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What to do with your manuscript after NANOWRIMO

November 7, 2014 //  by Rachel Kent//  35 Comments

Blogger: Rachel Kent

I know many of you are participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I have heard that they have had more people sign up this year than expected and they are having trouble with the website because of it! Amazing. I hope you are all doing well with meeting your daily goals.

As you work toward finishing your manuscript, it’s important to think about what to do with the project once November comes to an end. Hopefully you will have reached your goal of 50,000 words in the month of November, but it’s important to remember that reaching your goal doesn’t mean that your manuscript is done. Here’s what I suggest you do with your project after NANOWRIMO is over and before you start to submit your new manuscript:

1) Remember that 50,000 words is a very small manuscript. Only a couple of houses will consider a 50,000 word book, so leave some time in December for adding some conflict and additional plot twists. Most houses prefer fiction to be 75,000-90,000 words (sometimes longer depending on genre), but mass market publishing houses like Harlequin will consider 50,000-70,000 word books.

2) Read your book out loud. It’s amazing how many mistakes can be made and glossed over when you are writing so quickly. Be sure to take the time to read your book and self-edit before you send your book to anyone else. Reading out loud helps you to slow down and take the time to catch those mistakes.

3) Have some critique partners read your book before you send it to any publishing professionals. It’s best to get feedback from readers first so you can strengthen your project before submitting it to agents and editors. It’s okay to take some time after November before sending your manuscript out for possible publication. December is a slow month in publishing anyway, and the new year doesn’ t mean that you should rush. Take some extra time to get your book just right. Submitting quality is better than submitting quickly.

Best of luck to you all as you enter Week 2 of NANOWRIMO!

TWEETABLES:

What to do with your manuscript after NANOWRIMO. Via @Rachellkent Click to tweet.

Tips for polishing off your NANOWRIMO novel in December. Via @ Rachellkent. Click to tweet.

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  1. Jill Kemerer

    November 7, 2014 at 6:03 am

    These are great tips, Rachel! I’m not doing NaNo, but I am writing a book right now. Keeping a cheap notebook nearby helps me a lot. I jot down notes about future scenes and brainstorm upcoming scenes. Plus, if a plot hole hits me late at night, I can scribble it down to handle in the future.

    Reply
    • Rachel Kent

      November 10, 2014 at 11:06 am

      Great idea, Jill!

      Reply
  2. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    November 7, 2014 at 6:06 am

    My method is to put what I’ve written away until the New Year, work on something else, and then re-read it without making any edits.

    I find I need that mental ‘space’ to be fair the the work in either a positive or negative sense.

    Have a great weekend!

    Reply
    • Rachel Kent

      November 10, 2014 at 11:06 am

      A great way to do it! That way you can look at it with fresh eyes.

      Reply
  3. Jeanne Takenaka

    November 7, 2014 at 6:23 am

    I’m not doing NaNo this year, but I love your suggestions. When I did NaNo a couple years ago, I wrote over 60K and had more book to finish up in December. So I worked on it, and then I let it rest for awhile before I picked it up again. It gave me eyes to see things that needed fixing. 🙂

    Happy writing to everyone who’s doing NaNo!

    Reply
    • Wendy Macdonald

      November 7, 2014 at 7:01 am

      Jeanne, the resting time is so crucial. Great reminder. ❀

      Reply
  4. Shelli Littleton

    November 7, 2014 at 6:23 am

    I didn’t do NaNo either. I’m mailing off seven articles today to my editor and trying to finish up a cover story. It’s been a busy time. I hope to slow down for the holiday and just enjoy it. 🙂

    Reply
    • Wendy Macdonald

      November 7, 2014 at 6:59 am

      Wow, Shelli. Good on you. ❀

      Reply
      • Shelli Littleton

        November 7, 2014 at 8:05 am

        Wendy, most of my articles are on people far away. But this cover story is close to home. I think I’m going to be able to go take pics for them for the article. I’ll get to meet them! That will be a first. Super excited about that! Plus, it’s a precious, precious story. 🙂

    • Kristen Joy Wilks

      November 7, 2014 at 9:56 am

      Wow! Seven articles. That’s a lot Shelli, I’m impressed. Because of all the polishing to be done for such a small piece of work, I find articles very daunting. I’d say yeah, go ahead and enjoy Thanksgiving after all that.

      Reply
      • Shelli Littleton

        November 7, 2014 at 2:07 pm

        Yes, Kristen … one tiny article of say 500-1000 words still zaps my strength. I have to edit and edit as though it were a whole chapter.

        And when you are limited on word count … you want each word to really count. Squeeze in all the important facts. 🙂

    • Christine Dorman

      November 7, 2014 at 12:31 pm

      Wow, Shelli! Great job getting all that done–including a cover story. 🙂

      Many blessings.

      Reply
      • Shelli Littleton

        November 7, 2014 at 2:08 pm

        Thank you, Christine … I pray God is glorified … 🙂

  5. Wendy Macdonald

    November 7, 2014 at 6:58 am

    Great advice Rachel. I’m doing NaNoWriMo this year for the first time, and I’m amazed at how many words I can get down under time pressure.

    The first draft is only the beginning. It’s like putting your feet on the floor Monday morning knowing you’ve still got the entire week ahead of you before you’re “booked” off for the weekend.

    Blessings ~ Wendy ❀

    Reply
    • Shelli Littleton

      November 7, 2014 at 7:59 am

      Wendy, one of the teens I work with at church is participating in NaNo. Finding that out made me so happy. 🙂 Praying for you! And have fun!

      Reply
      • Wendy Macdonald

        November 7, 2014 at 11:41 am

        Thank you. dear Shelli. Blessings on your picture taking. You’ve made me curious about the precious, precious story. ❀

    • Jeanne Takenaka

      November 7, 2014 at 12:28 pm

      Wendy, way to go! I hope you have an uber productive month! I seem to work well under time pressures too. 🙂 Have fun with the process!

      Reply
      • Wendy Macdonald

        November 7, 2014 at 6:24 pm

        Thank you, Jeanne. It sure made this week fly by. I forgot how fun the first draft can be (and how messy). 😉 Blessings on your weekend.

    • Rachel Kent

      November 10, 2014 at 11:08 am

      I’m glad it is going well for you, Wendy! 🙂 Keep at it!

      Reply
      • Wendy Macdonald

        November 10, 2014 at 1:02 pm

        Thank you, Rachel. I’ve reached over 19,000 words in total so far. ❀

  6. Shirlee Abbott

    November 7, 2014 at 7:55 am

    Rachel, I am a big fan of your #2-Read it out loud. Everytime I get something edited and ready to go, I read it out loud and think, “how did I miss THAT!”

    I agree with Andrew and Jeanne, too, about parking it long enough to view it with fresh eyes–not like it’s a suprise to agree with Andrew and Jeanne ;^)

    Reply
    • Shelli Littleton

      November 7, 2014 at 8:02 am

      I agree, too, Shirlee. And whether we read it out loud, on the computer screen, on a tablet, other eyes – all the different versions – it takes going over it many edits to get it all correct. That’s my experience, anyway! 🙂

      Reply
    • Christine Dorman

      November 7, 2014 at 12:35 pm

      I completely agree, Shirley. No matter how many times I read over my manuscript, I miss errors that I then find when I read it out loud–a missing word, a missing letter, etc. The frustrating part is when I have read it out loud a couple of times and I STILL miss things. A second pair of eyes definitely help.

      Reply
  7. Kristen Joy Wilks

    November 7, 2014 at 10:02 am

    I’m doing my own version of NaNoWriMo by signing up for the ACFW novel writing track for the first time. I’ve wanted to do NaNo for years and I’m so excited. It took 5 years for me to finish my first ms. and two years to finish the second, but ever since my sister-in-law started challenging me to write novellas in only a month, I’ve found fast writing very invigorating. My goal is to get this NaNo ish project polished enough so that I might be able to pitch it at our local conference in May. Doesn’t seem like much time to do all that but it will be a good way to push myself. And since this is middle grade the lower word count of 50,000 is good and I’ll be able to test it out on my own children which means I’ll read it out loud and to a very wiggly audience. A fun project, I’m loving it.

    Reply
    • Christine Dorman

      November 7, 2014 at 12:36 pm

      Blessings on your project, Kristen! 🙂

      Reply
      • Kristen Joy Wilks

        November 8, 2014 at 5:59 am

        Thanks so much Christine!

  8. Janet Ann Collins

    November 7, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    I have a question. Do all the NaNoWriMo participants mean publishers and agents are flooded with submissions in December and January? What time of the year is there likely to be less competition?

    Reply
    • Rachel Kent

      November 10, 2014 at 11:09 am

      We do get a lot of query letters from NaNoWriMo, but we get a lot of query letters all year, so there’s no great time to query us. Just send the query when the book is ready to go!

      Reply
  9. don and rascal

    November 7, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    I rushed through writing an outline, a synopsis, the jacket flap, page numbers and the actual novel but. . . . . . I just know, the three biggest publishing houses were laughing behind my back the entire time.

    “I don’t care. Let them laugh, I still think the $300 entrance fee was worth it.”

    Reply
  10. Linda Marmon

    November 7, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    Am I too late to sign up for NaNoWriMo? I’ve looked for a chance to sign up… Must have looked in the wrong places until I checked last Nov and realized I might be too late. I’m new to this. Linda Marmon

    Reply
    • Wendy Macdonald

      November 7, 2014 at 6:28 pm

      Linda, I’d Google that question. I’m sure I’ve read on a forum somewhere that a few days late start is okay.? ❀

      Reply
    • Johnnie Alexander

      November 7, 2014 at 6:36 pm

      You’re not too late! Go to nanowrimo.com (or maybe .org). The last time I did Nanowrimo, I wrote over 30,000 words in the last three days to “win.” Not words to show an editor but still a positive experience. Good luck to everyone who is participating.

      Reply
    • Rachel Kent

      November 10, 2014 at 11:10 am

      I am not sure. I couldn’t get on to the Nanowrimo.com website the other day because of high traffic, but check there.

      Reply
  11. Kelly Blackwell

    November 8, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    This is my first time participating. Something always came up before. Thank you for this post. This will definitely be a help.

    Reply
    • Rachel Kent

      November 10, 2014 at 11:11 am

      Keep at it, Kelly! Wishing you the best!

      Reply

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