Teen Author Challenge, Week 16

It’s the first TAC of the month… and the first TAC of NaNoWriMo! An auspicious occasion, to be sure.   On that note, here’s some inspiration to kick off our biggie week here on the Teen Author Challenge.

Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week

“How do you start writing? JUST WRITE. Sometimes doing an outline helps. Sometimes drawing a chart helps. Sooner or later it all comes down to the writing. There is no magic pill that makes it suddenly happen. Read a lot. Write a lot. That’s all you can do.”

~ P.C. Cast
Tempted
(St. Martin’s Press, 10/09)
New York Times bestselling author

Teen Author Challenge

First off, congratulations to Michelle of Michelle’s Bookshelf for being this month’s winner of the Teen Author Challenge giveaway! Michelle: choose your book from the list in the pink box below and contact me here with your mailing address and selection.

Since it’s the beginning of NaNoWriMo, and I know some of you are participating, I thought it would be fitting to offer up some tips for fast and furious writing success.

Step #1 – DO NOT EDIT.

Step #2 – DO NOT SECOND GUESS.

Step #3 – Repeat steps 1 and 2 as often as necessary.

Two of the biggest reasons that people fail to complete manuscripts in a swift manner (in NaNoWriMo or any other circumstance) are the pitfalls I’ve noted above. First, if you edit as you go, you’ll never gain the momentum you need to plow through and finish that first draft. Pretty much every writer I know could edit a single chapter 1,437 times if someone let us. All that does is give us one really pretty chapter.

Alas, one chapter does not a book make. You have to finish all the chapters if you want to sell your book. Editors are funny that way.

Second, you can’t second guess yourself when you’ve set yourself a push challenge like writing an entire manuscript in a month. You need to trust your instincts and let the story lead you where it will. You can always (ALWAYS!) fix it later.

Yes, you can pause and ponder for a moment to make sure your story isn’t taking you into a deep, dark dungeon somewhere (unless that’s where you’d like your story to go), but you can’t dwell.

Pause, good… dwell, bad.

I feel like I just had a Tarzan moment, but there you go. Seriously, word to the wise from someone who is a champion dweller.

If you do nothing more than follow those two rules as you embark on NaNoWriMo, you’ll be way ahead of the game. After that, it’s all about discipline. BICHOK ’til the cows come home! (That’s Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. Writers have a lingo all their own.)

Buzz Tip of the Week

This week’s buzz tip comes from YA author (and fellow Tenner) Julie Kagawa. It’s her strategy for successfully completing NaNoWriMo. (Timely, no?)

“This is from Chris Baty’s No Plot, No Problem, the official NaNoWrimo book, but I found it to be extremely useful.
 
Don’t erase your words, italicize them!  That way, you know they’re going to be cut in edits, but they still count towards your final word count.  (I’ve had entire pages like this.)”

~ Julie Kagawa
The Iron King
(Harlequin Teen, 2/10)

And I’ll add to that with “Or change the font to red!” This is a strategy I use (since I write with a lot of italics that are actually supposed to be there). It’s really obvious which sections needs major work when I go back and review it on the screen later.

Your Weekly Challenge

How did you do on your writing last week? Comment below with your weekly results from last Tuesday through today so we can cheer your progress! And if you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, let us know that too. That’s definitely worth an extra cheer!

The Teen Author Challenge Contest

Throughout the year-long Teen Author Challenge (TAC ends June 2010!), I’ll be giving away a book of the winner’s choice from my personal writing shelf. Why am I doing this? Because becoming a skilled writer has two important parts: learning about your craft and practicing your craft. That’s why active participation in each weekly challenge is so important!

So what can you win? Books to choose from include:

1. The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler
2. The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
3. The Career Novelist by Donald Maass
4. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella
5. Creating Characters Kids Will Love by Elaine Marie Alphin
6. Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon

Everyone who participates via the comments on the Teen Author Challenge posts will be entered into this monthly contest.

Go forth and be creative!

Entry Filed under: Paying It Forward,Teen Author Challenge