This topic came up over on the welcome thread, but I think it's worthy of its own. Advice both silly and serious is welcome!
Here's a start, (it's the response I made to Melanie in the welcome thread, so you may have seen it before):
2) Put aside preconceived ideas of how you should write, or how good a first draft should be. It's about getting the words on the paper, that's all! Don't hit that backspace key--in fact, maybe you should remove it from your keyboard until December. This isn't the time for self-doubt. Write what you think.
3) Have fun! If you're not having fun, you won't be motivated and you won't finish. How to add fun to a novel that's succumbed to boredom: attend local write-ins and socials; skip to the good stuff and write those scenes you're dying to get to (you can go back later); throw in a dare; ask yourself what's getting you down in your novel, and take it out! (boring character? kill him off! never-ending journey? "and then a dragon scooped them up"! stifled plot? add a new character to stir up trouble)
4) Don't give up. It is NEVER too late to write those extra words and hit 50,000. My first year, I quit around 27K because I was something like 3 days behind on my 1667-words-per-day goal. Now I look back and think, "How ridiculous, I could have caught up in one day if I'd tried."
5) Related to that, if you're having difficulty, post about it. The most helpful thing Wrimos have that ordinary writers don't is a huge community of people doing exactly the same thing at the same time. Whether it's just encouragement you need, a kick in the pants, or a word of advice, we are the people to turn to. The only thing to NOT do, is think you can't do it, and slink off into the night unnoticed. No Wrimo left behind!
----------
ML for Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge
"merp! merp!" --bunnyhero
28,125 / 50,000
Oct 15, 2009 - 13 42
My problem, I think, and the reason I never managed to finish 50K in the past three years, is because I hated my story half-way through. It honestly never occurred to me to kill off a character or two, throw in a mythical creature or add a new character. I was so focused on making my current characters perfect.
So my tip is absolutely to not invest yourself too much in an outline. Gah. It ruined me. I'm definitely going to be more open to changes this time around.
edit; Totally not meaning that outlines are bad things -- I still use them. Just don't live by them.
----------叶うなら誰か俺に生きる意味を教えて下さい -- 明日舞き幸福, 呼笑亡き明日
If it's possible, somebody please tell me my purpose to live. -- Asunaki Koufuku, Koenaki Asu
37,019 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2009 - 17 10
The best advice I can give is this: Just keep writing.
No matter how much you hate your story, or how bad the prose is, or how off-the-rails your plot has become, or how little your characters do what you tell them to do, as long as you don't stop writing it, eventually, somehow, it will all work itself out. The story will get to an ending, the characters will start doing interesting things, and the plot, no matter how strange and convoluted it was, will all start to make a twisted sort of sense.
Too many times I've seen people (and me) stop writing because they don't know where the story is going anymore, or don't know what to do with their characters, etc. NaNoWriMo isn't about making the best story ever in a 30 day period, it's about writing. That's all. It doesn't matter if it makes sense, or if the characters die, or if the story ever gets going. As long as you're writing, you're doing exactly what you should be doing. That's what's important.
So, just keep writing. Keep putting one word after the other. Keep pressing on through the story, wherever it leads you and wherever it has gone. Before you know it, you'll be past the 50,000 mark.
43,728 / 50,000
Oct 19, 2009 - 17 53
Hear, hear. That would be my advice, too! Because you will get discouraged, you will get stuck, and the only way to succeed is to push right through it. Just. Keep. Writing.
... oh, and sometimes writing when you're half asleep has unexpected yet amusing and occasionally brilliant results. :D
4,008 / 50,000
Oct 27, 2009 - 07 06
I read an article a while ago, from the site Zen Habits (http://zenhabits.net/2008/10/the-only-two-secrets-to-motivating-yourself...), and its advice is very valuable for a task such as NaNo.
The two secrets to motivation are:
1. Positive public peer pressure; and,
2. Enjoying your activity.
I don't think any of us will dispute that we don't fulfill number 2, so the trick is to create an atmosphere of accountability around your writing. I did this in July by telling my friends that I was going to do this and spouting a bit of smack-talk (you're going to be so jealous when I'm a famous published author, etc.). I also told them that if I failed then they had the obligation to heckle and ridicule me (all in good fun, of course). Publicly committing to finishing the novel was more than enough motivation for me to get through the rough spots.
This group will be perfect for some gentle peer pressure, especially if you come out to the events and meet everyone face to face. Tell your friends, family and hamsters about it, too, and you'll be well on your way to NaNo success.