![]() ![]() There will always be time for editing later.Īvoid going back to the beginning. ![]() The whole point of NaNoWriMo is to challenge yourself to write your story. First drafts usually aren’t very good, so relax and just tell your story without judgment and self-criticism. It’s easy to get sidetracked by negative thoughts. As you write, turn off the internal critic who tells you that your work isn’t good. You’ll have to decide what you can live without for the short term while you work on your masterpiece. It could also mean spending less time socializing with your friends and fewer Zoom meetings. That may mean less time hanging out on social media, less time watching Netflix or Hulu or shutting off the TV. Then compare your progress with that of your friend’s.īe prepared to put some activities on the backburner. As you complete your daily word count, fill in the thermometer with red to see your progress. Try putting a giant thermometer on your wall. If you’re both competitive, set up your own contest to see who can write more words each day. When you participate with a friend, you can motivate each other and help you through the rough spots. With the pandemic, I imagine there might be virtual write-ins too. ![]() If you sign up at the NaNoWriMo website, you’ll be given locations of write-ins near you. If you’re looking to stay motivated throughout the month, check out a live write-in in your area. For example, try getting up an hour earlier in the morning to start writing rather than waiting until the evening when you may be too tired. This approach can be applied to your writing schedule too. It might be re-writing a current work-in-progress from an alternate point of view, or trying their hand at writing a different genre – science fiction when they normally write psychological suspense. Many writers use NaNoWriMo to experiment with their writing. Remember, you don’t have to write in one huge chunk of time. It might mean getting up an hour early each day to write, or doing mini sessions throughout the day. So it’s important to plan how much you’ll be able to write. That’s roughly 1,667 words a day with no days off, or 2,000 words a day with one day off each week. With a hefty 50,000 word goal, you’ll need to plan how you will achieve it. Don’t get distracted by the desire to look up something or you will never get back to your writing. If you get to a place in your story where you need to do more research, make a note of what you need to do and come back to that place during the revision phase. ![]() If you’re writing historical fiction, do your research ahead of time. The Novel Factory has some awesome free downloadable tools to help you plan your story. Since you’ll be spending your November days writing, you’ll need to know what you’ll be writing about. Outline and research your story ahead of time. You can find other helpful tips here too. Whether this is the first time you take part in the event or the tenth, here are some helpful tips for surviving this 30-day writing challenge. This is a personal challenge to motivate writers to write every day and work toward a larger goal. If you can only achieve 30,000 words – or 1,000 words a day – that’s fine too. While the goal is 50,000 words for the entire month, that is only the goal. You can do this in the comfort of your home, which is what I plan to do. You don’t have to sign up on their website to participate. Participation in this annual event has escalated from a mere 21 people in 1999 to 306,230 in 2017, according to the Novel Factory. According to its website, the NaNoWriMo group believes in “the transformational power of creativity.” The event is hosted NaNoWriMo, a nonprofit organization that encourages writing fluency and education for all ages. National Novel Writing Month is an annual creative writing challenge that takes place every November in which participants aim to write 50,000 words in 30 days toward a completed novel. With November right around the corner, here’s your chance. Have you always wanted to write a novel but wasn’t sure how to start writing it? Maybe you’ve had a story idea swirling inside your brain for the past decade and just never made the time to write it. ![]()
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