You’ve written 5000 words of your NaNoWriMo novel and you’ve hit a wall but you’ve got this great idea for a different novel that you’re just itching to begin. You think about deleting that first novel or setting it aside and beginning from scratch on the new novel idea. After all you still have lots of time to reach 50,000 words, right?

This happens to me frequently. I plot and plan. I write character sketches. I research. I spend the entire month of October preparing for November’s NaNoWriMo and usually around the start of week 2 I want to write something totally different. In a different genre.

In No Plot, No Problem author Chris Baty (the guy behind NaNoWriMo) encourages you to keep those first words. Even if the novel is completely changed. Just keep writing. Every word counts. It started off as a Western and now you want Vampires and Aliens fighting to rule the Earth? Great! Write that.

Those first words of the Western are threatening to tar and feather you if you start writing about Zorag from planet Zeinowa*!wao’s plans to overthrow Lord Elden the Vampire leader? I have a simple solution for you. Change the font. Change the font colour. The font size. Minimize your 5000 words of Western so the tar and feather posse aren’t hassling you any longer. Those words still count as 50,000 words of fiction written for your NaNoWriMo Novel.

Just make them really, really, small for now.

Good Luck & Happy Noveling!

Filed under: NaNoWriMo, writing by Merlene