Five Tips for Busy People Who Want to Write a Novel During #NaNoWriMo

We’ve all heard that if you want to get something done, get a busy person to do it. Maybe your to-do list is really long, but you want to write a novel and you’ve decided now is the time. You’re going to write a short novel during #NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month in November.

You can do it if you can commit to fifteen minutes a day starting now.

I’m a novelist and a book coach and I’ve helped hundreds of writers finish novels. A huge part of the issue for busy people isn’t the time. They can find fifteen, twenty or even thirty minutes: it’s getting into that headspace so that they can actually write something creative.

Below, I give you a FIVE IDEAS to get into that creative headspace so that you know exactly what you’re going to write when you sit down…and you’re excited to do it. After all, this is your special time to capture creative joy. If you start now, you’ll be all geared up for a big push in November.

1. Bring a notebook and pen in your bag everywhere.
   When you’re waiting in the school pick-up line or you’re in a grocery line with a checker who moves very slowly, take notes on your next scene or journal in a character’s voice about their life or simply write about what you see through their eyes. It’ll make the time pass and you’ll be in a great mood once you finally reach the teller. No notebook? Do it on your phone. Your mind will start brewing on your story. When you sit down to write your scene later, you’ll be in the mood.

2. Set alarms and post a visual reminder.
If you’re a busy person, you can easily forget about writing. Put up a sign. A daily alarm. Create a reward system.

3. 15 Minutes a Day!
Just sit and brainstorm or write for fifteen minutes every day. Anyone can do that. Most people waste more time than that on social media. You can write about a page in that time. Try it. It’ll blow your mind. You can do it in the car before going into work, in the bathroom with the kids banging on the door, early in the morning before anyone wakes up.

4. Reward Your Writing.
If you plan to write first thing, don’t allow yourself to go on social media or CNN or whatever your jam might be until you’ve done it. Maybe you have a favorite drink? Save it until you write. Or give yourself chocolate.

5. Don’t feel like writing? Brainstorm one scene using the following list. As a bonus, if you have a bunch of these come November, the writing will be easy. Here Are Ten Key Components of a Powerful Scene:

1. Characters — Who’s in the scene? Write a detail for each.
2. Setting — List smells, location, sounds, taste, touch, specific objects.
3. Scene Question — What is the reader wondering at the start of this scene?
4. Goal — What do they want to get, avoid, find or do in this scene?
5. Stakes — What are the stakes if they don’t get what they want? What will happen if they make the wrong choice?
6. Conflict — What is the character’s internal and external conflict?
7. Dilemma — What is the dilemma? Is the character facing two possible difficult options?
8. Decision — What decision does the character make?
9. Consequence — What will happen because of this decision?
10. Cliffhanger — How will you end the scene to push the reader forward?