Writing a 50,000 word novel in a month- NaNoWriMo
Nuts, huh? I’ve done it…five times! I’ve spewed out over 250,000 words and created five works of narrative fiction that occasionally made sense. National Novel Writing Month, November, is a writing marathon, a participatory peer pressure writing environment. Some people try it out and wonder what the heck all the excitement is about, and others make it an annual event or even a way of life.
So, advice from a grizzled veteran about how to win NaNoWriMo. (caveat- there are no real prizes for winning, beyond bragging rights.)
Tips for Winning NaNoWriMo
- throw yourself into it
- lock your inner critic in a box for the entire month of November- nothing is bad
- just keep writing, even if you have to write things like “this plot makes no sense here”
- add in pirates
- let your characters take over
- don’t fall behind- as long as you do your 1,667 words a day, it’s not overwhelming
- get local writing buddies to make it more interactive- meet up with them
- get other people to do your chores
- use Thanksgiving as a catch-up day
- add in dream sequences- any novel can have dream sequences!
- get ahead if you can, especially in the beginning- that way when life throws a curveball, you have some wiggle room
- coffee, with a chocolate-covered expresso bean chaser
- instant frozen dinners
- early bedtimes for the kids
- write at work- it’s a motivational exercise, right?
- turn off the internet for a set writing time- no internet until you meet quota
- cut down on distractions- write in a locked room in a cardboard box under a blanket
- stop writing in your blog…oh, wait-
My hat, it is off to you.