How to Overcome Common Writing Obstacles and Win Every Year

The task of writing 50,000 words in a month is daunting to many, and it can be easy to feel like you’re not prepared to take on the challenge. But fear not, Wrimo, for today author and 9-time NaNo winner T.S. Valmond shares her tips for overcoming the many hurdles that may be in your way this November:

Raise your hand if any of these sound familiar:

“I’m not a writer, I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“There’s not enough time in 30 days to write a novel.”
“I don’t have enough words and it’s the end of the story.”
“My story is boring and I hate it.”

If any of these statements are true for you, there’s only one way you’re going to get 50,000 words of a story down by November 30th: Never give up, never surrender. Sound familiar? Yeah, I stole it from the movie Galaxy Quest, but it’s still true. Other than stealing inspirational movie lines, I also overcame these same challenges and won NaNo for the last nine years. Here’s what I had to do that might help you:

1. Tell your story your way.

Contrary to popular belief, special writing skills aren’t required to write a story. You can use whatever medium is available to you to capture that story. Getting to 50k can be daunting especially when the most you’ve ever written is a book report. You don’t need special software or equipment, but a plan might help. Here’s something to get you started:

Introduce your characters, perspective, and the world.
Put your characters into increasingly difficult situations.
Create an enemy with a purpose for the hero to conquer.
Write an epic battle of good versus evil where even you aren’t sure who will win.
After the battle, detail how the characters and world have changed from the introduction.

Don’t feel constricted by this list or the order. Remember that this is just a reference. Every story has these five elements, and it’s all you need to create even the most basic of stories. (But your story won’t be basic, it’ll be amazing!) 

2. Be a thief of time.

You’ve got a job, a family, a life, and you’re really busy. You’ve heard it before: try writing before your family gets up or before work. If you’re a night owl, turn off the TV and get in a couple of hours of writing before bed. If you struggle getting up early or keeping your head off of your keyboard at night, then you’ll need to find time during the day. Here’s where you become the master thief of space and time.

Do your kids take naps? Are you on a break at work? Do you commute to work? These are great times to jot down novel notes, type up scenes on your tablet. You can even use a voice recorder. Let everyone think you’re crazy while you’re dictating your masterpiece.

If you’re a competitive person like me, word sprints may be the answer. Head over to the sprints section of the NaNo forums and challenge someone to a 5, 10, or 15-minute word sprint. Not only will you gain lots of words in a short amount of time, but you’ll also help someone else reach their goal too.

Remember: don’t edit anything (right now). It will only rob you of time you’ve rightfully stolen and lower your word count.

3. Use the five senses to describe your world.

If your story is coming up short, put more sights, sounds, textures, tastes, and smells onto the page. Are there shops, shopkeepers, markets, or people selling goods on the street? What does it smell like in the morning or the middle of the day? What kind of transportation do they use? Dive deep into your world’s history, its government, and its people. Let the world around your characters influence their mood, their conversation, and their behavior.

4. Don’t give up; get creative.

Inevitably you’ll come to a point on this journey where you’ll hate everything you’ve written so far and your story will bore you to tears. You’re going to consider bailing on it and starting something new. There’s something more interesting than the drivel you’ve been writing. You might even consider quitting this NaNoWriMo madness altogether.

Don’t quit—you can still do this. Go tell someone about your story. Use the NaNo forums if there’s no one nearby. Pets are great for this too.

Why? Because now that you’ve started summarizing your story, your brain will go into overdrive. You’ll realize one of your characters has an interesting backstory. There’s a new mystery that needs to be solved. A natural disaster is coming. Someone reveals their true feelings for the first time. The villain of your story has just come up with a dastardly plan to foil your hero’s efforts.

In other words, things just got interesting. Now run with it.

I hope on December 1st you’ll say what I did, back in 2009:

“I can’t believe how much time I found to write.”
“I finished a novel in 30 days.”
“This story isn’t half bad, with some editing it could be great.”
“I’m a writer.”

T.S. Valmond is an author of YA fantasy and epic science-fiction adventures. She’s been a NaNoWriMo winner since 2009 and credits the event for her success as a prolific author. An international traveler, she’s written books in three countries and communicates fluently in four languages. T.S. currently resides in Canada with her husband and dog in an undisclosed location. As one can never be too careful when exposing the secrets of powerful governments, worlds, and illegal aliens.

Top photo by Kevin Ku on Unsplash.