ABC 123(4)s of NaNo: E is for Editing

E is for editing, or the lack thereof during NaNo. One of the rules is that there's no editing because they don't want people re-writing, rather than moving forward with their stories. I don't think it's a problem if you're correcting minor things like typos and commas from the prior day's work when you're reading before starting anew. Some of us can't read and not stop to fix those little things. That's A-OK.

While we're on the topic of editing, please realize that even if you finish your book by Nov. 30th (as in a THE END not just hitting the 50k) that you will need quite a bit of editing before you decide to shop it around or self publish it.  When you're done, put it in a drawer for at least a week. You need to give yourself  break from it before you try to edit and re-work it. Trust me. I've been there, done that. Editing is a bitch, but it makes your story SO much better.

Day 5: Do you follow the #nanowrimo tag on Twitter? If not, you totally should. They will give you lots of encouragement, ideas if you're stuck (write in a mouse with a chainsaw!) and host word sprints to help you keep on track. Competition and deadlines can be very helpful to keep you motivated!