NaNoWriMo Tips

Hey, everyone! Long time no see, eh? Well, I finally got through my scheduled posts and I am back this week, though for the next two weeks I will not be posting, since I will be taking a break for Christmas!!! 

But before we get into that, time for this week’s blog post in which I give you my top tips for attempting NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)!

I recently attempted NaNoWriMo this November. AND IT WAS AMAZING! I completed the 50,000 word count on the 27th, which is three days ahead of schedule! I also found out that The Search for Alis is going to be a MUCH longer book than I thought. According to my calculations, it should end around 90-100K. XD About 30K longer than I expected. 

Anyway, NaNoWriMo was one of the most fun things I have ever done. It really showed me my strengths and weaknesses when writing and I got a pretty good story out of it (if I do say so myself). I think it is totally worth attempting, even if you don’t finish with 50K! It really helps you grow as a writer and learn what areas you need to work on!

So, I learned a few things this November. Some things helped me tremendously. Here are my five tips for NaNoWriMo…

1. Good Music

Okay, first off, in general writing with music is almost essential to me. Without it, I usually get distracted so many times. 🤣 With music, however, I can zone into the story. 

So, if you haven’t tried listening to music while writing, please do! Especially listen to music with no lyrics. Lyrics can also really distract you.I tend to write fewer words when listening to music with lyrics. 

For starters, I would suggest listening to Lindsey Stirling or movie soundtracks such as any of the Narnia music or LoTR music. 

Please try listening to music while writing if you have trouble concentrating on your writing with other sounds going on around you. It really helps me!

2. Practice

Practice writing loads of words before attempting NaNoWriMo, especially for your first time. 

This whole past year, I made it my goal to learn how to write tons of words in preparation for NaNoWriMo, after deciding I wanted to attempt it. 

So, slowly I began training myself to write more. This summer, around July, I finally started writing around 2K words easily. It helped me greatly when trying NaNoWriMo and overall, it’s a great skill to have, being a writer. It helped me with my writing problem where I would lose motivation after only 200 words. Now, I still want to write after 2K. 😂

Make sure to practice if you want to successfully hit 50K during November!

3. Outlining/Planning (A LOT)

The month of October, I was known amongst my writer friends as the person who pre-outlined for the pre-outline for the pre-outline before making the actual outline. 

I’ve always been a planner since I learned how magical outlines were. But I believe outlining and planning for your NaNoWriMo project is essential. It really helps keep you from wondering what is going to come next in your story. 

Although you shouldn’t be afraid to change your outline around a bit. I changed my whole midpoint in the middle of NaNoWriMo for a more realistic book. I never even wrote the outline for that until a few days ago. 😝

But outlining really helps during NaNoWriMo, so if you can, outline! Dig into the depths of your mind and pull that story out then put it down in your notebook! You will thank yourself later!

4. Making Yourself Write

If I did not make myself sit down and write when I didn’t want to, I probably would have failed to get to 50K. This is totally one of the hardest steps, but entirely necessary. 

Make yourself sit at your desk, pull out your laptop, and write. Don’t get up until you’ve reached your goal. It’s so hard at first until you keep doing it. Then it will get easier and easier. 

Also don’t be too hard on yourself either. If you really feel as though your brain is fried, step away from the screen and go recharge. Read a book, do a puzzle, or whatever you like to do in your spare time.

But also make sure you force yourself write if you want to reach 50K words. 

5. Cheering for Milestones

Okay, okay, okay, easiest and most enjoyable tip! Cheer for milestones! When you get to that 10K mark, feel free to go have a celebration! Run around and scream or get some chocolate. 😂

Honestly, this works best if you have a group of friends to tell about your milestones. They can be your biggest cheerleaders and get you pumped! 

I got to hit 50K on a sprinting call with two of my friends and I got to tell them on the call. It was one of the most memorable finishes! 😆

So celebrate! You’ve done awesome! Milestones are something to be proud of! 

Those are some of my tips from this November! I hope they were helpful! Now your turn! Did you attempt NaNoWriMo? What did you learn from it? What are some of your tips for getting words written?

Until next time, 

A.J. Syngraféas