How to do NaNoWriMo
How I did it: This year was a lot easier than the year before, because the universe was already alive in my head. I used NaNoWriMo this year to write what essentially became the ending to my first novel, also known as the second half.
Getting into the habit of writing every day is hard, and it is easy to find excuses not to do it. But, the whole point of NaNoWriMo is to get you into the habit of writing every day, so when you do make excuses, you are only cheating yourself.
This year, I sat at the dining room table every day with piles of chocolate and good music, and forced myself to write even on the days where I could not find the words. And even those words counted towards the final goal.
Lessons & tips:
- Do not expect to write a complete, publishable novel in November.
- Do not expect to retain your sanity or grip on reality.
- Write every day. Even if you can only squeeze out 100 words. Or 500 words. You will catch up again.
- Pace yourself. Do not try and write the entire novel in the first week, and do not leave it all for the last week. Be sure to also schedule in some time for your family and friends.
- Switch off your inner editor and write without thinking. Just get the story out.
Resources: The biggest help for when I got stuck was Dr Wicked's Write or Die
