homework - What to do when there is an odd number of valence electrons left on the the central atom?

For example, I'm trying to write the formula for $\ce{NO}$, and $\ce{ClO2}$. The steps my teacher gave me always assume that the central atom has a full valence, or more than full, after the outer atoms have been bonded with it. I'm running into trouble here because my central atom in these cases does not have enough electrons!

I know I could Google what they look like, but it doesn't help me understand why.