NaNoWriMo 2016: Getting Ready Tip No. 3

It's October 1, 2016 -- thirty days until the beginning of National Novel Writing Month.  This year, I'm going to try and write the first draft of a 50,000 word thriller in 30 days.  Zowie.

It's not like the world stops for NaNoWriMo each year.  Work still has to be done.  The trash still has to be taken out.  Plus, the holiday season is in full swing by mid-November. With it, one of my two favorite holidays of the year:  Thanksgiving!

To meet this deadline, 1666.67 words have to be on paper (or screen) each day.  Every day.  If you don't want to write on Thanksgiving Day, then you need to add those 1666.67 words to another day in the month.

To help keep me on track, I'm working with an outline this year.  I like it. I'm having fun with the planning and after all, fun is the point.

NaNoWriMo Tip No. 3: You Are Going to Make a Big Mistake

Thing I need to remember:  I'm going to make mistakes.  Maybe some big mistakes.  And that cannot stop me because I'm under the gun here.  

If you are taking part in National Novel Writing Month, you are going to make mistakes, too.  We've all got to remember that this is okay.  We're aiming at a first draft.

I love this quote from Teddy Roosevelt (see the image below).  I have this attached to my outline to remind me not to feel like I have to stop if I realize mid-way through the process that I've forgotten my victim was already married back in Omaha or that the one-armed man was left-handed.

And something that really helps me?

Watching The Big Sleep with Bogie and Bacall, in a screenplay by William Faulkner, and reminding myself that no one knows who killed the chauffeur.  Mistakes are made.

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I created the above image using Canva's free service and I release it into the public domain.

This file is in public domain, not copyrighted, no rights reserved, free for any use. You can use this picture for any use including commercial purposes without the prior written permission and without fee or obligation.

NaNoWriMo 2016: Getting Ready Tip No. 2

There are 38 days left before the launch of National Novel Writing Month 2016.  Once again, I'm gearing up for the challenge.

Can I write a 50,000 novel in 30 days?  Probably.  Will I?  The better question.

This year, I'm trying my hand at a thriller.  Even if I don't make the deadline, I'm going to have a lot of fun in November!

There's no rule against planning in advance for NaNoWriMo.  You just cannot start writing the content before 12:01 on the morning of November 1st.

NaNoWriMo Tip No. 2: Have Your Outline Ready to Go

Sure, you can write by the seat of your pants without a plan.  Many authors prefer it.  However, I want to complete 50,000 words in a four week period that includes the Thanksgiving holiday.

I know from past years that the "seat of the pants" approach is more exciting for me -- but it has also caused me to buckle around two weeks into the campaign.  I get distracted as it is, and there are more distractions now.  The holidays are coming!  The holidays are here!

This year, I'm going to have a map to follow. An outline for my thriller.

Having made this decision, I have to remind myself not to take this outline too seriously.

• Its purpose is to help me get back to work.  
• It will not be set in stone.  It will be written in pencil, not waterproof ink.  I don't want to feel controlled by the outline,  (This can be very hard for me not to do.)
• Things change as your story comes out of your head.  Characters change, or maybe you just get to know them better as things progress.  The outline has to be subservient to this evolution.  

Just making the decision to work with an outline is a confidence booster. I feel braver when I think of 30 days divided by 50,000 words is 1666.67 words per day.  Every day.  Even Thanksgiving Day.  

References for Outlining a Thriller

Here are a few reference materials I'm using as I build my thriller outline:

1. James Scott Bell's suggestions in his Writer's Digest article, "The 5 C’s of Writing a Great Thriller Novel."
2. Another Writer's Digest article, "How to Write A Great Thriller: 5 Pieces of Advice," written by David Ellis
3. Every interview and article I can find dealing with Thrillerfest Grandmaster Nelson DeMille.  I love this guy.  

and I'm re-reading some of my favorites, including:

• James M. Cain, The Postman Always Rings Twice;
• Frederick Forsyth, The Day of the Jackal;
• Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca; 
• Vera Caspary's Laura; and
• Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.

And, of course, this is an excuse to watch or re-watch lots of great movies that have been made out of great thrillers.  Fun, fun, fun.  

Maybe all this will help you too, Dear Reader. 

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I created the above image using Canva's free service and I release it into the public domain. This file is in public domain, not copyrighted, no rights reserved, free for any use. You can use this picture for any use including commercial purposes without the prior written permission and without fee or obligation.

Google Keep Review: I'll Stick With Evernote, Scrivener, and Padlet But You Might Like It

I'm a sucker for new productivity apps.  Aren't you?  Especially if they're free? Here's my Google Keep experience.  It started a few weeks ago.

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DottoTech Questions Switching From Evernote to Google Keep

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First, the backstory.

I subscribe to DottoTech's YouTube Channel.  Over lunch, I like to watch stuff like Steve Dotto's channel on my ROKU-powered TV, having cut the cable several years back.  (Read more on that here.)

So, last month I was chomping away on a deli salad, drinking iced Rooibos tea, and watching YouTube.

Sure enough, I learned something new.  Steve Dotto was comparing Google Keep with Evernote.

Maybe I had heard of Google Keep before, but it didn't stick with me. His question: should I switch to Google Keep?  Whattha?

My Evernote Loyalty

Now, I'm a huge Evernote fan.  I'm not abandoning Evernote.  No way, no how.

Still, I was interested to see what Google Keep could do, since it's got Google's awesome search function capability.  And that's a big, big deal for me.

Why?  Evernote is my research database.  I store stuff there.  My stuff; my clients' stuff; stuff I find online.

Evernote's search function is critical to me finding all that stuff after I've tossed it in there.

The ability to search all around Evernote is one of the big reasons I prefer it to OneNote.  But that's another story for another day.  Back to Google Keep.

How Could Google Keep Help Me?

So, I decided to check out Google Keep.  Give it a test run, see how it could help me be more efficient in my day.

Since I'm getting ready for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I decided to use Google Keep as part of that preparation.

That way, it wouldn't interfere with my standard procedures in my real work.  The stuff that makes me money and pays for my dog's liver treats.

I used Google Keep as a tool to help me prepare for writing an outline to my projected 50,000 word thriller.  This afternoon, I've got some findings to report.

Google Keep Reminds Me of Scrivener's Corkboard and Padlet

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In using Google Keep, I wasn't reminded of Evernote as much as Scrivener and Padlet.

If you use Scrivener, then you know it has this nifty corkboard feature, where you can move your chapters (or files) around as you like.

Sorta like index cards on a tabletop.  Except Scrivener is allowing me to do this with a huge amount of word count following along behind it.  

No way that Google Keep compares to Scrivener in this function.

And, if I want to do this rearranging outside of Scrivener, I'll use Padlet.  It's easier.  And I can keep all my stuff together on one topic there in a separate "padlet" for reference.

I like Padlet.  I use it.  It's fun.

Check out the Padlet Gallery for examples of how much fun this tool can be (lots of teachers use it).

I like Padlet better than Google Keep for brain dumps and brain storming.  

Bottom Line:  Meh.

I didn't NOT like Google Keep.  It was nice. It just doesn't serve me as well as the tools I already have in my tool belt.  So, for me Keep is not a Keeper.

Maybe it is for you, Dear Reader.  It's fun to test drive, anyway ....