Getting The Most Out of NaNoWriMo
It’s coming up on that time of year when writers around the world gear up for National Novel Writing Month (which is actually international but w/e). The goal, as you may know, is to write 50,000 words in a month. That’s 1667 words per day, which may or may not seem like a lot to you, over 30 days.
If it sounds like your kind of thing and you’re not already into it, you’ve got plenty of time to sign up over at the NaNoWriMo website. If you’re a veteran, good luck this season and I hope your novel goes well. If you’re new, new-ish, or not sure if you’re getting everything you could out of NaNo, here’s a few tips for the month ahead:
Get involved with your local NaNo group. It’s possible that it won’t be AS awesome as Melbourne’s, but it’s probably still pretty awesome. If you’re in Melbourne and you don’t already come to meetups of various sorts, you totally should.
Remember that 50,000 words is A LOT. Also remember that you haven’t failed if you don’t make it. Every word you write is a word less you have to write toward a first draft. ‘Winning’ is cool and everything, but participating is a win in and of itself.
Do not fret about being an amateur/unpublished. That is the norm in most NaNo circles.
If part of the rules don’t work for you, feel free to ignore them. You’re not signing a legal contract. Rule-breaking is what creative types do.
That said, you’ll probably get more out of it if you start a fresh project on the 1st of November and see where the month takes you.
Experimentation is encouraged. Writing outside your genre is encouraged. Living on cupcakes and take-out is not exactly encouraged, but probably going to happen anyway. Embrace it.
Forget about what anyone says to discourage you. You can write a first draft in 30 days. 50,000 words is a ton and more than enough for a huge number of genres and publishers. Editing is a thing, you don’t have to call what you have on November 30th the final product.
Take the opportunity to put your head together with other like-minded folk over the course of the month. You never know what you might learn and you’ve got no idea how valuable casual discussion can be if you’ve never tried it.
Have fun. Seriously, have fun. Even if writing is what you do for a living, take the opportunity to chill out a bit and maybe work a little differently. Hang out with a bunch of new friends in a café, all writing their little hearts out. Enjoy the madness. Bask in word sprints and bonhomie.
THANK YOUR MUNICIPAL LIAISON. I’m not an ML, but I’ve seen how much work they do up close and they fully deserve your support and appreciation. Maybe a hug if they’re into that.
Are you doing NaNo? Is it your first year or are you an old-timer? Got any plans for this year’s round? Tell me about it!
