Editing Guide - Submitted by Co-ML Ensis

http://ccnanowrimo.wetpaint.com/thread/2044734/Methods+and+Tips

you may want to check out the motivation thread on here.
http://ccnanowrimo.wetpaint.com/thread/2040948/Motivation

Visualize
There's a writing exercise that i do with my writing buddies. It starts with them closing their eyes and clearing their mind. Then I ask just a few prodding questions about what they see and what the feeling of the scene is. "And then what happens?" or "Describe that to me." "That's interesting... go on." Try to imagine that your inner editor or your muse is a psychiatrist and you are on the couch in hypnosis.

Relax, it's just a rough draft.
Just remember that NaNoWriMo is one big rough draft and that once you get to do other drafts they will be good and working toward perfection. For now this is just like notes to yourself about what you want to write later.

Question Your Muse
Write down whatever questions you have about your story such as "Why would the character go on this adventure in the first place?" Then without giving yourself a chance to think about it answer your question with the first thing that comes to mind. "Because it would be a really fun thing to do and the reader would love it." Then keep going back and forth. "But isn't that a feeble motivation to do something so dangerous?" "yeah so what?"...etc I've found it's a great way to work out your blocks.

Timed writing
You'd be amazed how much it helps to commit to 10 min of non stop writing per day. You have to take the words "non stop" seriously. No talking. No stopping your pen or fingers from typing.

Social writing
One of the great things about NaNo is that you have a team like any other sport that pushes you and praises you when you put in a good practice. After all the game is won by every good practice. The final score is just something to print in the sports page. Make a point of relying on this team and giving back to it. Challenge each other with writing prompts and timed writing. Post encouragement to the two sites. Blog your frustrations out because it helps us all when we can relate. Let us know if you'll be at a coffee shop on a certain day so we can join you. And of course our team mascots the guilt monkeys will be sure to razz you if you let them down.

Writing Prompts
Look up writing prompts online or make some up yourself and post them to the writing prompts page on this site. One day when I was struggling to meet my word quota my sister started calling out random words to see if I could fit them into the current scene. You never know until you've tried it how fun it is and how imaginative you can get while still making it work for your story. In fact very often it turns out to be that missing piece of your plot that makes everything come together. Don't reject the ones that don't fit your story because those are the best at limbering up your imagination. If you're not writing a romance but the prompt is "your character falls in love" you may have them literally falling into a box of foam hearts.

Prepare before November
- Get yourself jazzed up
- Outline outline outline! Sure "blank page" writers are welcome but just be warned that it can be more difficult. At least know your characters and settings well.
- Read or re-read lots of novels, the kind you consider a guilty pleasure maybe, or the kind you want to model your style after.
- Physical practice - Download Stamina or any free typing software you can find. I have a theory that the feel of writing can stimulate your creativity. If you prefer handwriting then practice that as well.
- Prep your family and friends. Let them know it's important to you and you will need to take time on it.
- Figure out your schedule. Pick a time when you can devote 15 min to an hour each day. Do you have more time on the weekends? Are you a graveyard worker? Having a set time can keep you from procrastinating.

Character Naming
http://www.babynames.com/character-names.php
Interesting article from a baby naming site. Most of it is insightful but I strongly disagree with tip #2 which suggests that your character's name should be related to what they do. Unless you are writing a comedy I would advise that you only do that if it were a nick name. Parents may name their kids what they hope they will one day be but what are the odds of that working out? To quote my favorite line from Spider Man 2 "Guy named Otto Octavius winds up with eight limbs. Four mechanical arms welded right onto his body. What are the odds? " There are non comedic exceptions. Maybe the character is some sort of chosen one so they really do know what he will be when he grows up.

Personally I think a character's name reflects more on who their parents(or namers) were. This is a good way to add back history. Maybe you have a woman whose parents desperately wanted her to be a little princess but she grew up to be a marine. So everyone calls her by her surname "Duffy". That reveals a lot about parent and child in one small detail.

Planning Your Novel
Its not always that easy to plan out what your going to write the month before. All you need is a small set of guidelines on how to plan out your novel. A lot of guidelines to doing this can be found on the web simply by searching them and most are free to use. An example of one is the Snowflake Method. It takes you completely through how to write a novel which can really help when your just starting out. If you follow it you may just find yourself completeing NaNoWriMo this year.