Write a Novel in a Month with NaNoWriMo

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Posted 2016-10-04 by Jade Jackson ⇒ follow

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**%%"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination."
Albert Einstein%%**

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is upon us and the concept is simple, write a 50,000 word novel during the 30 days of November.
In 2015 NaNoWriMo attracted 431,926* participants and since the initiative started in 1999 just over 250* novels have been published. (*According to the NaNoWriMo website.)

It's easy to get inspired at the start and imagine your idea for a novel is going to be the next Hunger Games or Maze Runner. However all it takes is a bad writing day where creativity runs dry to find you've lost momentum. How do you ensure you're amongst those to finish your goal and become a published author?

Like climbing a mountain, it takes planning, preparation,a bit of teamwork and persistence.

[SECTION]12 tips to ensure a successful NaNoWriMo[/SECTION]
Writing a novel isn't easy, but the idea behind NaNoWriMo is everyone can do it. Here are twelve tips to help you achieve your writing success.

#1 - Have a dedicated and welcoming writing space away from your television. Tell everyone in your household you're doing NaNoWriMo and not to distract you. Alternatively, get the whole family onboard and write together.

#2 - Write down ideas as they come to you otherwise you'll forget. If you're lacking inspiration, keep a dream diary, people watch and create back stories for strangers, day dream, talk to people, think big - the world, the universe. There's stories everywhere.

#3 - Are you a planner or do you prefer to let creativity guide you? It took J.K Rowling 5 years to plan the Hogwarts universe however in 30 days you don't have that luxury. Have a few ideas like plot, characters and setting ready so you can write from day 1.

#4 - In the lead up to NaNoWriMo read different styles of books. Note down what you liked or disliked about each to help spur ideas on how your book should be written. Ideally aim to read 3-5 books. The following are some of my favourite reads:

Still Alice By Lisa Genova
The Light Between Oceans By M.L. Stedman
Lamb to the Slaughter By Roald Dahl (or any other short story collection by him such as Kiss Kiss)
Candide by Voltaire
The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

#5 - Writer's block is fear holding you back. If you get stuck, take a break, then start writing a sentence like 'I don't know what I'm writing about but even if I just type random words like peanut, banana, elephant..." You'd be surprised what eventually it turns into.

#6 - Join a writers group, and follow authors on social media so you can be inspired and gain feedback. There is so much to learn from other writers. Check out Meet Up or the NaNoWriMo website for writers near you.

#7 - Schedule your writing time into your calendar and set reminders. NaNoWriMo is about building a habit of writing everyday.

#8 - Switch your phone off (not just on silent mode) . You can also temporarily deactivate facebook (without deleting your account) or switch your phone or tablet to airplane mode whilst writing so you don't get any distracting notifications.

#9 - Use a brain booster Eating healthy low GI foods help keep you energised. There are also natural pills which include ginseng, ginkgo and Vitamin B to help you maintain focus. I use Swisse Memory & Focus and they provide 6 hours of mental alertness. Consult your doctor before taking anything. I also recommend avoiding alcohol for maximum clarity.

#10 - You can always edit your work later. NaNoWriMo is about writing quickly to get it finished. The target of 50,000 words equals approximately 1666 words a day which is about 555 words an hour if you write for three hours.

#11 - Save everything, twice. I stopped using pen and paper to write after I lost 20 years of notebooks in a house fire. Keeping things digital with multiple backups (USB stick, hard drive) ensures zero chance of loss. Apple's Pages and Google's Docs software both automatically save in the cloud so your writing won't ever be lost.

#12 - So you finished, now what? There are dedicated help networks through NaNoWriMo to get your work to publishing stage or you can self-publish through Amazon Kindle, Google Play or Apple iBooks (you'll need a mac computer for the software to do this). If you want to charge for your book you will need a US EIN number (like a tax file number) click here for more info and in Australia you'll need an ABN and Apple requires you to be registered for GST.

There are books on the art of writing you can buy from the NaNoWriMo website but writing every day, fighting past that feeling of 'this is stupid' and replacing it with, 'I can do this, I'm a writer' is all you need to succeed in reaching your NaNoWriMo goal.

Register at NaNoWriMo to participate, meet other Wrimo's in your area, upload your daily word count and buy cool merchandise.

Happy Writing!

**"If you can dream it, you can do it!"
Walt Disney**