NanoWriMo (or not): Riding Roughshod on the Rail Tracks
How many of you have so far managed to get off to a great start but then, without warning, been derailed by some silly detail? In need of a name for a character, you find yourself trawling family history websites looking for the right one. That then leads you onto finding out just what occupation led to that name all those centuries ago and before you know it you are heaped in a avalanche of information that’s eating into your precious writing time. Or maybe it was something else — A road name, a police procedure, a style of hat. It is literally like slamming into a glass patio door (which is very funny when you witness someone else doing that), but without the sore nose.
Once you’ve found out what you came for you have lost your flow and can’t really remember how you were going to write that scene in the spectacular way you had planned to when you first sat down, bubbling with enthusiasm. So you write a few words, hoping the mere process will plant you back on track, but everything you write now seems flat. You reach for the chocolate — the kettle — and, uh-oh, here we go...
Don’t fall into that trap — not unless you absolutely, unequivocally have to because without that detail the plot cannot go on!
When it comes to a character’s name, I try and think of the most extreme memorable thing I can that is associated with the character’s personality, or occupation/role in the story. So, for instance, in my WIP LovedUP, if I needed a character who sells pot, I might use Skinny McNinny (as in skins = cigarette papers). I can go and change it later. But sometimes this method creates some interesting names that stick, and some character traits too (like, Skinny might be really fat, or Scottish).
As for descriptive detail... do you know what those wrought iron flowery kind of mouldings along the fencing outside the Natural History Museum in London are called? Me neither. Rather than going on an internet hunt to find the image of what’s in your mind’s eye to then find out the exact word you need, use *wrought Iron fencing* (yes, with the asterix too). That way you have marked it and you can go do the research in December. By that time you may have decided you don’t even need to go into that much detail.
Not sure why Skinny is motivated to kill Boggle-eyed Bob? Don’t get in a wrangle trying to figure it out. For now, he just did. Write that he did and move on. It’s highly likely the reasons will spill forth in later scenes (not earlier ones) as your characters develop. Yes, you may have holes in your plot, but this is Nano — you’re allowed! And besides, that’s what revisions are for.
Another trick is to treat Nano like one huge Freewriting exercise. Pick a word related to your story (preferably to the scene/chapter you are writing), write around it for a ten minute period (use a timer, the pressure helps) without stopping, even if that means writing I’m stuck, I’m stuck I’m stuck for a little while until something else comes to you. This may sound like I’m advising you write drivvle, but you’ll be surprised what gold can be found within the dirt.
Of course, this is not limited to Nano participants. These are the kinds of obstacles that continuously throw themselves onto our writer rail tracks causing us to slam on the brakes and pile up our carriages. And if you’re not doing Nano then you could be waiting around for the repairs for weeks, months...years?
There are all sorts of tricks to keep you trundling along at a merry pace. The important thing is to keep the story going. It’s a bit like erecting a tent (the old fashioned way) — put the poles up first before you can make it into a shelter people will retreat to. And next year, you may have a list of stoppers that you can prepare for in advance.
Got any tricks to keep your writing chugging? Please share!
