Young Adult author Lisa Heathfield offers three great tips for writers taking part in this year’s NaNoWriMo event.
Lisa Heathfield’s Writing Advice
1. I always handwrite my first draft. I think I feel more of a connection to the words.
2. I choose my notebooks carefully. They have to be completely right for the main character – the feel of the cover, the colour, the spacing of the lines inside…
3. I prefer not to plan. Sometimes I literally only know who my main character is, therefore when I write my first draft it feels like I’m reading their story for the first time. I’ve no idea what’s coming next, so it’s exciting and helps me to write very quickly!
About Lisa Heathfield
Lisa Heathfield launched her writing career with Seed, her stunning young adult fiction debut about a cult, before writing Paper Butterflies, her beautiful and heart-breaking second novel.
Her third novel, Flight of a Starling, was published by Farshore’s Electric Monkey imprint in June 2017.
Before becoming a mum to her three sons, she was a secondary school English teacher and loved inspiring teenagers to read. Lisa lives in Brighton.
About NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), is an annual, online creative writing project that takes place every November. Around the world, people of all ages try to write a 50,000 word manuscript between 01 and 30 November, while gaining support from other writers and NaNoWriMo participants. Find out more on the NaNoWriMo website.
