Camp Pep: How to Go Full Speed Ahead with Your Story

Camp NaNoWriMo is nothing without you, our incredible participants. Today, Grant Faulkner, our executive director reminds us why “But wait…” can be insidious:

Dear Intrepid Writer,

Lately I’ve been afflicted by a creature I call my Inner Editor’s cousin. In some ways, he is even more dangerous than my Inner Editor. He tends to walk around the rooms of my mind gazing at all of the imaginative ruckus with a persnickety, stuffy gaze. He exudes an air of judicious logic, speaking in the grave tones of seasoned caution (and, yes, he likes to wear ascots). He strolls in when I get an idea that I’m about to pounce on, and he says, “But wait…”

“But wait, this just isn’t logical.” 

“But wait, this is preposterous.” 

“But wait, no one would ever do that.” 

I think of But Wait as an unenthusiastic drip. He’s the kind of person who never quite gets behind an idea—the killjoy who lacks the oomph or the wonderful reckless zealousness that makes ideas come to life.

When I feel too many But Waits in my mind, I try to embrace the opposite force, the guiding principle of improv acting (and NaNoWriMo, you might say): “Say, ‘Yes, and…’”

It’s simple, really. Improv actors are trained to trust the impulsive force of an idea and just say yes to it. They accept whatever their fellow actors offer in a scene instead of stiff-arming the action in the direction they want it to go. Improvisers take risks and make mistakes by definition. They let themselves fall into the most foolish behavior and allow themselves to speak what’s taboo—because that’s what leads them in fresh directions and helps them connect with their audiences.

I first discovered improvisational writing during NaNoWriMo’s word sprints. If you’re not familiar with them, word sprints challenge writers to write as fast as possible during a set time limit, often with a prompt to get them started. You can do them with a group—with @NaNoWordSprints on Twitter, during one of our Virtual Write-Ins—or even privately. Just give yourself a prompt, set a limit of five or 10 minutes, and go.

As the clock is ticking, it’s important not to hesitate. A word sprint invites you to turn off judgments by entering the flow of intuition that high-velocity writing taps into. If improv actors pause before jumping into a scene, it shows they are planning what’s to come, or even pausing because of a hindering social norm (that’s when But Wait loves to enter the scene). The purpose is to just go.

Don’t worry about tripping on something foolish when you write. Trip on a banana peel. Trip on a plot point. Trip on a character description, a line of dialogue, a single extravagant word. I find that the more improvisational I am, the more likely I am to chase bolder angles and discover unexpected plot developments and surprising character pivots. The only hazard? Many a main character has been dramatically punished as a result—and I tend to overuse dashes.

Join me in this final writing stretch by saying a big yes to each new idea, and follow all of those wonderful ‘and’s to the Camp finish line.

Yes!

Grant Faulkner
NaNoWriMo Executive Director

As a boy, Grant spent his allowance on all sorts of pens and paper, so there was never much question that he would become a writer. He’s also the founder of the lit journal 100 Word Story. He believes quite simply that everyone is a writer—that we create our world through the stories we tell—so he enthusiastically prods everyone he meets to write a novel and discover how life can be transformed through a daring creative act.

Top photo by Flickr user Bob MacInnes.