Writing Instincts: Your Secret Weapon for NaNoWriMo

Writing a novel in a month doesn’t come naturally, but in this post, Municipal Liaison  Naomi Nakashima, explores how following your instincts will propel your novel towards the finish line:

Most of what we think of as writing instincts, such as knowing which words will flow together better, how to structure a compelling story, and how to lay out plotlines that will draw in your readers, are actually well-learned, drilled-in skills. Skills that now come to us as second nature because we’ve done them for so long. It’s like muscle memory, or riding a bike: do it enough, and eventually you barely have to think about it.

In fact, a lot of what we tend to think of when we think of “writers’ instincts” are actually not instincts at all – at least, not by the traditional definition. An instinct is more than just doing something without having to think about it.

An instinct is an innate behavior that happens in response to certain stimuli. You don’t really have any control over the behavior - and most of the time you don’t even know where you learned it from. It’s a baby crying out when she’s hungry. Or the fear of spiders and snakes, even when there has been no previous interaction with either of these beings to explain that fear.

And, in writing, it’s the evolution of a story that has gone off the path of your plan.

If you spend a lot of time in any writing group, you’ll come across what might seem like a strange event: a writer whose characters have completely taken off with the story and made it their own. And, stranger still, you will hear writers talk about how these characters spoke to them, had a mind of their own, and went off to do things that the writer doesn’t quite know how to come back from.

It seems like a strange phenomenon because how can a creation surprise his or her author? Didn’t the author create the character’s backstory and personality? How can it be a surprise?

The truth is, this is what happens when you let go of the plans and let your instincts take over.

It’s writing a story about a male vampire slayer, and later learning that he was really a she, and she was a lesbian.

Typically, the stories born from these instincts are much more compelling than what the original plan would have been. That’s how they were able to pull the writer away from their plan. However, it can also be off-putting, especially if the story has veered too far off from the original outline and now have to find a way to get back on track.

But, what I’ve found is, once you allow your instincts to just take over your storytelling, once you allow your characters to take on a life of their own, everything flows much more easily.

You’re no longer stuck by the confines of your own personality and traits. Your characters will naturally grow into new personalities, free from your restrictions. And you’ll find it all easier to handle: what would they say? How would they react? What would they do next? All of these questions will get answered in a way that is true to the character and in less time than if you were overthinking and struggling to get them written.

November is the perfect time to practice turning off your inner-editor (that annoying voice that questions every word you write while you’re still writing) and let your instincts run the show for a bit. See what comes from that amazing mind of yours. I’m sure you’ll find that loosening the reins on one idea will make it easier for you to explore even more ideas.

Here’s what it all comes down to: you’re a great writer. You’ve spent years learning grammar and word usage. But you’re also a great storyteller: human beings are natural storytellers. It’s part of what has kept us alive for thousands of years. So trust those gut instincts when it comes time to sit and tell your story. Give your inner-editor a break in November and let your story flow.

You may have to bring your inner-editor back in December to clean up the words and grammar, but that’s its job. You have to get the story out first.

And that takes guts.

Naomi Nakashima is a long-time freelance ghostwriter and writing coach, and a 13 year NaNoWriMo veteran. Visit her website, or follow her on Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram!

Top image licensed under Creative Commons from James Malone on Flickr.