5 Tips for Completing Your NaNoWriMo Novel Draft

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Freewrite, a 2022 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is a dedicated drafting device designed just for writers, free of distractions. Today, comedian/writer Natalie Kim and Freewrite staff member Colin Butts share a few tips for helping you reach the end of your first draft this November:

Hello from Freewrite!  We’re thrilled to be taking part in the 2022 NaNoWriMo challenge. If you’re unfamiliar, we make dedicated drafting devices for writers without the distraction—or temptation—of browsers, email, apps, or notifications so you can get into and stay in writing flow. When it is time to edit, your drafts seamlessly sync with the cloud for export into Scrivener, Final Draft, Word, Google Docs, or your software of choice.

At the core of Freewrite’s design philosophy is an encouragement to move you forward. Intentionally lacking editing capabilities, Freewrite drafting devices help writers write more, not better. In this case, quantity trumps quality.

Ok, enough about Freewrite. How about insight from 2020 NaNoWriMo participant Natalie Kim about her experience drafting her project and what tips she has for you going in:

1. Make it a ritual

For NaNoWriMo in November 2020 I committed to writing after dinner, no matter what. Once my butt sank into our cat-scratched chair, my fingers immediately danced across my Freewrite keyboard and did not stop until I hit 1000 words. A car filled with clowns could have crashed into my living room and I would continue typing.

Also, there is no question that writing on the Freewrite helped me reach 50,000+ words. Had I used my laptop to write I would have 50+ browser tabs open, searching for “JUST ONE MORE THING”.

With the Freewrite it was just me and the words.

2. Always move forward

I remember the advice an instructor in a graduate film writing class said about the first draft. He said: “Never go back and edit your first draft while you are writing it. Always move forward”. I followed his advice and I did not read what I had written. I gave it the cold shoulder and moved on.

3. Guard your mind from the noise

Try an experiment during NaNoWriMo: Refrain from consuming media like podcasts, episodic shows or mindlessly scrolling social media on your phone. 

And before you throw your sneaker at me, hear me out.

Your mind is a valuable resource that must be protected from the mediocre din of every day society. You never know where your next precious idea will appear: walking back from the coffee shop, loading the dishwasher or driving back from the mechanic. Our greatest ideas emerge when we have a clear mind; free from other people’s ideas and voices. 

4. When you’ve reached 50,000 words

In Stephen King’s book, On Writing, King says that when you finish the first rough draft you need distance from it. King believes that if you read the first draft too soon you will be tempted to tinker with it. You might think it is harmless to tinker but it ultimately results in your work looking become a loaf of bread vivisected by a toddler: a doughy, crumbly mess.

Instead give the rough draft some breathing space. Then come back to it.

5. In conclusion

Please do feel free to use the helpful advice and throw out the rest. Go forth with confidence and be steadfast with your writing. 

50,000 words, here you come!

Warmly,

@NatalieKimNYC

Don’t forget to check out Freewrite’s special discount offer for NaNoWriMo writers! 

Natalie Kim is a comedian who likes to remind everyone that we are not as different as we think we are. This summer, she was a resident of St. Nell’s Humor Writing Residency for Women and performed in clubs around New York City. She is currently working on a collection of humorous essays about being the tough-talking, loud mouth kid from Suffolk County, Long Island.

As Head of Marketing for Freewrite, Colin Butts loves hearing from creative writers about their ideas and stories in development. Helping to provide a product that removes barriers for drafting artists makes his work deeply purposeful. Colin loves to read, is starting his own first short story, and enjoys adventure travel, yoga, and video games when he’s not busy in the literary world.