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We’re midway through NaNoWriMo, and now that you’re knee-deep in your novel, you may find yourself stuck on your plot. Perhaps you’ve spent enough words describing scenery and characters to get your daily word count in, and now it's time to move your plot forward. This week we’ll discuss tips on how to counter that writer’s block.
Go back to your outline
The midway slump can be a particularly tricky point in terms of novel development. You want to keep moving your story along but perhaps you're stuck or your characters aren’t cooperating, or feel too one-dimensional. There are a couple of things you can do at this point; if you created an outline for your novel beforehand, this is a good time to go back to your basics and get familiar with your ending and lay out the steps you need to take to get there. While some writers prefer winging their novel and seeing what comes out, having a rough outline of where you want your novel to go can help get you moving in the right direction. And if you didn’t have an outline before, it’s never too late to make one!
Give your characters conflict
If you’re worried your novel isn’t interesting enough or not sure what to write next to get to your ending, an interesting technique is to think about what would be the worst thing to happen to your characters and then write it out. This is a great way to get the creative juices flowing and have fun exploring your characters’ personalities as they react to a disaster. Even if the scene doesn’t make it into the final draft, it may give you other ideas you can use in your plot and get you back on track. This is also a great technique for character development.
Want to publish your NaNoWriMo novel?
Don’t forget, Light of the Moon, Inc. is offering a special NaNoWriMo publishing package this November! The package includes professional editing, layout and design, and five printed copies of your book! Sign up before the end of November! Learn more at lightofthemooninc.com.