Monday, November 16, 2009

Nanowrimo - tips on writing your 50,000 word count novel - Research Climate and Seasons






I find each day when I sit down to type up my notes, I start with a fresh page.

I add a header and number, and I've divided my novel so far into 5 parts.

Which tells me that I wrote it in 5 days.

I also keep a record of the amount of time it took me to write the manuscript and to type it.

Just so I have an idea that if I type for 4 hours I should come up with 8,000 to 9,000 words.

But the problem is all the errors.

My typing is very poor when I'm rushed.

All I wanted to do was get the story typed.

Now I have to go back and try and make sense of the words that are missing letters.

For some reason my keyboard letter "e" sticks and is hard to press down.

At the end, I also gave up with my "" marks and Capital letters.

While doing the notebook I was flipping the book back and forth and putting a check mark after each page that was typed.

Today I left the book opened, so that I could type 2 pages at a time.

Then I saved it, and did my 2 check marks.
I found this easier and faster.

I typed 9,000 words in about 3 hours.

So it actually saved me a whole hour.

I have to do some research on Los Angeles California , so I got a travel guide book from the library.

I'll look up the names of some tourist attractions and restaurants.

Then i'll go online and check the hours, the menu's and days that they are opened or closed.

This is important to know, especially if you're characters are in the winter time, but where they visit isn't opened in the winter, then this will discredit you as a writer.

It's important to do your research and know several things.




What is the average temperature of the city your writing about?.

If it's in the fall and they average 8 degrees Celsius, then your character will want to wear a jacket or a sweater.

It's also good to know when certain seasons begin in certain areas, and to know what events take place during those times.

Use this information to entertain your characters.

Have them attend the local festival.

Describe what they see, what they do, how and what they eat.

It will make them more human and your readers will connect better with something they can relate to.

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