My NaNoWriMo book is coming along quite well. It's almost too easy this time (book number three). Maybe it's because I'm getting comfortable with the process or because of all the pre-planning during September and October. Maybe it's just because I have a really awesome idea (IMHO) and I've got lots to say.
But what I really think is helping me to write this book is the NaNo philosophy - write. Don't edit. Just write. When we cast our inner editor aside, great things happen. We don't get caught up in selecting proper tense or working a sentence to death just to make it sound right. The NaNo philosophy is to write and write and write without editing. If the outcome is total garbage, then we throw it out. At least we improved our typing skills! But seriously, nothing is wasted because oftentimes we can use that information as backstory even if it never appears in the book.
Sometimes the greatest of inspiration comes out of nowhere. No pre-planning can ever replace the idea that develops unexpectedly. That happened to me today. I was creating a scene where two characters are talking. I let them ramble for a while, listening and watching the direction the scene was taking, and all of a sudden one of them said something that I never expected. It solved a problem (can't say what yet) in a totally unexpected way!
What do you mean - you let them ramble? (you ask). Don't you have any control over what your characters think and say? Yes and no. I create the scene, put a cup of coffee in their hands, start the conversation, and see where it goes. If I stopped to edit and analyze, chances are I might put a cork in the inspiration, but if I let them talk and talk, great things can arise. And if nothing happens, I close the scene and move on. But, trust me, if you let them ramble for a page or so, something WILL happen. Totally unexpected. Totally inspirational. Totally NaNo.
So, stop analyzing. Just write.
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