#cwhnano

[characterandwritinghelp]

I want to try to write a novel, especially with NaNoWriMo coming up. Everywhere it says you need a draft, but what is a draft exactly? How long does it have to be, and how does it look? Are there descriptions, chapters and dialogues?

A draft is just a term used to refer to one version or iteration of your novel. A first draft is usually what NaNoers end up writing—the first version of the story. Second, third, fourth, (etc.) drafts all come after that as writers revise, edit, and make their story better.

The only length "requirement" is for the NaNoWriMo event itself, which in November means 50,000 words to earn a win. In reality, a draft, novel, series, etc. can be of any length and be a viable story.

Formatting is all up to you in the writing/drafting/editing stage. When it comes time to submit to publishers if you decide to go that route, see this post on formatting scripts/screenplays and this post on formatting manuscripts for novels.

Outside of publishing guidelines and grammar rules for punctuation and word use, there are no hard and fast rules for how long a chapter should be or what dialogue should consist of. The writing and creative part is all on you.

Best of luck!

-Headless

[characterandwritinghelp]

I'm doing a story for NaNoWriMo and I'm not sure what to do next. I almost have everything ready for it, the characters, personalities, plot (sorta), etc. But now, I still want to plan it and am not sure what else I can do. Any tips?

It’s Not Even October Yet And NaNoWriMo Is Already Breathing Down My Neck: What To Do

Outline. Take that “sorta” plot and make it a “got it down to the last letter” plot. Get hyper organized and make sure you never lose anything when it comes down to crunch time. Cruise through the organizing, tools, outlines, and snowflake method tags for ways to get super prepared before November rolls around.

Check over your story’s timeline and consistency. Look through the time, continuity, and plots holes tags for ways to timeline your story, check for inconsistencies and plot holes in your story, and spend some time repairing any holes before you jump into the story itself.

Write prompts. Go through the prompts and inspiration tags, find some writing or flash fiction prompts, and sharpen your skills with some short pieces. Get to know your characters and their voices, the finer points of your world, and maybe discover some new details you want to add in November. 

Do some research. Learn about biology to create more real-world plausible magical creatures. Delve into history and figure out how people dressed way back when. Look into weapons, Brazil's local flora and fauna, how photographs were developed in the early days of cameras, how on earth coal mining works, anything you think you might need for your story, get the research done now so you don't need to slow down in November.

Prep your writing space. Clean up your desk/desktop. Dig up your favorite socks and pillow and keep them on your chair. Stock up on writing snacks (I like popcorn and cookies but if you have a sweet tooth, maybe wait until all the Halloween candy goes on sale).

Get excited about NaNoWriMo. Find a NaNo calendar desktop wallpaper. Design a cover for your novel to put up on your profile. Jump into the NaNo forums and meet other writers, or join up with your region and connect with writers early.

Get started! If you feel ready, there is nothing wrong with diving right in. NaNoWriMo just needs 50,000 words—you can write anything you want now, and write the next 50k when November starts. Go wild!

-Headless

[characterandwritinghelp]

Are both mods participation in nano?

We are! Find me here, and Knockout here.

I hope everyone has had an excellent first week of Camp.

-Headless

[asexualstereotypes]

I have six main characters (ugh), but I know that seeing as I am determined not to center the story around romance in any way, plus it's setting in a more medieval era, it will likely never be explicitly revealed that they are respectively: Two asexuals, one bi, one pan, one straight, and one demi.

[authorisada]

10. Do you (intentionally) use symbolism in your stories? Why or why not? How so?

Yes. It's a great way to convey more information with fewer words.

[authorisada]

10. What’s your favorite line that you’ve written so far?

Context: He’s interrrupted while playing the piano.

'He stopped in mid-air.'

[characterandwritinghelp]

What does it mean by "Cabin-ing" up for Novembers month of writing? I want to participate this year and this idea intrigues me but I don't fully understand what it means.

I think there is a misconception out here that we need to correct.

Cabins are only a function for Camp NaNo, which this year are April and July. Cabin-ing with another user for Camp means getting together in a cabin, which is a group of 12 Camp users who share a cabin page and a bulletin board message area.

Cabinmates go through Camp NaNo together, share stats, and chat with the message board. Campers can have Camp NaNoWriMo match them randomly with other campers, ask to be grouped with campers in their age range, word count, or genre, or match up specifically with other campers they know in a new feature for private cabins.

November is when NaNoWriMo proper takes place, and does not have a cabin function. We are searching for a suitable alternative to cabins to use in November, and so far our contenders are:

Chatzy (which limits us to 10 people a room unless we pay for something bigger)

TinyChat (which is 18+ and has video chat)

Skype (which requires everyone interested to download the [free, unless something has changed] client in order to be able to chat with us)

Other suggestions, tumblbuds?

-Headless

[characterandwritinghelp]

Good music and good stories follow us through our lives to inspire us, to make us feel, to help us express things that words alone cannot convey. Show us what music makes you tick and helps you write your stories.

From now until the end of June, we will be running our first tunes challenge, to get everyone excited about Camp NaNo:

Pitch us your novel in a playlist, or tell us about yourself in a playlist.

Show us what motivates you as a writer to triumph over this summer's camp session, show us what gets your fingers flying over your keyboards and papers when you write, show us the music you love so that others can love it too.

Beginning today (June 18), characterandwritinghelp will start accepting a new kind of submission: 8tracks playlists. We have also started tracking the tag #cwhtunes. Submit or post your playlist under the #cwhtunes tag so we can see it, and share your tunes with us and other writers!

We hope to hear from you soon!