Don’t leave your NaNo project hanging. You have everything it takes to finish that sucker already within you. Here are 3 quick tips to move you into the Finish Column.
Tip 1: Make it Up
So you fell out of your novel at some point. No worries, you can bounce back reinvigorated. First track down where you started to flag and ask yourself some basic questions. Where was it? And why are you stuck?
If you are anything like me, you simply ran out of ideas. Hey, it can be a slog to get through a first draft of a novel. It’s OK if your creativity well ran dry. But, after some rest, your creative side should be ready to reengage with your WIP. Find that spot where you didn’t know what to do, and just make something up. Anything, at all. You cannot fix what isn’t there. If you still don’t know what to do, borrow inspiration from a similar story. Or, if you’re particularly rebellious, a totally dissimilar story.
Tip 2: Keep that Inner Editor on a Tight Leash
If your WIP hasn’t been read by someone else, then your Inner Editor needs to be kept on a tight leash, if you let them out at all. At this point, the Inner Editor isn’t yet ready to help you make your work the best version. It’s there to lie about the quality of your work. But highly polished drafts don’t just rush off your fingertips, they are honed through revisions. And honed best through a feedback loop where your Inner Editor has critique partners. If you aren’t sure if your IE has a great point or is just sabotaging you, you have the option to put that concern in a note on your document. Leave what you have, just write up the concern on the side and come back to it on the next pass.
Early drafts should be more focused on the scaffolding, the big picture, function of the story, not the tiny details. And any time that Inner Editor tells you, this isn’t good enough, you shouldn’t do it, etc, etc, it’s time to pack them away. Your Inner Editor will have plenty of time to play after you get your draft back from your readers. Which reminds me…
Tip 3: Get Alpha Reader(s)
Find someone you trust to read your early draft. Set a FIRM DATE, and then, no matter how much you procrastinate, send your precious baby out to them on that date, NO MATTER WHAT!
I know, I know, this is the most scary part. After pouring all of your love into this creative work, it may feel like you’ve just consigned your vulnerable baby to supernatural elements of doom and gloom. That’s a normal feeling. But here’s a secret, you actually still have your baby. And your reader’s opinion is just that, an opinion. So when you are tempted to not send it out, remember, you were brave enough to start your story, you are definitely brave enough to see this to the end.
Happy Writing.