Now that we are a week into NaNoWriMo(National Novel Writing Month), you might have started feeling overwhelmed or just plain exhausted by the thought of writing 50,000 words in one month.

The good news is that writing doesn’t have to be a drudgery. You can inspire yourself to write. You can help yourself get more writing done by writing down a simple plan for your book and by creating the space you need to write. 

It is definitely a stretch to reach 50,000 words, but you can do this! It’s exciting to write those scenes, settings and characters that bounce around in our heads. Just let them loose and see where they take you!

It’s a stretch for me too… and so far the closest I’ve come is 38,000 words. I’m writing for NaNoWriMo again this year, trying really learn what is the most helpful to make the most of it.

Below, I share what I’ve been learning so far about how to get more writing done during nanowrimo…

Lessons Learned on How to Write More Words During NaNoWriMo

As I’ve been writing (and some days, its been a little closer to attempting to write) this new romance this past week, I’ve learned some much needed lessons that I hope help you too.

The romance I’m writing, is quite a fun Sleeping Beauty love story that has all sorts of romantic moments as well as intrigue and suspense.

This is the third book in a series of five, so I needed to first plan a general story arc for all five novels in this series. So, now that I have that sorted out, it’s easier to see where the story goes.

I find I still need to re-outline as I go along to get a better feel for the story, but that’s okay because it helps me get clarity on the story.

To make the most of this month to write your novel(or nonfiction book), there’s a few tips I’ve learned that I’d like to pass along to you 🙂

1.Write everyday.

Especially during NaNoWriMo, I believe it’s important to write everyday… even if it’s only for ten minutes. Writing regularly helps you to stay focussed and also motivates you. I’ve learned that as I get further along in my story, I get more excited to finish the book. Another reason for a regular writing practice, is because it soon becomes a writing habit. This is a bit like walking or running everyday. The first few days you might feel really sore afterwards, but if you keep it up for a week or so, it will become a habit.

If you keep up a regular writing habit for longer than two weeks. you’ll start to find writing more and more as a necessary release of your creativity and emotions. A wonderful book to help writers to plan their writing everyday and then commit to a regular writing habit, is 2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better and Writing More of What You Love by Rachel Aaron.

2.Plan/write a description of what you will write each day.

I find it super helpful to write down a summary of the next chapter I need to write the next day. When you take a few minutes to write down what you’ll write the next day – even if it’s only a few paragraphs – it gives you clarity on where you’re headed the next day. That way, when I come back to the story, you’re excited, you know where the story is going and you’re ready to write.  A book that has given me made planning my novel so much easier, is Write Your Novel From the Middle by James Scott Bell. This is especially helpful for pantsers or partial-outliners who just needs help to get past the saggy middle.

3.Don’t rewrite.

Do you best to not do too much rewriting during your first draft. I usually go back to the last one or two chapters and reread what I’ve written because it helps inspire me for the next scene I’m writing, but I don’t correct things. However, I encourage you to do yourself a favor and leave little edits/notes about what you want to fix for when you do come back to those chapters for edits later.

Dean Wesley Smith encourages writers to just write the story without rewriting and to follow Heinlein’s 5 Simple Rules for Writers.

4.Avoid starting your day with email or social media.

If at all possible, don’t read your emails or look at social media first thing in the morning. I’ve noticed for myself that this leaves a “residue” in my mind that takes hour s to shake off. It’s better just to get started on the writing and then in the afternoon you can always check your email or chat with your friends on social media.

Recently I heard a bestselling author say that the desire to write is born out of the need to communicate, so if you are talking to others, the desire to write will diminish. Hadn’t really thought of it that way before… but in my case I think it might be true. So I’m going to focus on writing first(and let my desire to communicate get onto the blank page first), then I will chat with friends later on. Try your writing first thing, and see what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised. I share tips on how writers can create space to write and create a clear and exciting strategy for their writing goals in Book 2 in my series for writers, Finish Your Book: A 7 C Formula to Unblock Your Creativity and Accelerate Your Writing Goals.

5.Inspire yourself by reading a little to get yourself in the mood to write.

I sometimes read from a favorite romance book before I start writing for the day. I have to stop myself after I’ve read one chapter though, otherwise I won’t get any writing done! I promise myself after I’ve reached my writing goals for the day, then I can take an hour to read. That’s usually great incentive to get me going. I encourage you to experiment with reading from a favorite author to help motivate you to write. It really works !

 

What tips do you have to write more words during NaNoWriMo?  Please do share any tips you have in the comments below… we can learn from each other 🙂