Is NaNoWriMo for Picture Book Writing Too?
If you enjoy writing or have friends who call themselves writers you might have heard of a certain event called NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it is an annual event where writers are challenged to write 50,000 words for their novel in the month of November. That’s a lot of words!
But if you’re reading this you might be thinking - I could never finish that in one month. Or even more pertinent - How does this apply to me? NaNoWriMo only applies to novelists.
As a community of picture book writers, we know that our books shouldn’t be more than 1,000 words. So can NaNoWriMo be helpful for us?
YES! There is a misconception that NaNoWriMo can only be a challenge for novel writers. It can apply to picture book writers too, if we change the goal just a little. Instead of writing 50,000 words try writing 4 revisions or drafts of your story throughout the month of November.
Writing challenges can be key motivators that keep momentum for us when our own will power feels stale or our original excitement fades. And our mindset around them can change everything. It shouldn’t be just about the word count but using them as the encouragement they are to get us to commit to the clock.
Decoding NaNoWriMo’s Core Values
When it comes to challenges, if we’re going to tweak the goal, we want to ensure the core values and intent of the event remains the same.
So what is the point of NaNoWriMo? Why did it start?
NaNoWriMo was a non-profit organization that was all about fostering creativity and community. The biggest goal was to shut down the internal editor and get that first draft down on paper so that you have the raw material you need to edit your book the way you want it. NaNoWriMo was built for novelists.
But since we’re picture book writers, we work a bit differently. That’s why I’ve created a challenge for children’s picture book authors specifically here at Miriam Laundry Publishing. This November. I’m hosting Dream to Draft: Your 4 Day Story Starter, where you can find your community and meet-ups to get your picture book written - and in 4 days, no less!
A 4 Week Picture Book Writing Challenge
We can say we’ll do four drafts in place of 50,000 words, but we probably need a bit more direction than that. What would one draft a week look like? Here’s a soft schedule to give you an idea!
Week One
The first week is all about the first draft. Your focus should be to simply get that story on the page. While I say “simply” I know it’s not always easy! That’s why I’ve created a free bootcamp just for this reason - for you to write your first draft! It’s called Dream to Draft: Your 4 Day Story Starter, and Sharon and I walk you through four days of writing your first draft.
To Do:
Pick an idea
Outline your story
Write your draft
Consider advanced tips and tricks!
Goal: A complete first draft.
Week Two
Once you have something to work with, then you can get into restructuring and reformatting. Before touching any sort of grammar or trimming paragraphs, use your second week to really get down to the nitty gritty of structure. That means edit pacing, plot, or changing your character’s goals and wants if they need to be shifted!
To Do:
Make sure your character’s goals and desires still work or if something else would suit the story better.
Ensure your plot is structured in the strongest way. Do any obstacles need to be switched out?
Check your pacing. Are all the obstacles spaced out well?
Goal: A completed second draft with strengthened structure and characters.
Week Three
Now that you have your structure where you want it, that’s when you can get down to the words themselves. What does your language look like? Is there rhythm? Does the rhyme maybe need to be done away with? Are the word choices okay for your age range? Should you tighten up that paragraph?
To Do:
Get your draft down into your word count (<1000 words!).
Fix any and all grammatical errors that you find.
Consider word choice and connotations.
Goal: A completed third draft with tightened language.
Week Four
Approaching the end of the month, it’s a good idea to really tap into that community! Ask for outside eyes on your draft. Reach out to someone you trust to read it through, then use their review and feedback to enhance what you have!
To Do:
Get three different people to review your work. Take any similar responses and see if those changes make your work stronger!
Read your work aloud to someone. Note anything that sticks out, or if your listener has any comments to consider.
Goal: A completed fourth draft with incorporated feedback.
Your Essential Toolkit
Before jumping headlong into your picture book writing challenge, it’s a good idea to make sure you have a couple of essentials in your toolkit so you can create your masterpiece!
Preparation
To be set up for success, having a couple items prepared before starting will truly make you faster and send you further. Here’s a few things I suggest to start with:
Pick an idea. Have a list of your top few ideas handy, so they’re already in the back of your mind for when you start.
Set aside a specific and non-negotiable window for writing time throughout the week (at least three times a week, if not every day!)
Connect with author friends (or just regular friends) for accountability.
Mindset
While you're working your way through the challenge, it’s also critical to keep a certain mindset.
Let it be bad. Write, at first, knowing it may not be the best work ever created (that’s okay! That’s what revision & editing are for!)
When you’re first putting down words you need to leave behind the self-judgemental mentality. It will only hinder you and slow down your writing. Not expecting perfection right away and giving yourself grace, can ensure a lot more can happen. And make no mistake, letting it be bad does not mean your work is bad. That’s why you have four drafts to complete throughout the month, and it’s why we have editors! Because they know you can be amazing and your work will be good.
Be consistent. One reason I suggested setting up a time-frame for writing every day is to make sure you stay consistent. A dedicated mentality prepares you to commit every time. You won’t want to write every day. You might not enjoy it every day. That doesn’t mean your work isn’t good! Give yourself rewards as goals for each week so that you are motivated during this time.
NaNoWriMo is a great writing challenge, and you should never feel excluded. There are amazing alternatives for writers of all genres, to keep you motivated and creative during the month of November. Try writing four drafts with specific intent each week, instead of 50,000 words, and discover your own amazing abilities and the community of authors around you!
You can even start right here, right now by signing up for Dream to Draft: Your 4 Day Story Starter. It’s a free four-day bootcamp running through November where my friend, Sharon, and I walk you through how to write your first draft with confidence and clarity. So you can be reassured you ARE an author and you CAN do this. You just have to start with that first step.
