Since we’re already a few days into November and you really should be working on that story of yours, I’ll keep this short and sweet.
TIP #1
PACE YOURSELF
(I feel this bears repeating)
PACE
YOURSELF
You have 30 days to write 50k words. Yes, this is ambitious. Yes, it will challenge you but if you calculate it out that’s only 1700 words a day. That’s not even a full chapter for most novels. However, too often writers get swept up in the early days of the month, laying down 3k, 4k, or more each day which is great for the short term, but all too often leads to burnout later in the month. Nanowrimo is a marathon. You need to set a reachable goal each day (3-4k a day for 30 days in most people’s lives is not realistic) so I would stick to under 2k for a daily word count goal. (trust me, your back, shoulders, wrists, and brain will thank you!)
TIP #2
SILENCE THE INNER EDITOR
If you’ve been in the writing community long enough you’ve no doubt heard the phrase, “First drafts serve only one purpose, to exist.” This is never more true a statement than when you’re dashing through writing sprints trying to hit your daily word count. Grammar, plot inconsistencies, entire chapters with three lines of dialogue, side characters that are as interesting as a planter box, all of these should be ignored. They are for future you to fix once you’ve typed the words The End. Stopping now to fix a character’s introduction, or even worse going back to a scene to fix a plot hole is only going to slow you down (and nothing is more frustrating than watching your word count tracker go in reverse. First drafts are messy. But now is not the time to fret, keep forging ahead and get those words down!
TIP #3
PLAN AHEAD
Between Veteran’s Day, holiday shopping, and Thanksgiving break, there will be quite a few days where you will just not have the time to write. Get out a calendar and plan how you’ll need to accommodate your schedule to either sneak in writing time once the kids are in bed, or while everyone is watching the big game. Every word counts, even if it’s a 400-word 15-minute sprint, they’ll help you keep the momentum you need to finish on schedule.
TIP #4
ALWAYS BE “WRITING“
I know from previous NaNoWriMo’s that while I’m entrenched in my story, there’s very little else I think about. From the time I leave my keyboard until I sit back down to continue the next day, the characters have been busy chatting in my head, the story impatiently waiting for me to return to it. My brain constantly churns with what scene I will get to write next, or which setting I’ve been looking forward to describing. All of this is the best part of the process, and I feel like why so many of us writers temporarily forget the outside world when in “Drafting mode”.
So, my advice is for you to harness this. When you’re done writing for the day, go about with whatever it is you’ve neglected (for me it’s usually a dog that needs attention), and then later on that evening, get out a notebook or use your notes app on your phone and just messy scribble notes. Maybe bits of dialogue you want to add tomorrow or outline the next chapter. Sometimes I’ll describe a scent or a sound that I’ll know I’ll need for the next chapter. All of these are little tidbits that I can use the next time I write and will only help keep the momentum for your next writing session.
I hope you can find ways to use one or all of these tips to help blast through this month’s NaNoWriMo!
Happy Writing!
Merely NPCs 