3 S.R. Johannes: How to Survive NaNoWriMo

Friday, November 28, 2014

How to Survive NaNoWriMo

How to Survive NaNoWriMo


So anyone who is participating in NaNoWriMo is probably sleepless and angst-ridden right now. It's the end of the 50,000 word stretch, and I'm sure most of you are itching at the palms to rest your fingers. Fear not, fellow writers! Here I will share with you a few ways to survive NaNoWriMo with your writer's brain in one piece: 

1. Lots of Sleep 


Yes, writing takes up most of your time and carries on far into the night, (because come on, our characters never take a break, do they?). But getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night can help you to focus when you're writing, and better you're dialogue. 

2. Eat Regularly 


Of course, when you're writing you don't want to stop. But brain food is writing food! If you eat regularly while you're writing, instead of forgetting, you may find you have more energy to finish that last chapter. 

3. Read


Read as much as you can in your down time. Reading in between writing spurts can help inspire you and spark your imagination, not to mention help the words flow freely from your brain to your screen. 

4. Channel Your Character


Sometimes all you need to create that perfect character is to spend a few moments channeling them. Take a breath and ask yourself, "how would he/she react to this" without thinking too hard about it. Whatever pops into your head may be the truth. 


5. Set your Space

Set your writing space up every time you sit down at your computer. Whether that means good-smelling candles, pretty curtains, or calming music, everything around you helps to relax you and further your writing. 


And there it is! A few quick (hopefully helpful) tips to surviving this last week of NaNoWriMo! So kick back, relax, and let the words flow.

Best and happy writing,

-Ashley 

5 comments:

Genissa said...

Great advice! I'll add not to go on a ten day trip during November :) I was on track for my daily word counts until I went on a trip and it threw me off the wagon. But I wrote nearly 20k words before so I'm taking it as a positive achievement still :)

Shelli (srjohannes) said...

That's an awesome achievement! 20K is something to be proud of, especially with a ten day trip involved :)

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