3 Writing Games to Help Build Up Your Word Count

Although the going can get tough during week three of NaNoWriMo, there are lots of things you can do to either catch up or keep up with your word count goal! Participant Caro Flanagan shares some of her favorite writing games to make the work of writing your novel fun again:

When I say I’m a Girl Guide leader, people usually think I’m all about knots and camping and eating s’mores. Yes, the Guiding life does include those things, but when you know a person in the wonderful world that is Girl Guiding/Girl Scouting, you are in luck–because not only do we have songs about pretty much everything, we also have activities for just about everything as well. So here are some for the days when the word count is down, the ideas run dry, and walking on the moors to aid creativity just isn’t going to happen:

1. Story Words 

This is where you write down as many objects as you can on different pieces of paper (or ask a kindred spirit to contribute some surprise words). Fold and mix the slips of paper. Then pick four from the pile. The game is that you have one minute to tell a story, bringing in the objects you’ve chosen. Writing down the objects can be done in advance too, all set for when the block hits. (Be prepared, after all!) You can also use your story words to help boost your word count when you need it.

2. Alphabet Story

Or perhaps something like the Alphabet Story is more appealing: make up a story with each word beginning with each letter of the alphabet (in the right order) e.g. “Anne Brown Came Down Every Friday… etc”. It can be a bit of fun, scribbled down on your daily commute or when you have a couple of minutes to yourself during the day and you want your mind to stay in the creative zone for when you next tackle your work in progress.

3. Group Poem

And then last, but by no means least, there’s the Group Poem. Sit yourself down and write a verse bringing in the names and something about your main characters. If you make the verse fit a well-known song, you’ve got your own theme tune for your Nano project! Maybe you’ll come up with a new idea for one of your characters and find yourself sailing to those 50,000 words.

Whatever you do, however you break through any block, above all remember that this is your unique story and only you can tell it, so don’t give up. Enjoy the journey and let that creative light shine through!

Caro Flanagan lives in Galway, Ireland, where it tends to rain a lot. Volunteering with Irish Girl Guides and working with both the Brownie and Guide age groups means she gets to meet all kinds of interesting people and see interesting places. Also, camping in the rain is character building – probably. Being only so-so at arts & crafts, writing is her pathway to creativity. Caro reads all genres and dreams of having a house with wall to wall bookcases. You can follow her on Twitter @thefirstcaro.

Top photo by Flickr user sgrace.