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 New
November, New Editor
So here we are again, on the brink of another headlong 30 day
plunge into the bracing waters of the literary imagination. For those readers
who are hoping to write their first nano-novels this November, let me extend my
warmest invitation. Come on in; the water is fine.
For me, 2005 will be my third year as a nano-novelist, and
while this does not make me an expert by any means, I would like to take this
opportunity to share some of the meagre scraps of wisdom I have picked up along
the way. Throughout this publication, along with the usual selection of
mind-bending fiction written last November, you will find handy little
cut-out-and-keep hints and tips which are designed to help keep your fingers
moving and your own personal genius pumping out brilliant ideas throughout the
month. What I’d like to offer you are a few things to consider during the
pre-nanowrimo warm-up period.
If, like me, you have not the least inkling of what you are
going to be writing 50,000 words about, then don’t fret over it. Fretting never
helped anyone write a novel. Even if the interior of your head is a perfect
vacuum, bereft of the merest sliver of an idea, then worry not. For in actual
fact your unconscious mind is already hard at work creating fantastic plot
twists and engaging characters for you.
The trick is knowing how to tap into this creative engine, and
one of the best methods is technically known as lounging. During the weeks
leading up to November, you will need to spend as much time as you can possibly
manage lying supine on the sofa, staring mindlessly at the cracks in the
ceiling, going for slow, aimless walks around your neighbourhood and sitting on
park benches and in cafes watching the world go by. These periods of deliberate
slacking will give your creative organs the space and quiet necessary to send
good ideas up into your conscious mind.
Now I’m not saying that you should avoid doing any concrete
planning for your novel. Planning is good in moderation, but it absolutely must
not get in the way of the more serious business of daydreaming and lollygagging.
So how much planning is too much? This is very much a matter of personal
preference. The previous editor of November Spawned is a great believer
in the index card system of planning, by which each chapter or writing session
is roughly mapped out on individual cards. This way, you can set off at the
beginning of your writing journey with the reassuring knowledge that you already
have some landmarks to guide you to the finishing post.
Other writers, myself included, prefer to make do with a vague
premise, or a handful of characters and events, which gradually take on a more
definite shape as the book progresses. It’s all about balance. Too little
planning and you run the risk of your plot grinding to a halt at the end of
chapter two with your characters standing around twiddling their thumbs. Too
much, and you leave yourself nothing to do in November except to drag your
characters mechanically from one appointment to the next.
Unless you are hoping to write a very experimental novel
indeed, then your book will have characters in it of one sort or another. It’s
my experience that, even if you haven’t worked out a plot, and don’t intend to,
it’s a good idea to put some preliminary thought into your main characters. As
long as they have enough meat on their bones, any decent set of characters will
be able to bicker and connive their way through 50,000 words without breaking
sweat.
To that end, here’s a little exercise you might like to try,
which is designed to give you a bit of insight into your character’s psyche, and
will also help get you into a novel-writing frame of mind. Take one of your
characters and imagine them in a fairly mundane situation: they are running for
a bus, meeting an old friend for lunch or pushing a trolley round the
supermarket. It’s up to you. Now give yourself about ten minutes and write it
out as a story. How does your character deal with these day-to-day events? What
would they say? Next, put the same character in an extraordinary situation: they
witness a bank robbery, win the lottery, or meet a race of intelligent aliens
(or intelligent humans, if your characters are all extraterrestrial anyway).
The last thing that you absolutely must do before the 1st of
November is to trust yourself. You can do this, and you will. We all will, and
one day many years from now we’ll laugh about it together.
Well, that’s probably enough from me. Mustn’t keep the orphans
waiting. Chin up. See you in the paddock. – John Greenwood,
Editor
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