Whether it’s your first time taking part in NaNoWriMo or your fifteenth, you’ve probably noticed how hard it is to keep up your momentum. After the excitement of the first weeks, motivation can start to lag and the word flow slows to a trickle.
Are you struggling to maintain your NaNoWriMo momentum? Here are 5 tips to keep you writing throughout National Novel Writing Month and beyond!
1. Create a schedule and stick to it
Any professional author will tell you that one of the keys to being a writer is consistency. To get through NaNo with your sanity intact, you’ll need to develop consistent habits (if you haven’t already). This doesn’t necessarily mean sitting down every day to write for hours at a time. In fact, one way to cause a lag in your NaNoWriMo momentum can be by forcing yourself to do large chunks of writing when you’re not in the zone.
Spread your writing time throughout the day and stick to it. This will make the word count feel much more doable and help you to build your writing stamina. This could mean getting up thirty minutes earlier every morning to write, getting words down during your lunch break, or outlining during your evening commute. Whatever your schedule, find creative ways to work writing into it. You may be surprised by all the snippets of time you have!
2. Don’t get discouraged if you fall behind
Don’t worry if you don’t hit your 1,667-word count every single day for thirty days. Writing may be your dream job but, more likely than not, you still have other responsibilities. Even if you do write full-time, life can still get in the way sometimes!
The most important thing to remember when you do fall behind is that it doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel. It can be all too easy to lose your NaNoWriMo momentum when you feel you’re not chipping away at your word count fast enough. Here are a few ways you can make sure your NaNoWriMo momentum stays strong, even when you’re behind:
Spread extra words out
- If you’re down by 2,000 words (or however much), split that amount over the remaining days of NaNo. When you spread it out, it’ll seem much easier to overcome. If you tack the entire amount on top of the 1,667 words you’re trying to write today, you may feel overwhelmed and are more likely to give up.
Block out writing days
- Some people can write every day, others can’t. Every writer is different, so don’t try to “win” NaNoWriMo the way you see other writers doing it. If you struggle to write every single day, block out a few long writing days every week instead. These are great opportunities to cosy up with your manuscript, get to work, and revive your NaNoWriMo momentum!
Set your own word count goals and don’t be afraid to change them
- Taking part in NaNoWriMo doesn’t mean you have to write fifty thousand words in thirty days. That’s just the goal set to encourage you. Real NaNoWriMo means whatever you need it to mean. It’s your manuscript, so use NaNoWriMo to drive you to achieve your personal goals. This might mean editing your book every day, writing a hundred new words daily on your work in progress, or penning a series of short stories. It’s up to you! Remember, it’s more important to take your time than to rush.
Don’t be afraid to go beyond NaNoWriMo
- NaNoWriMo may last for the duration of November, but your writing has no limits. If you aren’t going to reach fifty thousand words or finish your book before the end of the month, don’t worry! Your book needs to take as long as it needs to take, at the pace that is right for you.
3. Do the sprints
There’s no better way to boost your NaNoWriMo momentum AND get words down than by doing sprints. Word sprints are short, timed writing snippets that can last between ten and thirty minutes. The point is to get as many words down during that time as possible.
The great thing about NaNoWriMo sprints is that it’s a community endeavour. Hop on Twitter to do sprints with other writers from around the world. Sprint leaders sometimes even offer writing prompts to help get participants’ creative juices flowing. The best part? You can take short breaks throughout your day to get words down and maintain your NaNoWriMo momentum.
4. Reward yourself
A reward system is a great way to keep your NaNoWriMo momentum going throughout the entire month of November. Writing a book is a prolonged, difficult process, which can make the reward of finishing often seem intangible.
So, create milestones for yourself and reward yourself when you hit them to keep your NaNoWriMo momentum strong.
Treat yourself to coffee and cake every time you finish another 5,000 words. Or plan a night out with your friends if you manage to write every single day for a week. And when finally typing The End, treat yourself to whatever you’ve been saving up for lately.
Enjoy the writing process by making it feel fun and exciting.
5. Remember why you’re doing it
Writing is never meant to be a race, it’s a marathon. Your NaNoWriMo momentum will wane if you lose sight of why you’re doing it. So, take a moment to remind yourself that, at the end of the day, NaNoWriMo isn’t about word counts or writing more than anyone else. It’s about challenging yourself to form a daily writing habit—whether that translates to a hundred daily words or a thousand.
There’s never a perfect moment to write, but NaNoWriMo teaches us that we can create those moments for ourselves every day. It helps us to develop creative ways to focus before writing and to get our butt in the chair even when we don’t feel like it. Remember that the process continues beyond November. So, use that NaNoWriMo momentum to help you create healthy, long-term writing routines!
What do I do after NaNoWriMo?
It’s normal to get caught up in the excitement of finishing an entire book in a single month. However, just because your manuscript is finished, it doesn’t mean it’s ready for literary agents or publishers!
Because the NaNoWriMo experience is so rushed, chances are that whatever you write in that time frame will be messy. You don’t want to blow your chances by querying or pitching too soon, so slow down, take a breath, and focus on the next vital step: editing your book.
You want to make your book the best it can be before it lands in front of agents or publishers. While self-editing can be effective, it’s also hard to see all the issues with your work when you’re so close to it. Getting new eyes on your book can really help polish it and take it to a professional level, which is why a trustworthy book editor comes in handy!
At The Open Book Editor, we offer support every step of the way, both through author coaching and with stellar editing services. Contact us to chat about your book and learn more about what we can do for you. We’re here to help you develop the confidence you’ll need to take your project from a mere seed of an idea to a publisher-ready book even after NaNoWriMo is over!
