The temperatures are cooling, the leaves are changing color, Halloween lovers are vibrating with excitement, and the frenzy for pumpkin spice has taken over local cafés. That can only mean one thing.
NaNoWriMo season is almost upon us.
NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, takes the thirty days of November and transforms them into a month-long challenge—to write a full first draft of a brand-new novel. For the uninitiated, this may sound daunting, but many members of The Write Gym are old pros at this by now, and some of them have generously offered to share their best tips for anyone who’ll be participating in the zaniness for the first time!
On Accountability
Kerry Evelyn: Set a nighttime alarm to remind yourself to input your word count every day. Have a daily accountability partner and message often; maybe set up sprint times if scheduling allows.
(Pssst! The Write Gym is Writer’s Atelier’s very own accountability program. Consider joining us this year to engage in weekly check-ins and more!)
On Combatting the Inner Editor
Chelsea Delaine: Just write, don’t delete. Even if it isn’t go with the story, just write. If you feel like you must delete words, bold them, italicize or strikethrough, but don’t delete. It’s about quantity, not quality. NaNoWriMo is about silencing the inner editor and committing to a daily writing habit. If you get a solid messy draft out of it, that’s a bonus.
Kerry Evelyn: All words count! Including stream of consciousness writing and scenes you dictate. Save the active writing for later.
On Managing Writing Time
Kerry Evelyn: Take notes on your phone if you’re not at your computer and feeling inspired, and be sure to add them to your word count later.
Megan Fuentes: You don’t have to write your words all in one sitting! Try the Pomodoro method, or consider writing half of your words in the morning and half at night, especially if you don’t know for sure when you are at your peak creative level.
(Pssst! Writer’s Atelier puts out a free novel planner every year to help keep you on track!)
On Venturing Out to Write
Kerry Evelyn: Pack a “go bag.”
(Pssst! We have a blog post about how you can still leave where you live to write mid-pandemic. Or, you can fake the experience by watching our Write With Me videos.)
On Writer’s Block
Chelsea Delaine: Interview your characters if you get stuck. The words count, and it helps you discover a lot about your story in the process.
Miranda Scotti: Make sure you do research and other prep work before November 1st, so you can spend the month actually writing without as many distractions.
Are you planning on tackling NaNoWriMo this year?
If you are, one of the best places to start (in our humble opinion) would be the compilation of NaNoWriMo resources and advice we made last year.
Happy prepping, and good luck this year!
