Welcome to that November Novel

Have y’all heard that November is National Novel Writing Month? It’s often shorted to NaNoWriMo. People take this month to write try and write a novel. There’s a nonprofit with a website that has tools and a community for writer’s to achieve their writing quest. You don’t have to join to participate. In fact some writers do it on their own. 

The end goal is that by November 30th, a 40,000 word novel has been written.

This now being December, you might be wondering why I’m blogging about an event that took place last month. Simply put, there’s a bit of an “after” that comes with NaNoWriMo.

For those of you knew to the concept: welcome! You are clearly curious about the title (or just like to keep up with my random thoughts) and want to know what this “November Novel” is.

For those of you familiar with the concept: welcome as well! You fall into three categories. The curious who have heard of NaNoWriMo, but have no further context. The ones who have attempted or thinking of attempting NaNoWriMo, but want more information. And finally, the ones who have participated in NaNoWriMo, finished your novels, and are wondering about what to do next.

If you are in this last category: Congratulations on Finishing that Novel!

It’s a big deal to write a novel - even if it never leaves the archives of your hard drive. It takes time and dedication to write everyday and 40,000 words (or more) is nothing to sneeze at.

However, writing the novel is only step (maybe) four in getting it published and into reader’s hands. (Step one being being struck by the idea, step two being the research phase, and step three being the act of writing itself).

Now, I’m not here to tell you what you’re next steps are (more knowledgeable writers than I can give you that information). I want to tell y’all what NOT to do after you finished that November Novel. This goes for recently completed NaNoWriMo participants and future ones.

So, here’s a list of things NOT TO DO over the month of December:

• Don’t assume that 40,000 words makes an industry ready to publish novel. Though a novel is defined as any body of writing over 40,000 words, that’s the bare minimum. Depending on genre, most publishers are going to want something between 70,000 and 90,000. Rarely will they take anything outside that range. 
• Don’t assume your first draft is ready for any kind of agent or publisher. I know, you’re excited and think your novel is the next Pride and Prejudice, but it’s not. It’s really not. It’s probably full of grammar and spelling mistakes, loose plot threads, and characters you forgot you renamed half way through the month. Find some beta readers or a writer’s group you trust to start workshopping it.
• Don’t start queering agents, publishers, or self publish it. Did you read my last “Don’t”? You’re novel may be “finished”, but it’s not really finished. Also publishers, agents, and self publishing sites are inundated with barely ready novels from other NaNoWriMo writer’s and they will ignore you.
• Don’t pay any money to publish your recently written novel. Vanity presses exist and they will publish your novel for a price. But they won’t advertise or distribute it…unless you pay an even higher price. Please research how the publishing industry works (including he self-publishing industry). Connect with other [preferably published] writers and listen to what their experiences have been. Find and follow literary agents who know and understand how to do things when it comes to publishing. Don’t pay money to get your book published!
• Don’t feel pressure to do anything right away. Yes, it’s exciting to write a novel. Yes, you have stars in your eyes to see it published and win awards. Yes, it feels like life is passing you buy and you want to live it in the now. Take a deep breath and a step back. Writing, editing, queering, publishing, and marketing a book all take time. It varies for everyone, but time nonetheless. You can’t write a novel in a month and then publish it right away. Very few people can.
• Don’t think you’re uniquely special. I mean you are for writing a novel - that takes a special dedication and creative mind. However, you are not an exception to the established rules. You are not special in the eyes of publishing. Especially if you are new to the whole process.

Once again, congratulations on completing a novel. It takes a lot of guts to do it. I mean there’s a reason I prefer writing and publishing short stories to a full on novel.

Now is the time to regroup and think about a strategy on how to turn that first draft into a polished manuscript. You’ve already done the hardest part. The rest may take a lot longer, but you’ve built a decent foundation to complete your authorship goals.

I believe in you!

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to the Novel, Novella, and the Novelette

Last week, I wrote about the different types of short stories. And, just like how short stories have been divided into additional categories to include flash and micro fiction, longer works of fiction also have additional categories. When writing fiction, it is a good idea to know where your work falls within these categories to better find a place in the market when you try to sell them (unless you don't plan on trying to sell your stories - which is okay too).

Examples of the different forms of prose and poetry. Some are novels, novelettes, novellas, poetry collections, and even an old pamphlet (that'll be Common Sense).

The three main categories of longer prose are the novelette, the novella, and the traditional novel. Specific word count lengths for each of these categories can be debatable. Some publishers feel that a short story caps out at 7,500, some will allow stories to be as long as 10,000. Once your story enters the 10,000 word range, you've entered into the Novelette territory.

Novelettes have an approximate word count range of 7,500 to 18,000 words - sometimes going a little higher. They might have chapters or breaks in the text to indicate a pause in the narrative. These stories are more of an exception to the rule of publishing.

Novellas, however, are more prominent and a lot more well known to the general public. Novellas have a word count range of approximately 17,500 to 40,000 words. There are many famous novellas known in popular culture and even part of a school's curriculum (here's look at you 1984 and Of Mice and Men). 

Today, I started reading The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and am nearly half way through it already (amazing given how slow I read). I like the quick pacing and am glad that the author didn't drag out the story any longer than it needs to be. Some stories just aren't meant to be stretched to a longer length.

My personal favorite novella is A Christmas Carol. Every Christmas season, I sit down and reread the old ghost story - which I totally recommend doing. Despite the many adaptations of the story to screen and stage, there is something wonderful about reading Dickens's prose. He writes in the same way a story teller speaks. Additionally there are a number of things that most adaptations can't pull off (depicting the Ghost of Christmas Past for instance) or chose to ignore entirely (the Ghost of Christmas Present's rant about how classism).

Finally, there's the well known and loved novel. Many a writer's goal is to see their novel published - including myself. The novel starts around 40,000 words (though the preferred minimum for publishers is closer to 50,000) and doesn't really have a word cap, but good luck trying to sell someone on a novel over 500,000 words unless your last name George R. R. Martin.

An excellent novel for people who like fantasy and adventure books.

Chances are high that you've read multiple novels over your life (a lot for school). I have a stack of "comfort mysteries" - as my dad calls them (I believe the industry knows them as "cozies") - next to my bed at any given time. Novels can be stand alone stories or have long series that span over 50 stories.

Novels are definitely the most well known of the three longer forms of prose. It even has the entire month of November dedicated to their creation. If you've ever heard of NaNoWriMo, this is what is being referenced.

However, you shouldn't pick the form of your story based on what you think is publishable. You should write your story because that is how it begins, progresses, climates, and then ends. Sometimes short stories need to be novelette or novellas. Sometimes a story ends up as a novella instead of a novel. What's important is that it is your story and that it is written to the best of your ability. If you don't hit that novel length, it's okay. Your story might not work as a novel.

If you're curious about novellas or novelettes, I recommend reading a few. There are anthologies created specifically for hosting novellas and novelettes. The books that contain my copies of A Christmas Carol and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are in books that have complied stories of similar length by the same authors. It's given me an opportunity to read stories I might not have otherwise considered.

Until next week!

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Welcome to NaNoWriMo

So you've never heard of NaNoWriMo? Or maybe you have seen the mash up of letters, but have no idea what it means. Or maybe you already know what it is and want to know why I'm writing about it this week.

NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel (which is the bare minimum word count for a novel) in a single month. The focus is not on perfection, but on finishing the (censored) things. The idea is that once the novel is finished, the author is more likely to go back and edit, revise, or get it published later.

So why am I writing about this now?

Do I even have a good story to tell?

Well NaNoWriMo is comprised of four words National Novel Writing Month. That's right. November is the national month of writing a novel. It doesn't matter if the novel is fiction, nonfiction, or a fan fiction. What matters is that it's at least 50,000 words.

My cousin and I are both writers. It doesn't matter that we're not 'officially' published, we write thus we are writers. We're currently competing against each other to finish writing our current novel projects by the end of the month. Whoever looses must treat the winner to dinner.

Technically, we started this little competition back in October. We did this because our schedules at this time are absolutely crazy and we are trying to motivate each other to finish writing that story that has been floating around in the back of our minds for a while now.

But wait, you might be asking yourselves, didn't I already write a blog post about how I finished writing a novel. And you'd be correct. Back in 2014, I spent about six months or so writing a novel. Unfortunately it's been stuck in editor's limbo for two years. Editing is hard, especially when you want to change a good two thirds of the plot.

So what about this novel? Will it be edited, published, and become a best seller?

Even famous YouTube celebrates find time to write

I have no idea. I would love to become the next J. K. Rowling or Stephen King, but I don't have a crystal ball.

It takes a lot of hard work and even more luck to get traditionally published. To become a best seller takes even more luck and really good advertising.

Does that mean it's impossible and that I shouldn't even try?

No, if anything it means I should try even harder. I already do a lot of writing. Some of it is a hit, some of it is just left hanging in cyberspace (or somewhere on my hard drive). What's important is that I keep writing and working on improving my writing.

Do I have any advice for anyone who wants to be a writer?

Sure, just start writing. You might end up being a big hit. What matters is you and I are trying. We're learning. It might take some time, but at least you are enjoying yourself.

I know I am.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, comment, and/or share. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Maybe someday we'll all be reading each others  work.

Until next week!