The Elephant Technique or How Not To Break Your Momentum During NaNoWriMo And Beyond
Have you heard of NaNoWriMo?
It’s where people in November pledge to write 50,000 words - a novel - in 30 days. It’s great! If you’ve ever wanted to write a novel, consider this as the sign you were waiting for. Seriously, check it out.
There’s lots of good advice to be had when attempting NaNo. But the one thing people tend to get hung up on is this: it’s hard. Really hard. Really, REALLY hard.
This can be for a variety of reasons, but for me it’s research. I try to research all the things and stuff I need to before I write, but sometimes I’ll be going on my merry way and BOOM, I forgot what I named that hospital. Or BOOM I don’t know what the parts to a horse’s saddle is. So I go to Google and Google tells me. But it never stops there. I always go, “While I’m here, I might as well check tumblr.” And then, BOOM - an hour has passed and I haven’t touched what I was writing.
This is no good. I need to focus and not break my momentum while I’m writing. Stopping to open a browser and searching on Google breaks my momentum. So what do I do? Research even more? As much as I’d like to think I can predict everything that happens in my plot, I just can’t.
Instead of extensive, mind-numbing research, I do this. Whenever I find myself stalling to think of a name or an adjective or literally anything else, I write ELEPHANT instead. Elephant. And then go on my merry way.
It felt really stupid when I started. The worse is when I read what I’ve written and forgot that I slapped on an elephant in the middle of an intense scene.
But it works! I promise, I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t.
And when I edit, all I do is find each “elephant” with the search option of whatever word-processor I’m using and insert it’s rightful word - the well-researched-after-I’ve-written-the-book word. I’ve told a few people about my Elephant Technique, and I knew a few people who use different words: cantaloupe, poodle, Febreze. It all works.
Now. Please go forth and write all the things.
What’s your word this year? It’s 2018, I want to see some creative ones.
