This is a condensed version of an article for writers and NaNites about writing on a daily basis.
National Novel Writing Month is like a marathon for writers. It’s designed to be hard, and designed to push you to write every day. That isn’t an easy thing. Like anyone training for a marathon, it helps to know how fast you can run a mile, and how long you can sustain that pace. The same is true for writing in
NaNoWriMo.
1. Baseline your metrics and understand what they mean
I decided I would write whenever I had time, even if it was only 10 minute here and there–but I would write every day.
What I’ve learned:
- I can write a page (250 words) in 10 minutes.
- I average about 40 minutes per day.
- That means I can generally find time to write about 900-1,000 words per
day.
Outside of NaNoWriMo, it doesn’t matter much, but if you are trying to run the marathon, you need to know your pace. It varies for everyone.
2. Plan ahead, when possible
There are two different ways to plan ahead in NaNoWriMo, and depending on how you work, one or both can be of benefit.
Plan what
to write or plan when to write.
3. Do not rewrite, do not delete (Especially for NaNites)
Trying to do so would be like trying to run a marathon in a tuxedo without breaking a sweat. There’s no point.
4. Don’t fret if you miss a day
It stings a little to have the streak broken, but the important thing to remember is the big picture: you are trying to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Don’t let
missing one day stress you out or knock you off your game. Keep writing.
5. Hold back an “emergency” scene
Sometimes, there are days when I have plenty of time to write, but little or no inspiration. One trick I’ve learned for dealing with these days is to hold back one scene that I am particularly eager to write.
This requires some discipline, of course, but it has saved my bacon on several
occasions.
Bonus Tip: Distraction-free mode!
