November is the National Novel Writing Month, where you have your 30 days to write 50.000 words, and make it your novel!
Now's the time to start.
This will be the second year that I intend to participate in NaNoWriMo, and so let me tell you what it is from experience, rather than cold hard facts from the website I will link below.
First, you probably want to sketch out your novel, make yourself at least a very rough plan. I know some people tend to free-hand it, but believe me, once you will reach that point of "okay, I'm almost done, and I only have half the words" - you will panic, just like I did. Just have a general concept so you know how much story volume-wise you need for what. And remember, there's such a thing as fleshing the story out. Some authors write the concept of the book, and then add more context/details into it.
Your character needs to jump ship? Great, they jumped ship. They ran, they jumped, they fell into water as it was blowing up. The rest you can write later, as time and will allows: did they feel the deck rumble under their feet? Were they legs wobbly from panic? Was the sky ominous and dark?
Second, decide now that you'll MAKE time to write every day. Not half of it in four days, and then slack for a week just to need to force yourself to write right on the deadlines. Remember, the most successful authors out there all write as their job. They treat writing as job. And this is the greatest opportunity ever to be forced by a challenge to actually try the bread of a real author: let's say you'll want 2500 words a day, that's about five pages on default settings in Word Office. Give it a few hours, then adjust time as you need, but do it daily.
And third is the most important: remember, whether you wrote one page or a hundred and one - you did more than most people who dream of writing do. Even if you'll fail miserably, as long as you'll try, it'll mean something, I promise you. I also promise you that you'll feel much better about yourself if you will give it your best.
I know a lot of you read this and think you've no time, you've a job or two, maybe even kids or pets. But believe me when I say: the time will NEVER be right UNLESS! Unless you make it right yourself.
I believe in you. Now you believe in yourself too!
And now here's the cold hard facts:
- Start on November 1st, stop at November 30th, for you'll need to submit it then on the official site. No worries, no one, absolutely no one will steal your text, for no one reads it. A program just counts the words. So we'll eagerly await it published!
- Write 50.000 words. A default settings Word Office is about 500 words a page, more or less depending on a few variables. So by the end of the month you should have a 100 A4 size pages of your novel. More is okay too!
- Fill out your profile | HERE |. And now I realize this was probably supposed to be the first step. Anyway, do it, track your progress, earn your badges, feel amazing about yourself!
- Do it and thank me later for motivating you to make the best decision ever.
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