Hi everyone!
The end of October is looming and NaNoWriMo is coming up fast! Are you ready to write a novel in a month in November?
What’s NaNoWriMo?
It’s the National Novel Writing Month. The idea behind such a writing challenge is to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. All you have to do is sit down and write 1667 words a day for 30 days and you end up with a complete first draft on the last day of the challenge, which makes you a challenge “winner”.
Is this doable?
Yes, it is. Here are a few tips to make the most of NaNoWriMo:
1) Be prepared.
Before you dive in the writing challenge, know what you are going to write. Have a rough outline for your plot, some ideas for your characters and your themes. This will help you not getting “stuck”.
2) Register on the NaNoWriMo website
Here is the link. Half the fun of this writing challenge is the online writing community you get to interact with while writing your novel. So sign up, meet other writers, support each other.
3) Find inspiration
Writing 1667 words a day means finding enough inspiration to come up with ideas every day. Music can help, or maybe pictures. Create a Pinterest board for your NaNoWriMo novel and come back to it when you get stuck.
4) Take part in writing sprints on Twitter.
NaNoWriMo is about community. As writers, we can feel pretty lonely sometimes. Motivation and perseverance stems from talking to other writers, and “word sprinting” alongside them.
5) Write every day
This may sound basic, but it’s the heart of this writing challenge. To me, the purpose of NaNoWriMo is less writing a novel in a month and more writing every day.
6) Don’t become obsessed with your wordcount.
Remember that whatever your wordcount is in the end, it is a success, because YOU WROTE WORDS.
Are you planning on taking part in NaNoWriMo? Do you have any tips to make it a success for you? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments!
EM Castellan
There And Draft Again 