After NaNo: Where Do We Go From Here?

Are you wondering what to do now that the marathon of November is over? Here are five great ideas from NaNo Participant JD Exum on decompressing after NaNoWriMo:

For those of us who have already crossed the 50,000 word mark and have finished the novel of our dreams, we’re already planning on celebrations (whether with family and friends or going solo). But then, there’s the moment of figuring out the next step to take. And sometimes, we’re left with a lot of questions (publishing: self-publish or go traditional, finding the right editor, revision and publishing).

Use this moment to take a few deep breaths to calm down those rattled nerves. Inhale, exhale, repeat. Good. Now, listen up to what this three-time NaNoWriMo winner has to say when it comes to taking the next step.

1. Take a break from the first (or possibly the second or third, etc.) draft. 

That’s right, step away from the computers and from your notebooks and let the project that you took pride in creating lie fallow for a month or two. For this session, let this novel rest for the holiday season. That way, you can take the time to let your mind rest from the chaotic sessions you had to give up your free time fretting over. 

2. Make sure to actually celebrate the success. 

Maybe you’re planning on a stay-cation (thanks to this pandemic) or a nice movie night with your friends via Zoom. In either case, any celebration (as long as you stay safe and healthy) is better than none.

3. Work on that side novel or the blog that you put on hold. 

I know that most of you have a secret novel that you want to begin just to keep the creative flow going. Or, maybe you have a blog that you put on hiatus during your race to 50k words. 

4. Make a game-plan for the Now What? months.  

As most of us are looking forward to making the first draft polished and edited for publication, you’ll need to make sure that you know what you want to do before January begins the Now What months. So, make a list of goals and ideals for making sure that you turn the first draft into a published novel.

5. Catch up with your social media. 

I know that you’re missing out on cat videos or the latest tweet about some celebrity scandals or even that Tumblr post on the latest anime cosplay. So, make sure to let everyone know of your successes and even tell them what you might have in store. Just don’t overdo it, though. Too much of a good thing can be too much, as they all say.

I can go on and on, but the main thing to remember is that you’re finished! And now you have some idea of where to go from here. You finished writing the novel that you had imagined in your head. What an accomplishment! Sure, some people may not understand why we love writing or what it takes but, now that NaNoWriMo 2020 is over, we wordsmiths have just finished a major part of the battle. This is the time for us to have a little party to celebrate. So, let’s celebrate and prepare. Because we have earned it. 

Jarrick DeWaine Exum is a three-time NaNoWriMo participant with his recent project now completed and ready for January 2021’s Now What? session. His last two projects were self-published via Amazon KDP and available for purchase. When not writing, he’s blogging on his journey to being a serious author and keeping everyone up to date on social media. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and see what’s going on in his mind.

Photo Courtesy of Max van den Oetelaar via Unsplash.