Buffering…

And GO!
Did you stay up until midnight just to get those first few words in? Not everyone does that, but I always do and I do it for a very good reason - life. Remember when I talked about that last week? Life happens to all of us.
For many people the first rush of creativity at the beginning of NaNo makes you want to rush to get those words on the page. Some people try to pace themselves. You do you, but if you’ve never done NaNoWriMo before or if you’ve never attempted a project like a novel then I’m going to give you a little advice based on how NaNoWriMo generally goes. As most veteran NaNoWriMo writers will tell you that for many the month will follow a general outline.

• Week One is excitement - a new story! We’re writing. We’re creating. THIS IS GREAT!
• Week two is hell - your novel sucks. The story sucks. You suck. This is the week where doubts often creep in.
• Week three is distractions - you’ve been working hard and not playing. Your brain is looking for the shiny.
• Week four is a mix of emotions - Excitement or panicked rush are common depending on how things are going. A lot of incredible feats of writing are accomplished in this week.

If you’re lucky you might not experience the rollercoaster as advertised, but week two and three tend to be where life gets in the way and people fall behind on their word count goals. This is when a lot of people give up. Don’t do that. You can do this. I believe in you so let me give you some advice.

Build a Buffer
While things are exciting and new, get that word count up there. Double, triple, quadruple your daily word count if you can. Build yourself a comfortable word buffer to fall into when things get rough.

Buffering Brains
Although not everyone has that initial rush. Some stare at that blank page in terror as it mocks them. They struggle to get started. Is this you? Is your brain looking a lot like a webpage that never loads? If it is you, I have advice for you as well.
Write a word. Just one word. Any word will do. Put another one after it. Now, try for another and another.
Part of NaNoWriMo is learning to turn off the inner editor that is constantly telling you how bad your writing is or how your prose is pathetic - or whatever yours says. Inner editors have their time and place, but that place is not when you're trying to write a first draft of a story because of one generally acknowledged truth of writing.
First drafts suck. Always. No exceptions. Some suck more than others, but no first draft is publishable. Editing is what makes a novel good. Right now, you just need to write that clunky and awkward prose. Use your crutch words liberally if you have to. Just write even if you write “My inner editor sucks’ over and over until they go away and leave you alone to write your draft in peace.

Okay, that’s enough procrastinating for you. Go put one word after another and start your novel!