Patti Turner

Writer. Nurse.

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NaNoWriMo Winner

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NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) 2016 is over and I’m a winner.

NaNoWriMo is an annual novel writing challenge. To win, you must write 50,000 words of a novel in the 30 days of November (from scratch). That’s 1,667 words per day on average, if you can write every day. If you can’t get to it each day because of other obligations (job, family, etc.) you have to write ahead or try to catch up.

What do you win?

Nothing.

After validating your final word count of 50,000 or more words, you can print out your official winner’s certificate.

NaNoWriMo Winner

 

 

 

 

 

 

And you get the right to wear the NaNoWriMo 2016 winner shirt.

NaNoWriMo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big deal, right? Hell yeah. It’s a huge deal.

It’s not about “winning”.

It’s about being a winner. It’s about setting a (lofty) goal, making a plan and a making a promise to yourself. It’s about the sense of accomplishment you feel when you achieve your goal. It’s about checking an item off your bucket list. It’s about feeling good when you complete a project.

It means setting priorities and sticking with your plan. It means pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. It means digging deep to write on when you want to quit. It means learning how to say no when family and friends try to tempt you away from your dream with promises of instant gratification. It means learning to be strong. It means learning to fight the guilt of putting yourself first.

It’s finding out who you are and what you are made of.

But what do you win?

You win the right to say “I did it”. You win the knowledge that you are stronger than you thought and capable of more than you imagined. You win pride in yourself and your ability to accomplish what felt like the impossible.

You win.

And you wrote a novel.

To my fellow participants…

Congratulations! Thank you for your support, encouragement, and virtual companionship. I couldn’t have done it alone. We’re winners!

 

 

Pitching a Novel

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I’ll just whip out a few sentences on the fly, I thought. How hard could that be after writing a novel?

Harder than Writing a Whole Book

Pitching a novel to literary agents is harder than writing a whole book.

Pitch Slam #3

Pitch Slam #3

A month ago I attended the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in New York City.  Inspired by the hundreds (thousands?) of writers, agents, editors, authors, and speakers in attendance, I was energized and ready to pitch my novel to agents at the pitch slam session on Saturday. No problem, I thought,  I wrote a whole book, how hard could it be to write a few sentences about it? Instead, I used the time to research the agents attending, rank them in order of priority for pitching, and study the floor plans and seating charts. I left the pitch writing to the evening before the big session. No big deal.

Oh yes, it was a big deal.  Those few sentences are harder to write than a whole novel.

Those few sentences are harder to write than a whole novel.

There is a reason there are entire books devoted to the pitch or query (written form of submission) and I was about to find out why.

All I needed to do was write my pitch – in this case, a 90 second spiel describing my novel, and an even shorter “elevator pitch“. In that time I have to convey the title, genre, word count, manuscript status, protagonist and wants or desires, plot, inciting incident, and a hook big enough to reel in every agent in the room. And then I had to practice it out loud with a timer because the pitch slam is like speed dating. The writer has 90 seconds to pitch and the agent has 90 seconds to ask questions, ask for your manuscript (or part of it), or say thanks but no thanks. Then the bell rings and you’re off to the next agent.

I agonized over it all evening, and had agida all morning until my pitch session in the afternoon. How do you distill 90,000 words to a 90 second blurb? Impossible!  I mentally berated myself for waiting until the last minute. Yet somehow I managed to get the gist of it. The words were memorized but fled my brain the minute I tried to speak them. I was tempted to skip the pitch slam, but figured if I went ahead at least I’d know what to expect next year.

So I pitched my novel.  I’m not even sure what I said. The first four agents asked for more (synopsis, first 50 pages, etc.).  The fifth agent declined, and I was happy, thinking it validated the four yeses.  And that pitch?  When I looked it over at home I thought it was terrible.  It took me all of August to fix it and be ready for querying or the next pitch session.

But wait – a synopsis? Another distillation of my novel?  There are whole books written about outlining and synopsis.

It’s a good thing the offers from the agents are good for one year from the conference.  It will take me that long to finish the synopsis.

You can read the pitch here.

10 Steps to a Writer State of Mind

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Schedule

In order to write, you need to be in the right/write state of mind.  Here are ten steps to help you get in the groove.

1.  Schedule writing time.  That’s right, add it to your calendar just as you would any other obligation. Set the time and stick to it.  Avoid distractions and let your friends and family know you are not available during this time.  Switch your phone to silent and disconnect from the internet. Feed the pets, let the dog out, and don’t answer the door.  You’re not home, you are at work now.

2.  Put on your writing clothes. Yes, you need an outfit to get you in work mode. If you sit around in your bathrobe, you will likely take a nap rather than write.  When I go to my day job as a labor and delivery nurse, I put on scrubs, add my name tag clearly stating “RN”, break out my stethoscope and don the clogs.  Wearing my uniform immediately puts me into nurse mode. Likewise, dressing for your job as a writer will help you assume the role.

3.  Make the coffee. Make a lot of coffee.  This is an essential writing drink to keep you awake when nap time calls you. Pick a mug for your drink that matches your mood or the mood for your writing session.

4.  Clean up your desk!  You can’t work amidst a mess. Tidy up your writing space so it is only a writing space, not a clutter of mail and magazines, dirty dishes, and piles of scratch paper.

5.  Check your email so you won’t be tempted to stop writing to check.  Pay your bills.  Take care of appointments.  Schedule your dental checkup.  Do everything now that you might use as an excuse to leave the page later.

6.  Check your social media accounts now to catch up on what’s happening, removing temptation for later.  Make a global post:  writer at work – do not disturb.

7.   Make a music playlist for your writing.  Pick music that either puts you in the mood, or matches the mood of your chapter.  Romantic music to write that scene? Angst music to get through the breakup dialogue? There is music to match every emotion.  Find yours and make a great playlist.

8.  Have your research done beforehand and notes ready to go.  There will be no checking the internet for anything during your writing time.  Plan ahead!

9.  Go for a walk to clear your head. Revel in nature. Feel the sun on your face or the raindrops on your head.  Sweep the cobwebs from your brain and get ready to call on your creativity.

10.  Write!  Show up at the keyboard, on time, dressed for work, coffee in hand.  How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice, practice, practice.  Show up at the keyboard.  How do you become a better writer?  Write, write, write, and write some more.

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