NaNoWriMo tips, tricks, and advice

Last week, I outlined the reasons you should try the “National Novel Writing Month” (NaNoWriMo) if you’re interested in practicing your writing, and this week I’ll give you some tips to succeed during the NaNoWriMo challenge.

These tips aren’t just for NaNoWriMo hopefuls, however. I believe there are some good lessons here for any time you’re trying to write a long-form piece.

What makes me an expert? Nothing, actually. I won't claim to be a master. But I have completed NaNoWriMo before, and I liked the finished product enough that I’m sharing it with the whole world. 

More than that, the NaNoWriMo process has actually worked so well for me that it’s now the only way I write. I finished the first draft of my latest book (86,000 words) in 29 days, all thanks to the lessons I learned in NaNoWriMo.

So what is that process? What did I learn from NaNoWriMo? What a coincidence you should ask. It just so happens that I wrote a blog post about that very subject:

1. Write something

I said this in my last post, but it can’t be overstated. How do you fight writer’s block? You write through it.

Yes, sometimes you get stuck and you aren’t sure where to go. Sometimes you need a mental health day (or two). But I argue that the best cure for writer’s block is to keep writing.

Here’s my theory: writer’s block is really the fear that our writing won’t be very good. If you know how to spell, you can write something. Writer’s block just means you don’t think it will be something worth writing.

So that’s my advice: write. Worry about whether it’s good or not after you're finished, after you let the finished product rest and you can look at it as a whole package with fresh eyes. Not now.

Some tips: take a step back. Try to figure out where you want to go. What is your goal with this story? What is your goal in this particular scene? Look at the story as a whole. If you know where you’re going, go there. If you’re not sure where you’re going... well, you can actually still begin the journey. Let the story figure itself out.

Now is the time to write. Don’t let yourself doubt, don’t let yourself stop, and don’t ever, ever tell yourself your idea isn’t good enough. Writer’s block is just another way of saying you don’t think your writing will be good enough.

Don't believe that. Just write.

2. Your NaNoWriMo novel won’t be finished

A related point, and the single most important thing to remember when setting off on this challenge: your novel won’t be done by the deadline. Yes, your goal is to have a complete story, so in a sense it will be "done." You should have a beginning, middle, and end. That’s how you “win” NaNoWriMo, after all.

But you won’t be finished. You will still have to edit your novel. That’s no reason to dread the challenge, it’s actually a reason to celebrate. As I’ve said more than once, relaxing and learning not to edit while you write are keys to writing well. So don’t worry about making the novel perfect by the end of November. Just get something down. 

It's much easier to fix something that's on paper than it is to perfect it while it's still in your head.

So let it out.

3. Keep track of your work, but don’t put yourself in a box

It’s important not to fall behind when tackling a challenge like NaNoWriMo (and it is a challenge). You can’t write 500 words per day for the first 20 days and then try to pack the last 40,000 words into 10 days. But if you get on a roll, you don’t have to stop at 1,666 words. And if you’re too busy or too tired or your creativity just won’t flow, you can take some time off.

Here’s the key: always adjust your goals. If you write 3,000 words your first day, divide the remaining 47,000 words by 29 days to find out how many more words you need to write per day. If you skip a day, make sure to recalculate. You need to know what you have to do in order to finish. Falling too far behind can convince you to give up.

It’s so exciting to see your goal getting closer and closer, getting a sense of accomplishment at how far you’ve come. Use that word count as a motivator.

So those are my three top tips whenever I write something lengthy: 1. When writer’s block strikes, write through it, 2. Remember that my novel won’t be perfect when I finish the first draft, and 3. Keep track of my progress.

What are some other tips you find useful?

Is NaNoWriMo a good idea?

Is NaNoWriMo a good idea?

For those of you who don’t know, “NaNoWriMo” is shorthand for the “National Novel Writing Month,” in which aspiring novelists attempt to write a novel of at least 50,000 words during the month of November. That’s 30 days, or 1,666.66 words per day (pro tip #1: don’t try to write exactly 1,666.66 words per day. That 0.66^th of a word is rather tricky).

So is the National Novel Writing Month a good idea? Is it worth the challenge?

First, a little more about the challenge. The website (nanowrimo.org) provides lots of tools to help writers along, including tips, workshops, and tracking and planning software. If you complete the challenge, you get discounts and deals on more workshops, printing services, and editing services. There’s also a forum for writers to chat about their progress and their goals, and some writers even set up times to meet up at a coffee shop and writer together.

So why take on this crazy challenge of writing an entire novel in one month?

1. NaNoWriMo is motivating

 

The biggest challenge for writers is setting goals and then sticking to them. How many times have you put writing a novel on your bucket list, and then said “I’m too busy right now. Maybe next year”? How many times have you started a novel, gotten frustrated, and put it aside for “later,” knowing in the back of your mind that later may never happen?

If you promise yourself you’ll finish a novel by the end of November, you finally have a deadline that you have to meet. Even if you’re accountable only to yourself, that is a huge motivator.

2. NaNoWriMo helps you relax

 

As I’ve noted in this space before, one of the first steps in learning to write is learning to relax. You need to let the words flow on their own, without worrying about the finished product during the first draft.

If you’ve committed to finishing a novel in 30 days, you don’t have time to nitpick. You don’t have time to worry. You’re only goal is chasing that elusive 1,666.66^th word of the day.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. “The Mystery of the Masked Marauder” (my upcoming debut novel) was written as part of NaNoWriMo. I started late, and had only 21 days to finish the whole thing (that’s 2,381 words per day). Instead of letting myself get stressed over this new goal, I decided I would relax. It’s no coincidence that the first time I learned to relax was the first time I produced a novel that I was actually proud of.

A lot of people ask me “How do you not get writer’s block?” My response? “I do. But then I keep on writing.”

When you’re on a tight deadline like this, you have to get something on the page. Can’t think of anything good? That’s okay. Right now, you’re trying to put something down, not something perfect.

My goal this time wasn’t to craft a perfect novel on the first try. That’s an insane amount of pressure. My goal was simply to finish something by the 30 day deadline.

And that is truly freeing.

3. NaNoWriMo is fun

NaNoWriMo isn’t just a way for you to relax about your writing. If you let it, NaNoWriMo can be a lot of fun. Instead of writing to please others, it’s a chance to write for yourself. It’s a chance to explore your own imagination, a chance to see what you’re capable of.

It's also a rush. Challenging yourself like this can be intense, but that's a big part of the fun.

Again, it’s no coincidence that my NaNoWriMo novel became the first novel I chose to publish. I had so much fun writing it that I felt other people would have fun reading it. I highly recommend you give it a shot yourself. Even if you don’t make it to the end, you will have learned a lot about yourself and your writing. It’s a chance to practice. And if you do finish, you may end up with something you’re really proud of.

So how do you do it? How do you manage to write an entire novel in under a month? In the next post, I’ll give you some pointers I’ve learned through the experience to help you tackle NaNoWriMo yourself.