NaNoInspo — Getting Started

It’s time to embark on the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge. NaNoWriMo is a call to writers to write 50,000 words in 30 days. It’s a chance to create something that before today didn’t exist. It is an awesome challenge that may lead to a habit of writing every day. A jump-start or a way to re-energize your writing life.

Before you get started, I want to pass on a few tips to help you through this challenge. It is an exciting prospect that on this day, thousands of stories will emerge. But your story is unique and only you can tell it. Whether it’s a new idea, or one you’ve been sitting on for years, today is the start of giving your story life.

So how do you get through the challenge? Get ahead of the word count. There will be a looming number of words you want to hit each day, 1,667 words. Don’t let that number intimidate you and don’t let it stop you. If you surpass that word count, keep going. You’ll know when you’ve reached a stopping point for the day. If you get a lead on the word count, you’ll have a cushion to allow for days when you have other things to do. And if you don’t hit your word count for the day, tomorrow’s a new day. Just keep at it.

Next, while I’m big on grammar rules, they don’t have much of a space in a first draft, let alone during NaNoWriMo. Use the rules that come naturally and ignore the rest. That’s what editing is for, and you don’t need to lose time worrying about those things.

Throw pride and expectations out the window. These are both things that lead to fear and writer’s block. It’s a first draft. It’s supposed to be messy. Let me repeat that, so you know I’m serious. It’s a first draft and it’s supposed to be messy. Don’t worry about editing. Don’t agonize over whether you’ve captured your characters or the scene. Don’t have expectations for what this story will mean to your writing career. Right now, you’re creating a sketch of your story. Getting down the basic information. It will get smoothed and polished in another draft.

And finally, write. That is the best advice anyone can ever give you. Stop what you’re doing and write. All you need is the desire to write and a story idea. There are plenty of ways to improve your story, but again, that comes later. For now, make yourself comfortable, get yourself a nice beverage, and start your story.

To learn a little more about NaNoWriMo, or for a couple of extra tips, here’s a NaNoWriMo Tips and Tricks post.

Get a daily dose of inspiration throughout November by signing up to the NaNoInspo mailing list. A group of authors have joined together to create motivational posts to help you reach 50,000 words. On top of that, everyone who completes NaNoWriMo and is on the mailing list will be eligible for prizes. Random drawings will determine the winners.

Happy writing! Don’t worry, you’re capable of taking on this challenge, and the NaNoInspo team will be here to help along the way.