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5 NaNoWriMo Tips
Hey everyone! I hope all you NaNoWriMo’s out there are caught up on your word count! If not don’t worry! You have until the end of the month! In the meantime, I would like to share with you some tips I have found effective in helping me through my NaNo journey that hopefully can help you with yours too!
Now, I am no expert at NaNoWriMo and nor do I claim to be, however, I have participated in NaNo for several years now. Eight to be exact, but whos’ counting? Although I have not won every year I can say I have learned some tricks for writing during NaNo and have found that these five things usually get me through whenever I’m in doubt.
1. Just Write
NaNo is all about putting words onto the page. You can’t do that if you are just thinking about writing. You need to be actually writing. I know it’s hard, but as soon as you start, get to that place you want to be it will be hard to pull you away from the page. Just putting down words is the first step. Whether that be a couple sentences before work, before you go to bed, or during
2. Silence Your Inner E
This is probably one of the hardest things to do, but once you start it becomes second nature. Know that the only person holding you back from writing is yourself. Remember that, because you are going to be your greatest enemy. This applies to most things in
Look, I get it. When you write you are going to look at it and think it is a hot sack of garbage, but you know what? It is garbage that exists. Garbage that can always be turned into a fine gem. Just not now. Editing is for later when you have completed your mission. For now, just write!
3. Writing Scenes
We all get to that point where we have no idea what we are writing. We ask ourselves “Where do I go from here.” and that point can be very discouraging. You will sit there and think for hours where this story is going and what you should do next, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Remember, we are not going to publish this book tomorrow, so it doesn’t have to make sense.
The way I cope with this is I write out a scene. Either a simple everyday task or a larger event. Something to get your characters to start moving. Are your characters in the middle of a war? Well now is a good time for them to take a trip to the supermarket, or have a slumber party. Why? Because you can. When you are stuck, write out a scene. It can be as easy as a heart to heart conversation between two people, or two people arguing about what they are going to eat for their next meal. Sure it might not make sense in the context of the story, but you know what? It might make sense somewhere else in your novel, and even if it doesn’t you will come out of the other side with a better understanding of your characters or your world.
4. Take Breaks
Trust me when I tell you that it is okay to take breaks. Go eat, check your twitter, get up and move. These kinds of things can help you get inspiration or get your mental juices flowing. If you are just sitting there staring blankly at a white screen you will be going nowhere fast and that is the last thing you want. Just don’t spend the next 5 hours playing Overwatch. That’s not a break.
5. Read
Hear me out on this one. Read? That sounds like stupid advice. Well, if you are a writer then you most definitely love to read too right? Reading, whether it be your favorite book, a cool article or even a comic can get you in the mode. Remind you of why you write in the first place. If you are not writing, try some reading. Trust me, it actually helps more than you would think!
Well to all you NaNoWriMo’s out there, or writers in general. I hope some of these tips and can help you out on your magical writing journey. They have definitely helped me at times. Good luck with your word count!