Nanowrimo and Thoughts on Writing: 11/12/07

Paperback Writer has posted a list common pitfalls to avoid when writing novels. As this is Nanowrimo season and lots of us (myself included) are busy cranking out our novellas, I found the "Novel McTen" post useful and interesting.

Among her list of ten I can say I've suffered through at least one book in the list. My favorites (or perhaps, least favorite) are the "Brother McVampires" "Dragon McQuest" and "Happily Ever McAfter".

While I can say with a sigh of relief that my current Nanowrimo hasn't fallen into any of these McTen traps, it is not without problems. Last night just as I was patting myself on the back for getting a day ahead in terms of word count, I realized I had made an error in my world's orientation which is really sad for a book starring a surveyor!

The mantras for Nanowrimo are "quantity not quality" and "no editing" but I just had to fix this mistake. Since I was already at my word count for today before even writing I took ten minutes out of my schedule to find and fix the places where I specifically mention directions. Now when I begin writing again after the children go to bed I can jump back into writing my Nanowrimo and not stress over the mistake.

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Tuesday, November, 13, 2007 at 00:59:33

Frances

You're really something. You are there for your family every minute, and still find time to read, review, create, research and do NaNoWriMo!

Take care,
Frances "

Comment #2: Tuesday, November, 13, 2007 at 22:26:44

lissa says

Glad to hear you're going great with your novel. Hope it continues and thanks for that "Novel McTen" - it's a fun read."