 100 nonfiction books on both the life and craft of writing.
Outlining Your Novel Workbook by K.M Weiland - For outlining help.
Ready, Set, Novel! A Workbook by Chris Baty, Lindsey Grant, and Tavia Stewart-Streit - Inspiration to help you plot your novel.
Ready, Set, Memoir! A Workbook by Lindsey Grant - For those of you who are writing memoirs this year.
Pep Talks for Writers! - A collection of 52 (that’s right) pep talks.
Save The Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody - Plotting using the Save the Cat! Method.
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon - Inspiring guide to creativity in the digital age.
Steering The Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin - Exercises and discussions on story writing.
Story Genius by Lisa Cron - Dive into the emotional third rail that drives your plot forward.
Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain - Mechanics of writing scenes and structuring your book to hook the reader.
The Art of Fiction by John Gardner - Notes on craft for young writers.
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman - A guide on how to get out and stay out of the rejection pile.
The Only Worldbuilding Workbook You’ll Ever Need by T.M Holladay - For those who struggle with worldbuilding.
The Writing Life by Annie Dillard - National bestseller on the spiritual side of the writing life.
Thrill Me by Benjamin Percy - Essays on fiction and how to keep readers hooked.
Writing for Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias - How to manipulate the emotions of your reader to great effect.
Podcasts
Write Your Damn Novel by NaNo 2.0 members Kristina Horner and Liz Leo
Writing Excuses Great interviews and illuminating conversations
Memoir Nation: Weekly Inspiration for Writers Weekly podcast for memoirists with deep archive of interviews will all kinds of writers
Videos
Advice 9 Craft Questions Every Writer Should be Able to Answer by Bookfox
Creative Writing 101 by Jerry B. Jenkins
Creative Writing for Beginners: How to Introduce Your Characters by FueledbyFiction
Dealing with Creative Slumps, Writer’s Block, and Low Motivation by Shaelin Writes
Editor Fixes Common Prose Mistakes (Part 1) by The Plottery
From First Idea to First Word | Debut Book Breakdown by Writing Theory (Carson Long)
George RR Martin Gives Writing & Publishing Advice by Dominic Noble (Contains strong language)
How I Write Short Stories | 5 Writing Tips for Beginners by Wrestling with Words
NaNoWriMo Tips from a Professional Book Editor by Alyssa Matesic
Sanderson’s Laws of Magic: Writing Lecture #7 by Brandon Sanderson
Start Writing Today for Beginners by Kieran Westwood
The Shapes of Stories by Kurt Vonnegut
The Secret to Writing Strong Themes by K.M. Weiland
The Top 10 Story Structures used by Successful Writers by WritingChops
The Truth About Becoming A Writer with Lee Child by BBC Maestro
20 Writing and Screenwriting Tips by Stephen King
Sound and Music
Tabletop Audio - Free music and ambiences to fit any vibe
The NaNoWriMo Song by NaNo 2.0 member Kristina Horner
Good Ol’ NaNoWriMo (parody) by Errol Elumir, enthusiastic NaNoWriMo participant
Quotes
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” - Terry Pratchett
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” - Jodi Picoult
“If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” - Toni Morrison
“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something—anything—down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft—you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft—you fix it up.” - Anne Lamott
“My first draft is a courageous shout — ‘I’m writing a book, dammit!’—that gets me through to revisions, where maybe I can finally start to see what this book needs.” - Kristin Cashore
“I just give myself permission to suck. I delete about 90 percent of my first drafts… so it doesn’t really matter much if on a particular day I write beautiful and brilliant prose that will stick in the minds of my readers forever, because there’s a 90 percent chance I’m just gonna delete whatever I write anyway. I find this hugely liberating.” - John Green