HOW TO WRITE | tips & advice

t i p - NaNoWriMo

heyo, it's that time of year again. yup, if you follow any sort of wannabe author, current author, or anyone interested in writing, you've probably seen a few posts about NaNoWriMo. or, if you're lucky enough to have made it this far into the month without hearing about it, let me explain:

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. the goal is to write a fifty-thousand-word novel in 30 days. anyone who completes this "wins" and takes home a certificate (or so i've heard. i have yet to write more than seven or eight hundred words in a day before the adhd kicks in).

i have super mixed feelings about this. i know it's to encourage making a habit out of writing, ignoring the editing for a while and their website has a lot of great tools to help with your book. but, i also don't understand why we need to dedicate november to do this. also, apparently, many editors get an influx of works people want published. the last thing we need is bad books cluttering up bookstore shelves.

in any case, though, i love the idea of writing a novel in a month. i'm planning on writing a bit every day, and my goal is to finish one of my stories on here, as well as start on an original novel, although i will probably start in december after my classes finish and exams are done. but anyway, as an unsuccessful writing month participant, here are my tips for writing a novel in a month, whether you're participating this month, or simply making a goal to write more.

1. STARTING OUT- get a good toolkit ready. decide on if you want to write on your phone, tablet, laptop, computer, notebook, or a mixture. treat yourself with some cute pens or nice noise-blocking headphones. write down your goal, a date you want to reach it by, smaller "due dates," a way you can measure your progress and a reward for successfully meeting that goal. if you're writing digitally, make sure you find an app that will make you want to write. i recommend microsoft onenote, since it's super easy to use, lets you organize in notebooks, sections, and pages, and has so many wonderful features. other apps i use are notebook, the notes app on my phone, as well as good ol' wattpad. make sure to stock up on caffeine (i prefer diet coke), yummy snacks, and comfy clothes when you plan on sitting and cranking out a long writing session. reward yourself when you reach your goal and don't beat yourself up if you fall a little behind.

2. WHEN YOU EXPERIENCE A SLUMP- if you're anything like me, you will probably experience a slump, where you either just. can't. write. or feel like giving up on your novel entirely. tell yourself it's okay. give yourself a break. get your creativity flowing by changing your location, freewriting about something random, using a new art form, like painting or dancing, or trying something new, like karate or making an art piece with your non-dominant hand. look up inspiring quotes or pictures online. switch from writing digitally to writing on paper for a day or two. just be kind to yourself and don't give up on that goal.

3. FINISHING- congrats! you reached your goal! celebrate and reward yourself with whatever you decided on when you set your goal. allow yourself to relax, and allow some time away from your book, too. give it a hot minute (like. a long, hot minute), and then, when you're ready, start re-reading and revising. or, leave it the way it is. set a new goal and start again (there really is no need to wait for november! write a novel every other month, if you feel like it! set goals to get you writing every day! just! write!).

are you participating in NaNoWriMo? do you have any tips for writing a novel in a month? let me know and help me prep for when i start seriously seriously writing next month!