Did you “win” NaNo? Are you already intoxicated by the sweet smell of success? Congratulations—you’ve earned it!
Let’s talk about what you should—and shouldn’t—do for your next steps. Don’t make these mistakes with your NaNoWriMo Novel.
Congratulations! You Won NaNoWriMo! What’s Next?
Those who didn’t make it learned some valuable lessons about writing, themselves, and their approach to writing—so truly, there is no such thing as NOT winning NaNoWriMo because whether you make that 50,000-word count or not, you’re a better writer now than you were a month ago.
So whether you’ve already finished your first draft or you expect to do so sometime next year, here are three things you shouldn’t do when you cross the finish line:
1. Don’t throw anything away.
Is your 50,000-word first draft ready for publication? Of course not—but neither should it be deleted from your hard drive. Yes, allegedly there are writers who do that, but please do NOT become one of them.
Even if you’re a writer who believes the act of putting your butt in a seat for 30 days and churning out the bones of a novel is enough of a reward without having to ever read what you wrote, please believe that you’ve written some gems.
Okay, maybe you’ll delete some—or most—of those 50,000 words, but save them in a separate folder. In a month or two, you may reread a well-turned phrase you’d forgotten about and will have a brainstorm for an entirely new scene . . . or character . . . or novel!
2. Don’t begin editing your manuscript.
You’ve spent plus or minus thirty days with this manuscript—and if you outlined in October, that number goes up. Believe me, now is NOT the time to begin editing. You’re too close to your story, and let’s face it—you’ve had an exhausting, emotional month.
Do a happy dance, pat yourself on the back, announce to the world (or at least your Facebook friends) that YOU DID IT, and then put your manuscript away for a while.
For how long? Opinions vary on this one, but long enough that when you open it up again, the story feels new and fresh in that “I can’t believe I wrote this” way. That might be a month or a year, but it shouldn’t be tomorrow. Give yourself some time away to gain a little perspective, and you’ll have more clarity once you being to edit and revise.
Taking a very rough first draft and molding it into a saleable novel will require some ruthless revising and self-editing, so give yourself enough time away to gain perspective.
3. Don’t stop writing.
If you’re like most NaNoWriMo authors, you’re pretty excited about ending November with 50,000 words—maybe you have the first draft of a novel, maybe only a third of a longer manuscript, but nevertheless, you’ve written a bodacious number of words in 30 days, and you’ve accomplished something pretty spectacular.
So why quit now? You’ve proven to yourself that you can make the time to write every day, so wrap your mind around that new reality and keep writing.
In my book, every writer who even attempts NaNoWriMo is a winner. And although I know it will be a few months before those drafts are polished enough to make their way to an editor, I’m already looking forward to the day when that happens. For an editor, the thrill is in peeking under the hood, so to speak, and helping to polish a novel that was only an idea in your head a mere month ago. I can’t wait!
“The Writers Mastermind has been the leaping stone in my writing. Each month offers a new theme and focus towards the Writers’ Dream. I have found my voice, structure, and have gotten immeasurable feedback on my works.”
Charlotta Amato, Short Story Writer
“Ever since I joined Writers’ Mastermind, I have felt more like a writer and part of a writing family than I ever have before. I have gained confidence in my writing, learned who I am and how I want to be as a writer.”
Clennell Anthony, The Circle
“An empowering mastermind group, definitely the best I have ever been a part of. The warmhearted community is genuinely a reason to get excited and I learn as much from my peers as I do from the exceptional courses.”
Joseph Sale, The Black Gate Series, Save Game
“The classes are awesome. They offer perspective, as well as tips and tricks that many may not have thought of when it comes to not only creating their books, but promoting them. It’s worth much more than what we pay, and that is a total win-win situation.”
Sandra Hould, Future Novelist
“It’s been a boon for me to work and interact with this diverse range of authors. I’ve received fantastic constructive feedback, friendly motivation and support through the struggles in my writing process, and accountability to keep me focused on critical tasks.”
S.M. Fedor, Band-Aid for a Bullet Wound, Better People
It’s that time of year. Many of you have fingertips flying down the homestretch of NaNoWriMo. Some of you published authors are trying to close out the year with releases and sales. Other writers are revising and preparing to submit their work.
2020 has been a year like no other. That is why we are going to do something fun in the Writers’ Mastermind to go out with a bang.
Instead of releasing another masterclass, which I know all of us are overwhelmed as the holidays approach, we are going to create the first ever Writers’ Mastermind Read Your Story Mash-Up Challenge!
What is it?
Each member of the Writers’ Mastermind will read up to 5 minutes of their work on video. It can be a published work or an excerpt of a work-in-progress. Flash fiction, short stories, chapters of novels of any genre are all welcome (please nothing extremely graphic).
Recorded readings will be done on the live Mastermind Mash-Up Zoom call (date and time to be announced) or can be pre-recorded by the author and sent in to be added to the Mash-Up video.
Why do it?
Video is the best way to connect with your audience. They can both see and hear you and get to know your work on an intimate level.
Learning to read to your audience will prepare you for future publicity events (social media lives, book signings, etc.)
We know many authors feel uncomfortable putting themselves out there—not just on video, but in any form. By accepting this challenge with us, you will break the ice when it comes to promoting and sharing your work.
The mash-up will shared on our website, social media, and mailing list. It will also be advertised, giving you and your writing free exposure and opening you up to new readers, friends, and followers.
This is a great opportunity to have some fun, maybe step slightly out of your comfort zone, and become part of a collaborative project with all the other writers in the community.
Have you ever been engrossed in a great story and suddenly stopped short to ask yourself what the writer is referring to when “it” appears?
Here’s an example:
“Sue and Mary found six dresses to try. It fit and was in her price range.”
What is “it,” exactly? In the context of the sentence above, “it” is used as a pronoun, and illustrates a common (and avoidable) writer mistake:
Undefined pronouns
A quick grammar review: Pronouns are a useful part of speech that give writers greater flexibility in naming schemes. Instead of using and reusing a noun, the substitution of a pronoun allows for a type of shorthand.
For example, instead of writing, “The moment John walk into the store, John realized John had forgotten John’s wallet at home” (pretty clunky, huh?), this sentence becomes, “The moment John walked into the store, he realized he had forgotten his wallet at home.”
Personal pronouns are fairly straightforward. Most of us use I, he, she, they, him, her, them, his, hers, and theirs properly . . . but “it” often present unique problems for writers.
The Problem with “It”
When I edit manuscripts, I usually see two different but related problems with the use of “it”:
The pronoun “it” does not relate to the antecedent
The pronoun “it” is part of vague sentence construction.
In plain English, the first problem is using a pronoun that is ambiguous or doesn’t refer to a specific noun. Example:
Although the pizza delivery van ran into the school bus, it was not damaged.
Does “it” represent the pizza delivery van or the school bus? We just can’t tell by this sentence construction. The pronoun doesn’t clearly relate to the antecedent.
Vague sentence construction and the indefinite use of “it” often calls for a sentence revision. Here’s an example of a common use that creates a weak sentence:
“Mary wondered if it was something about the energy of young people that animals pick up and want to be around.”
When “it” is combined with a form of the verb “to be,” take a closer look to see if there might be a better way to construct your sentence:
“Mary wondered if animals pick up on the energy of young people and want to be around it.”
In the above example, “it” stands in for “the energy of young people.” Or you can restructure the sentence to eliminates “it” completely.
“Mary wondered if the energy of young people was something animals pick up and want to be around.”
When self-editing your work, remember to add “it” to your list of words and terms to search and possibly replace. You don’t need to avoid this pronoun, but use “it” wisely and properly, and consider whether your sentence could be stronger and clearer by avoiding “it.”
Candace Johnson is a professional freelance editor, proofreader, writer, ghostwriter, and writing coach who has worked with traditional publishers, self-published authors, and independent book packagers on nonfiction subjects ranging from memoirs to alternative medical treatments to self-help, and on fiction ranging from romance to paranormal. As an editorial specialist, Candace is passionate about offering her clients the opportunity to take their work to the next level. She believes in maintaining an author’s unique voice while helping him or her create and polish every sentence to make it the best it can be.
Look forward to our self-editing class with Candace Johnson coming to the Writers’ Mastermind soon!
Congratulations to Writers’ Mastermind member Charlotta Amato for getting her first short story published in Storgy Literary Magazine! We are so proud to have been part of her journey to becoming a published author. Let’s have a read…
Il Ragazzo by Charlotta Amato
It was a slow Sunday in late July in a small northern Italian town. The sun bullied its way through as I stood in the crowds of people at the tiny train station. The afternoon heat reached out, bringing forth the smell of the metal from the train rails. Unwashed hair is what it smelled like.
He was just lying there, the boy, on the tracks, but all I could think about was the smell of unwashed hair. Dirty hair. It made me sick. His body lay twisted and perturbed, but not in pain. His arm was outstretched, the elbow bent at an unsatisfying angle from his body. In his palm, he held a small silver chain, dripping red droplets of blood that seeped down through the tracks where they became a mixture with the rust and dirt of the ground.
I kept wondering how long before his skin would melt into the metal. Would it hurt? Even with his body splayed across the rails, he looked so incredibly peaceful lying there, a sculpture of flesh and fiery steel.
“Andate. Andate. Per favore.”
The police officer in his bright yellow vest had a hold of my shoulders, guiding me to the stairs that led out of the station.
“Vini. No sta bene. Murio. He dead. Il ragazzo. Si? You go.”
Before I turned away, I traced a cross over my forehead, my chest, each of my shoulders. Maria. Mary. Forgive me.
“Bene,” the police officer said. “God is here, God choose this.”
No, he didn’t, I thought. “But the train,” I said. “Il tren. I have to get on the train.”
“No. We mourn. He die. No train. Bus. Now go.”
My head was screaming. I couldn’t make out the next things the officer said. All I could hear was the shrill screeching of the brakes in my ears. Some of the people in the crowds joined the nuns in song of wailing, a sob so low-pitched that it made my insides vibrate. Il ragazzo mio the voices said, closing in with every short breath I managed to gasp. I followed the crowd of passengers that had gotten off the train, the one that was supposed to take me away from here…. Keep reading this story on Storgy.com
Charlotta Amato
Charlotta Amato currently resides in Norway, the land of Vikings and trolls, where she teaches high school during the day and spends evenings writing, painting, reading and doing yoga. She lives with her two teens, their crazy Labrador, Louie, and their reckless kitten, Romeo. This is her first publication.
