How to Write More Words, aka, Winning at NaNo

With a lot of stories bouncing around in a writer’s mind, it likely comes as no surprise that most authors seek to compose more– or to be more effective in the time they need to compose. In the month of November, called National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) to the composing community, countless authors venture to write 50,000 words in a single month.To provide you perspective, 50,000 words is roughly 200 manuscript pages(at approximately 250 words per page). For non-writers, that number is probably comparable to a month of abuse. For authors, it might feel that way, too. Yet, it’s a wonderful torture we do to ourselves … every year.But no matter the month of the year– whether it’s NaNoWriMo season or any other month– how can writers more efficiently put words onto the page?

1. Make a composing schedule and track your progress

It is necessary to make writing a regimen. Depending upon your way of life, such as if you’re a nurse, you might not be able to write daily. Find what works for your schedule and make it a routine. On the other hand, track how much you compose to keep yourself responsible.2.

Identify when your peak creativity is and plan your days around that time

Some people like to compose in the morning, some during the night. Assess your everyday habits to see when your creativity blossoms throughout the day. If it’s in the morning, change your schedule so you go to sleep previously. If it’s at night, attempt putting your kids to bed earlier (if you have kids) so you have more time to write.Whatever your situations are, adjust your schedule so you are readily available to compose during your peak writing time.If your peak creativity is at a time when you are at work, for instance, and can’t make time to write, I have regrettable news for you. You will likely require to compose at a time when you do not “feel” creativite. Part of the difficulty of being a writer is you can’t just compose at the times you seem like it. Learn to be innovative through discipline.3. Restrict your writing time to just writing Do

n’t use social networks or anything else that might be distracting while

you are writing. Allow your composing time to be strictly that: a time to compose. If that implies going to compose where there’s no WiFi (and for that reason no temptations), do it. Think about leaving your phone in the other space when you write.4. Make Use Of the Pomodoro Method (also called “writing sprints “)If you have actually ever gone on the online writing community, namely the neighborhoods on Twitter and YouTube, you will likely have become aware of composing sprints. In other words, it’s a designated quantity of time( frequently varying from 10 to 40 minutes)where authors will compose as much as they can because designated time.Recently, I stumbled throughout the Pomodoro Technique, which is similar in theory to a composing sprint. Essentially, it’s a time management method produced in the 1980s by

Francesco Cirillo where you operate in timed periods, normally 25 minutes in length, and it’s separated by short breaks.I have actually discovered the following schedule works for me: Write for 20 minutes Rest for 5 minutes Compose for 20 minutes Rest for 5 minutes And so on Throughout the 20 minutes of writing, I compose as much as I can.

In the five minutes of rest, often I will read over what I have actually composed or my outline for the remaining/next chapter, or I might get on social media or do some other menial task and let my mind rest up until the 5 minutes are over.Test it out to see what works for you. I extremely advise setting a timer on your phone (or another device). There are also Pomodoro Strategy apps.Compared to having an hour and saying to yourself, “I’m going to compose for an hour, “and after that composing for 20 minutes and fidgeting on social media for the other 40 minutes, the Pomodoro Strategy encourages single-tasking and efficiency.5. Avoid editing as you compose This is a suggestion you will hear all over, however I think it’s great to voice

one more time. Your initial draft is supposed to be an imperfect retelling of the ideal story in your head. Enable yourself to be untidy, to have typos, and so on as you compose the initial draft of your manuscript. Only put your editor hat on when it’s time to edit that first, completed draft(or area of the book). If you’re an

edit-as-you-go writer(which is absolutely cool ), NaNoWriMo or speed writing might not be the important things for you. Or, possibly, allow yourself to speed compose a chapter prior to going back to modify it.As always, take my suggestions(or any writing advice )with a grain of salt. Experiment to see what works best for you! 6. Neglect all other shiny novel concepts Got a fantastic unique idea for your next book? Does it somehow– rather suddenly– seem so

enticing to explore? That’s your brain attempting to avoid dealing with your present book– something it most likely views as stressful or difficult work. Our bodies and minds are wired to want to be the most efficient and take the

path of least resistance. Battle the instinct to divert your imaginative attention. Rather, write these shiny new ideas down and

explore them at a later time.7. Have your computer/notebook helpful You never understand when you will have downtime. Consider utilizing any extra minutes in the cars and truck between appointments, prior to a physician check out, etc. to take down a few words or book concepts. If you know you will have downtime throughout your day, such as while you are at the airport, bring your computer or notebook to write. If you don’t wish to bring your personal computer while you travel, download the Google docs app(or a similar writing app). That way, you can open up your Google docs on your work computer or on your phone and compose whenever you have free time.8. Write in various locations Whether you are an animal of routine or you like range in your writerly routine, consider the place you compose yet another contributing factor to your productivity. Do you have a preferred location to compose in the house? A desk or office, perhaps? Write there. If the words aren’t streaming onto the page, nevertheless, consider swapping areas: kitchen area table, library, sofa, bed, coffee bar, a regional pub (if you are of age), and so on.9. Write when others are sleeping Whether you are a parent or reside in a hectic family, consider writing when others are sleeping– either late in the evening or first thing in the early morning. The hours before

the world wakes up or after it goes to sleep are some of the most productive hours, as there are less diversions or other commitments competing for your time.10. Remove distractions Shut off your WiFi, put your phone in another room, or eliminate any other distractions that may lure you to do something other than compose throughout your composing time. For me, it’s tinkering on my website. As a result, I will shut off my WiFi and just allow myself back online when I’ve struck my everyday word count objective.11. Find an accountability partner I hesitate to include this suggestion. From what I’ve seen, numerous writers will place the responsibility on their responsibility partner to keep them writing. In my opinion, that duty falls entirely on the writer, themselves. Think about finding a fellow author to touch base with weekly or every now and again. Encourage each other to keep going, and do not be afraid to bounce book ideas off them if you are stuck. Do not count on these individuals

to remind you to compose every day. That’s what calendar signals are for.12. Outsource non-writing jobs As many of you men know, I’m a mommy. And goodness understands my to-do list has to do with as monstrous as my TBR(to-be-read )list. Throughout the month of NaNoWriMo or any other month you are aiming to drain some additional words and increase your productivity, don’t hesitate to request helpin non-writing jobs(that may otherwise eliminate from your writing time). If you have a partner or partner, inquire if they wouldn’t mind doing the meals or laundry that week. If you are at school, ask your roomies if they could go grocery searching for you. If you live in the house, ask your parents or enjoyed ones to chip in as needed. You would be stunned how your household and pals will head out of their method to assist you if it implies supporting your dreams.13. State no to non-writing activities Unfortunately, you will not have time to do everything. If you’re welcomed to a bbq

that’s during your writing time,

you may need to say no to get that next chapter down. Take a look at your schedule. Choose if you can (or have) hit your objectives with your remaining spare time that week. If not, think about stating no. 14. Offer yourself due dates In some cases, merely saying, “Write 50,000 words in a month”is a little too unclear for our writerly brains

to understand(and eventually attain). Rather, consider offering yourself weekly due dates, such as composing 12,000 words by Sunday night every week. Most importantly, use these due dates to keep yourself liable! 15. Make a long-lasting plan with short-term objectives Similar to the first point in this blog, make short-term objectives for your writing. Document achievable objectives that are within your power. An objective within your power

is to write 50,000 words in a month. An objective

not within your power is to get a literary agent in the next year.Track your progress throughout and change your timeline as needed.With these short-term objectives in mind, think about how this will affect your future. Do you want to have a released book within the next 5 years? If so, you will wish to element

in other things to your timeline

, such as the time it takes to research study agents, query, go on submission, etc. To accomodate for these things, which are beyond your control, you might desire to give yourself a deadline to complete draft one, another deadline for self-editing, another due date for exchanging chapters with CPs, and yet another due date for beta readers so you have additional designated time for the time it takes to get literary representation and after that go on submission.Time relocations faster than you think; so think about where you desire to remain in your author profession in the coming years.16. When all else fails, use kickbacks If looking into your future and thinking about having your book on a bookshelf in 5 years is simply too darn far away to motivate you to write right now (vs. binging a television series on Netflix this really night), you might desire to use

my preferred composing performance technique: carbs.I mean, bribes.It might not sound lovely, but humans aren’t all that various from animals. Classical conditioning( likewise called Pavlovian conditioning )works on us, too. Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist, discovered in his research study in the 1890s that dogs began to drool at the presence of the professional who generally fed them, and not drooling at the presence of food. In other words, he found dogs could be trained gradually to react to a stimulus and associate it with food.Similarly, we can discover to associate hitting 2,000 words each day with a well-earned bowl of pasta. Just saying.Meg likes to believe of herself as an avid book nerd with an exceptional taste for mac and cheese.

She is an author, YouTuber, host of the totally free question critique platform, Question Hack,developmental book editor, composing coach, and former literary agent with a background in magazine publishing, medical/technical writing, and journalism. To discover more about Meg, visit her website or follow her on social media.< a href=http://writershelpingwriters.net/meg.latorre@yahoo.com target=_ blank rel=noopener >

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