So I’ve seen lots of you fellow bloggers mention NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I’ve never done it. I’ve decided this year to finally go ahead and try it out. Which means I have a month to figure out an actual plot to go along with the characters and random scenes that run around in my head.
Have you done NaNoWriMo before? Any tips for me? Will you be doing it this year? Be my writing buddy! My username is: Stephanie1.
You’ll have a blast! I did it two years ago and got 60K done in November and then finished my first draft in December. My only advice is to stay off social media and set a daily word goal. Then, if you’re motivated, feel free to do more words per day than you set, so if you have a down day, you won’t get behind. And then, when you win, use your prizes, particularly that 50% off code for Scrivener! Best software for writers on the planet!
Thanks for the advice!
Use October to plan out your plot and characters so all you have to do is write once November hits.
Huurhrhh. I don’t have the motivation, or the attention span for NaNoWriMo. My brain rebels against it.. Ha ha! But if you have the right mindset then it’s a great thing to have a go at! I wish you all the luck, and Ihope you enjoy it 🙂
The community and forums are great. That’s for sure.
Thanks! I’m not sure how well I’ll actually do, but worth the try!
Totally!!!
I did NaNoWriMo in 2012, hoping for a burst in productivity on my WIP at that time rather than writing a full novel. I wrote 30,000 words that month, and the productivity carried over in December and January. I skipped 2013 because I was occupied revising the same WIP.
I plan to be querying agents for that same novel starting in the next couple of weeks. There is a MG idea I have been kicking around for a few months now, and I think I’ll use NaNoWriMo to try to plow through and get it done.
Good job on your past productivity and good luck with the querying!
It’s my second year on NaNo this year, and I won last year, but I didn’t finish my novel. the best advice I think I can give is to pre-plan, and make sure you set aside time to write. If you can get a good start, and then you’ve got a bit of a cushion in case of missed days/days when you don’t get sad much done as you’d like, etc. Good luck 🙂
Thanks! And good luck to you, as well!
I did it last year, but I don’t think I’ll do it again this year. Though I succeeded, I was more worried about word count than what I was writing and I didn’t like that. My advice, make sure you keep it fun and don’t get bogged down in how many words you write each day. At least I didn’t try to cheat like some people and do silly things like add unnecessary words or take out contractions. I don’t need anymore writing bad habits. Good luck! 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I still don’t even have an actual idea of what I’m going to write, so I don’t have high hopes of meeting the word count to “win”. But I thought it would at least get me writing again.
I’m contemplating signing up too! It sounds like such a daunting challenge, but a great opportunity to get writing. Hope it all goes well for you 🙂
Thanks! Good luck to you, too, if you decide to participate!
I can’t figure out how to add you to my nanowrimo buddies! My username is whatkarawrites if you can figure it out!
It looks like you figured it out! I added you as a buddy, as well!
It took about 40 minutes LOL
Lol well now you know! Good luck with your writing! I still don’t really have an idea of what to write about.
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