This post goes out to all of you on my social media channels freaking out about being several thousand words behind on your weekly tally. Maybe you got 7,000 words in and realized you hated this story, and the thought of doing another 43,000 words was too much to bear. Maybe you just found out about this magical thing called National Novel Writing Month, and couldn’t bear to wait a whole year to start, so you jumped in this past weekend. Maybe, like me, life really got in the way this past week and necessitated your attention. It’s okay. I’m going to give you a few tips I’ve been utilizing to not only pull myself out of the word count pit, but feel great about it in the process.
1.In the words of the inimitable Douglas Adams, don’t panic! You may have only written ‘Once Upon A Time’, while the rest of your friends are on the third act. It’s okay. You aren’t in a competition with them (unless of course you have some side bet going on with your friends). You aren’t even in a competition with the calendar. The only person you are competing with is you. You have an amazing story, and it needs to get on to the page. Will you push through your worries to get it out? Take a deep breath, clear your mind of worry, and write.
2. Live on the edge (of technology). From apps on your phone that can transcribe dictation to text, to browser add-ons that can boot you off your favourite time-wasting websites for the next few weeks, use the tech at your disposal to turn you into a lean, mean, efficient writing machine. I’ve actually found that using my voice recorder as I’m in transit (bus, car, taxi) and speaking out my novel as if it were a story I would tell my child has worked wonders; I’ve found plot holes I might not have seen with a traditional outline, and already plugged potential disasters in the story down the line. Yay, technology!
3. Call in reinforcements. Let your friends, family, neighbours, and local hooligans know that you’re doing #NaNoWriMo2014 and could use some help. Perhaps a neighbour could walk your dog while walking his, and you’ll return the favour in December. Can a friend babysit your kid for a few evenings while you type? You’ll promise to water their plants when they go on holiday. Point is, let’s stop thinking of November as a time of insulation from the world, and start using the world to help push us towards our goals.
4. Find your tribe. This is a world-wide movement, so if you are pressed for time or location, think outside the box. If you work nights, set your location back a few time zones so your synced with a ‘local’ forum, and can chat with writers who are writing at that moment. Are you geographically isolated? Head over to twitter and @NaNoWordSprints, a timed word push that goes on and off nearly 24 hours a day; you can write, then check up with people throughout the day, all over the world, who are virtually writing right next to you. And don’t forget, in many cities write-ins are taking place in coffee shops and university libraries. Check out nanowrimo.org to find your local meetup. Worse comes to worse, tweet me at @mrssheawong with your quibble, and I’ll yell at you that time wasted quibbling could be better spent writing, so WRITE!
I’m so excited that even though I’m down on my word count, I’ve got the tools to help me hit 50K by November 30th. Some people may be slow and steady when it comes to output while others may be feast or famine, but whichever way works for you, keep at it. Just keep hitting those keys (or pen and paper), ignore that internal grammar snob, fire the line editor that lives in your head and is currently screaming at you to go back and rephrase the last paragraph, and get the words out.
Write.
Write.
Write.
You can do this.
Write.
See you next week.
Write.
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