5 Tips to Getting to 50k Words

It’s the middle of NaNoWriMo, and the race to the finish may start to feel daunting!NaNo Participant Lori Chick has a few tips on staying motivated so you reach your word count goal.

So, you’re a few weeks into NaNo, and you have just realized that 50k is a lot of words. It seems interminable and impossible and it’s stressing you out. Don’t. Don’t stress. NaNo is for fun and to challenge us and I can promise you, outside of real life (stupid real life ruining everything) issues, you can ABSOLUTELY hit your 50k. Honestly, your biggest obstacle is probably the anxiety and stress about writing 50k words in a month.

Thing is, the best way to hit 50k words is just to sit down and write. JUST write. Don’t edit, don’t look back at what you wrote, or research anything. Yes, I know, it means that what you’re going to end up with will be messy and contradictory and have plot holes a mile wide. But you know what?

That doesn’t matter.

Your challenge isn’t to complete a publisher worthy novel in one month — It’s to write 50k words in a month. I promise you, there are no authors, no matter how amazing and talented, who have a publishable novel in one month. NONE. It’s impossible. So you need to breathe and let that utterly absurd idea go.

You’re not here to write the next great novel. You’re here to put the words on the pages. That’s it, that’s all. Just write words, one after another, until you hit 50k.

Alright: now that we have that foolish expectation that was gnawing at you and destroying your word count dealt with — how do we get those words?

1. Stop Editing, Stop Researching
Don’t do anything that isn’t putting words on the page. When you finish a sentence, write the next one. If you have to pause and think, then do that. Think about what happens next and write that. Or go off on a tangent  who knows, maybe there’s gold off in those unknown hills. Explore, have fun, give yourself permission to write whatever comes into your head. Remember this is a novel — but it is not a finished and edited novel. This is your first draft. I might even say it’s your pre first draft. You’re writing down your ideas and fleshing out your characters and your world. Hell, you can have a full 50k just about your world. That’s okay too.

2. Kill your criticism.
Bonk it over the head with the Traveling Shovel of Death and have Mr. Ian Woon bury it in your backyard. Mary Sue/Gary Lou? Who cares? Plot holes? Those are just opportunities to fill in with whatever weird crap you want. Stuck? Throw in a murder, some aliens, ninjas, pirates or whatever your heart desires. It doesn’t have to make sense. It just has to be fun. You can break ALL the writerly rules and I’ll let you in on a secret: almost every author who gets published breaks them ALL the time. Writing rules aren’t even rules (more like a vague guide), and they absolutely should not be walls.

3. Destroy distractions.
You love your family, your friends, but tell them to buzz off for the month. If they really want they can run errands for you, but no, you don’t need to watch a crappy movie, or drink overpriced coffee in a noisy crowded franchise, you have 50k words to write. The only function of family and friends during NaNo is support staff to keep your butt in the chair and hold you while you sob uncontrollably after hitting a wall (while making sure you somehow eat, drink and sleep — at least some of those three). If they’re NaNo-ing with you, they’re your friendly challengers, make good use of that. All in all, family is a wonderful source of support, but distractions are the enemy.

4. Get a writing buddy (or more!)
It is a huge help to write with other people. There’s a reason NaNo has Liaisons, it’s because it’s a LOT easier to hit 50k when you’re in a group who are all cheering each other on. Racing against a friend is great motivation, and the bonus is, even if you are racing, it still isn’t a cut throat competition, because you’re hoping that everyone hits 50k. So gather a group, challenge each other, go to the forums and get an adoptable NPC, plot twist or other. Ask for advice when you get stuck, and if your stress gets too high, vent. Yes, I know I said you should only be writing, but let’s be honest, that’s as likely to happen as you eating right and getting more active after a doctor’s visit. Do the best you can.

5.  Have Fun.
NaNo isn’t supposed to destroy your mental health or your life. It’s meant to be a fun challenge, something to be proud of and to join with people around the world in a fevered ambitious attempt to fill up the ever yawning gap of digital space with words and ideas. Life is sometimes hard, we have mental health issues, many have children or financial issues. If you can’t make that 50k, don’t feel awful. Cut yourself some slack and admit that maybe it isn’t happening this year, and that’s okay. While your word count is important, YOU are more important. After all, you can’t hit 50k next year if you’re burned out this year.

Lori Chick is a Freelance Games Journalist who’s been reviewing, criticizing and ranting for four years for different outlets and a beta reader who’s seen two novels into publication. She lives with her husband, four adult chosen family and three cats of varying degrees of floofiness.

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash