- Don't lie
The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty. ~ Steinbeck
Our lives are fantastic as it is. None of us need to make up lies to make up a good story. If you have a good ear for a good story, it will tell itself wonderfully without you lying.
Besides, lying would ruin your relationship with your story. And if you are not convinced, neither would be your readers.
Even genres of fantasy, such as horror and fairytales, were once based on someone's true experiences. The supernatural part of those stories came from processes of rewrite. It’s cool if you want to rewrite, but this is not what you're doing while Nanowrimo-ing.
- Write intimately. (Intimate is fast.)
In consequence to the law of Thou Shan’t Lie, writing becomes a terrible process of self-discovery.
Imagine telling these stories in whispers, spooned with that special someone right before bed. You’re telling the best parts. You’re leaving out boring details, save for those most necessary. You want to finish before lights out but you’re also indulging deliciously with every loving syllable.
There is no such thing as objective writing. As long as that piece was written by a human being, it will carry fragments of that person's histories and bruises. Everything you write will (and should) project you and your secrets.
Get used to it.
The thing that sets apart narcissistic verbal diarrhea from epic memoirs - like "The Liars Club" or “On Writing” - is the treatment of those secrets (edited by Johnnie Walker). No matter how many people have read those books, you can’t miss the sound of intimacy in the way a good story unfolds itself.
Besides, at this stage, the Nanowrimo stage of your writing career, you don't worry about treatment. And you don’t want to start a nasty drinking habit when you haven't fully drafted out the story you want to tell, either.
