Well it's halfway through the month and that means I'm halfway finished writing my first novel!
I'm really proud of myself for getting this far. As I've said before, having a writing buddy (my great boyfriend, Jason) has really helped me. For those of you who started and quit, don't be ashamed. I quit last year, in fact I barely started, and now I'm on my way to finishing. Here are some things that have helped me succeed so far this year.
1. Having a writing buddy. I know I have already said this but I cannot stress this enough. If you have a writing buddy then there is someone else there to keep you on track. If my boyfriend is working on his novel and I have nothing to do then I have no choice but to work on my novel too. If you can't find someone to write with you in person then follow other writers on Twitter. When you see other writers succeeding in spite of their busy lives you will become motivated too.
2. Write a plot before you write your novel. No matter how vague it is, writing by the seat of your pants is just not a good idea. It's fine if you change your plot as you go along (I've certainly changed mine), but knowing what your story is about will help you tremendously. Last year I wanted to write a Western, but I didn't have a storyline in mind. I just thought I could write in the style and a story would come to me. Bad idea. This year I did an exercise where I summed up my plot in one sentence. This helps keep me on track, but allows me to let my characters grow.
3. Don't let yourself fall behind in the beginning. If you can stay on track those first seven days you will be so far into your novel that it will be hard not to return to it. Well, maybe not hard, but not as easy as quitting a story that only has two thousand words. You may think you will have more time later. You will not. Write now.
I hope everyone else is having a successful NaNo experience. If anyone else has some tips or experiences to share please leave some comments!