Skip to main content

NaNoWriMo Tips Series (#2): Getting Through - Tips for Winning and Reaching a High Word Count


      10 Sure-Fire Tips to Surviving November

1. Write every day. Make writing a priority. Set aside time where no one is allowed to disturb you. No one. Put on a writing hat if you have to.
 
2. Try timed writing exercises. Turn off inner editor and write for 10, 15, 20, 30+ minutes without stopping.
 
3. Write nonlinearly. Write in whatever order you feel like to keep your creativity fueled.
 
4. Reward yourself. Buy a gift that makes you happy but is fairly cheap as a reward for reaching goals: chocolate, a cheap book, favorite drink, take out, a new clothing under $15, a mug, etc.
 
5. Go to write-ins/events. Register and then set home region. Check calendar for events, host own event, if you’re inclined. Writing in a supportive community is helpful in keeping motivated and building relationships. Don't let shame and being behind stop you from writing. Remember whatever word count you end with is more than you started with.
 
6. Engage in social media. NaNoWriMo has accounts on Twitter and Youtube. They offer timed exercises, prompts and encouragement. You can also be social with a network of people from all over the world trying to reach same goal. (Twitter: @NaNoWordSprints AND @NaNoWriMo, YouTube channel “National Novel Writing Month”).
 
7. Just say no! Say no to distractions, including extra requests from work, family and friends. This month is about you. Get ahead in order to be off on weekends or on Thanksgiving weekend. 

8. Three clicks, that's it! Unless you're on social media to engage or up your word count, research is the only other reason to be online while writing. Click three times to find an answer and stop. Stop!

9. Don’t stop your flow, write a note. Highlight, bold, underline, change font color, etc., when you need more info/research for a scene/concept so you aren't distracted by having to stop your writing flow.
 
10. Push past burnout. NaNo is 30/365 days which is 8.219% of your year. Remind yourself this in order to reach the ultimate goal. This feat is like running a marathon. Ask for extra help and consideration from those depending on you.
 
HAPPY WRITING!
The other two blogs in my NaNoWriMo Tips Series are "Plotting" AND "Getting Through". Stay tuned for  my last NaNoWriMo related blog post: "The Aftermath". 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Advice for Writers

The Best advice I can give to writers can be summed up in five tips and is partly what I've read, heard or learned on my writing journey.    First  – Keep writing and be ready. Write as many novels (and short story, poems, essays, etc.) as you can. Learn how to write a synopsis and query if you plan on submitting to agents and publishers. Learn the mechanics of writing and structuring a story. Take classes, enter contests, find mentors, work with beta readers, critique partners and editors - all with the goal of improving your skills and making your novels better. Second  – The road to getting published is not for the faint of heart. If you can’t learn to live with constant rejection then you might not want to publish your work.   Writers must grow thick skin. We are going to be judged by our work constantly and must remember why we write in order to overcome haters, trolls or simply people who don't like our work/style. Not everyone is go...
2 comments
Read more

What's Up with Diversity in Color in the Publishing Industry

In the last few years, there has been a big push for diversity that seems to have gone hand in hand with the Black Lives Matter movement. According to a  2019 survey , 76 percent of the people who acquire and edit books are white.  When agents who are the gatekeepers within the publishing industry — in most cases the Big 4 publishers and their subsidiaries won’t consider novels without agents attached — are white, finding diverse voices they connect can be a problem.   Human nature dictates we are all ruled by our biases, morals, and experiences. How can someone who hasn’t faced similar life circumstances because of their color or “otherness” judge our books and the messages within them? via GIPHY Zora Neale Hurston  wrote an article in 1950  called, “What White Publishers Won’t Print” (over 72 years ago, people!)—let’s pause to take in this fact. This thing that happened for this exceptional black woman author so long ago that is still relevant today. via ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Query Wins for Me

I am getting ready to query again after about a six-month hiatus and looked back through my records of responses and was quite pleased.  In the past, I’ve had many close calls. I’ve had full requests from publishers and agents alike for a few different books I queried. I could have given up with the mounting rejections but the rejections I’ve gotten over the last year and a half have MOSTLY been inspiring. This might not make sense to anyone who hasn’t been through the querying trenches but there is such a thing as a good rejection. A good “no” per se. In posting this I want to say that if you are a writer seeking publication, you need to keep writing, revising and editing…but especially keep submitting. Here are a few of my rejections: “I loved the concept and was riveted by the world you have created, but ultimately I just didn’t fall in love with the voice. It’s not for me, but I wish you the best of luck in your search for representation.” ‘There was so muc...
Post a Comment
Read more