How To Prepare for a 50K Word Writing Spree
November is National Novel Writing Month, or more affectionately known as, NaNoWriMo. For those who don’t know what NaNoWriMo is (like if you’ve been living under a rock), it is a challenge every year during November. The challenge is to write 50K words in one month. The joy of this is that there are no rules. Okay, well, there are a couple. One: you don’t edit. Tell Grammarly to put a sock in it. You aren’t interested in being auto-corrected right now. You just let your imagination guide you, and let the words fly from your fingertips to the screen, or paper if you are doing it with good ol’ pen and paper. Personally, I like to use my laptop because I can type way faster than I can write. And it’s legible. That’s always a plus when you are trying to edit your work later. The other rule is: let it fly. Don’t worry about character development, plot arcs, believable dialogue, defamiliarization, or voice. Just write. Get an idea, even a bad one, and go with it.
To get ready for the November madness, I have some handy-dandy tips that I have learned over the years. This is my seventh year of participation (applause and pompoms inserted here) and I’ve learned some tips that might help as you prepare for this wondrous event.
1. Warn Your Family
It’s only fair, especially if it is your first year participating. My family is well versed in the routine for NaNoWriMo, but I have found it never hurts to give them a little countdown. I may do random pop quizzes such as “guess what happens in 11 days?” The first time I do that, I may get questioning looks back. I will joyfully exclaim, “NaNoWriMo!”. There is usually an eye roll, and a vague “Oh yeah, that…” in response. However, this little exercise pays off later. On the first day this year, my 12-year-old tip-toed up to my side. She peeked over my shoulder, and looked questioningly at me. I smiled at her. “Yes?” She replied, “I didn’t want to interrupt you if you were doing that writing thing.” Ah, successful training!
2. Stock Up
What’s your favorite stimulant? Some people go for coffee, or tea, maybe even soda. Some go for the chocolate or prefer to munch more savory snacks such as chips, pretzels or nuts. Some like to rotate the stimulants. Those little 5-hour energy boosters wreak havoc on the liver, so switch to chocolate, and give your blood sugar a workout. Then you can switch to caffeine. If you feel like a bloated, adrenaline-overloaded, over-caffeinated mess by November 30, then you have joined the ranks of millions of writers who are compelled to meet the NaNoWriMo challenge.
Most likely you will fit in the 1,667-word quota around your usual everyday routines of work and family. If you have a family, I can guarantee you that your writing time may very fall in the later hours of the evening, unless, of course, you have them trained with precision in the art of Don’t Even THINK About Interrupting Mom While She’s Writing. Since real life insists on continuing during NaNoWriMo, and our lives are interrupted by a plethora of dentist appointments, play practices, piano lessons, art lessons, grocery shopping, meal getting, and laundry, we need to arm ourselves with whatever we can to get the job done.
3. Keep Inspired
Update your playlist, or create a new one to help fill your ears, mind and soul with music. Music can help you channel feelings, experiences, and alternate realities, if needed. If you are distracted by other things, like, your children fighting over the Xbox in the other room, earbuds and some groovy tunes are just the thing to keep you plugged into your inspiration, and side-step the reality of everyday life for a while.
Another way to be inspired is to keep a notebook with you at all times. You never know when you will hear or see something that will spark a new part of your story. Or maybe you have a dream that had a great twist that you can work into your novel. Keep that notebook handy, and as soon as you wake up, write the idea down. Even if it is out of context, you may be able to work at least part of it into your novel.
4. Reward Yourself
I like to set little goals. At 5,000 words I usually allow myself some chocolate. At 10,000 words I reward myself some chocolate. At 15,000 words I reward myself some chocolate. I’m sure you get the idea. The point is to give yourself a little reward at significant junctures. Maybe your goals are if you meet the quota every day. Maybe if your average is 1,667 words over a week, then you get a reward. Whatever makes your skirt fly up. The idea is to provide yourself with motivation. Let’s face it; you have to do it yourself because everyone around thinks you are crazy.
5. Enjoy
This is easy for most NaNoWriMo’s. We are choosing to write like mad fools for a month. We refuse to take into consideration good plot development, syntax, grammar, or spelling. All we have to do is crank out a novel, revel in creativity, and acknowledge the truth in the statement that sleep is overrated.
What could be better?
