NaNoWriMo 2018: starts November 1 – I scrap 2
NaNoWriMo 2018: starts November 1
I am excited! I have decided to participate in writing 50 000 words in thirty days this November.
I’m going to write in my mother tongue to make it easier to write faster and more because to write 50 000 words in 30 days each day needs at least 1 666 words per day!
The follow up of JUST ME: A MEMOIR. Part one was about my life as a child growing up in the Netherlands until my sixth year.
I’m writing Part two about; starting my schooling in South Africa, studying as a teacher, and starting my teaching career in late 1960.
Reblogged the following from:
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it takes place every November.
Anyone can do it. You can sign up on the website (you don’t have to). You can go to events in your region (you don’t have to). You can donate for fabulous swag (you should probably do that one; they’re a fabulous non-profit).
But really all you have to do is write 1666 words a day for 30 days starting November 1 and ending November 30th, which leaves you with 50,000 words. A novel in a month.
Simple? Yes. Easy? Uh, no.
But here are five easy tips you can implement now in October if you are considering tackling this generative writing goal.
1. Just write. Don’t edit. Don’t research. Don’t fact-check. Just write.
NaNoWriMo is about getting words down on paper (or in Word, Pages, Scrivener, whatever). It’s about creating the raw material. I know. It’s hard to rush past imperfect sentences that could be crafted beautifully but you can do that later. In December.
2. Give something up.
Unless you already have a daily writing practice, you’ll have to find the time to write. It’s stupidly simple to say and ridiculously difficult to implement. This is NOVEMBER, after all. The verge of the holiday season, end-of-year mayhem and all that stuff.
With that in mind, before you mark off time in your calendar to write, clear it. Find something to sacrifice. Maybe you won’t clean the house in November (that’s what J.K. Rowling did when she was a single mom writing Harry Potter). Or you won’t watch Netflix. Perhaps you’ll get off Facebook for an entire month or wake up an hour earlier. If email is a big time-suck for you, consider setting up an auto-response letting people know you will be slow to respond to their email during November and then only check your email once a day.
It’s your call, but figure it out before November starts.
What do you need to give up to open up your schedule?
3. Decide when you will write.
Now that you have cleared your calendar a bit, mark your writing time. Early morning? After everyone else is in bed? Maybe you’ll write in the car instead of watch your kid’s soccer practice. Ideally, there’s a consistency to your writing practice but because this is a binge-write, it doesn’t matter as much as just getting it done. Carve out time whenever it works for you so you can get your butt in the chair and write.
4. Pick a daily reward system.
It’s amazing how a little reward can motivate you to meet your daily quota. The NaNoWriMo website is great for this. You get virtual stickers for meeting your targets and other little perks and congratulatory accolades along the way. But if you don’t want create an account on the website or if you are creating your own word counts, you can invent your own reward system. It should be something cumulative and visual—a reward/progress bar as simple as X’s on a calendar or post-its marking your daily word count will do the trick.
5. Visualize your writing routine
You: in your writing spot (the library? Fave café? Home office that is actually the dining room table?) Is it dark out because it’s so early? (or so late.) Take a moment to check off all the distractions that you’ve eliminated: you’ve shut off your phone, turned off Wi-Fi, shut the door or whatever else you have to do to block out the outside world.
There you are. In your happy writing place, happily writing. And when you’re done, you get your reward. An X, or upload your words to your NaNo profile, whatever it is.
Can you see it? That’s you! Writing, succeeding. Getting sh*t done.
Janine Kovac is the co-founder of Moxie Road Productions. She teaches writing workshops, including the month-long accountability workshop Finishing School course, which is specifically designed to outline a project and get it done in one calendar month. For more info on Janine, Moxie Road, or Finishing School, check out her website:http://moxieroad.com
Author scrapydo2.wordpress.comPosted on 2018-10-23 2018-10-23 Format GalleryCategories challenges, NaNoWriMo 2018, RememberTags ideas, life, writing
34 thoughts on “NaNoWriMo 2018: starts November 1”
2018-10-24 at 9:34 am
Ek lees al ‘n ruk die blogs van die dames op die groen toerbus, maar lewer amper nooit kommentaar nie. Ek gaan ook NaNoWriMo doen en jy is welkom om my te buddy as jy wil: Cecilia Lombard.
2018-10-24 at 9:12 pm
Dankie vir die uitnodiging om jou Buddy te wees. Ek sal graag joune wil wees . Ek het probeer om dit op my NaNoWriMo blad te sit maar ek kry dit nog nie reg nie. Jy kan my opsit ek is Scrapydo. Laat asb weet as jy dit opgesit het en hoe jy dit gedoen het asb.
2018-10-25 at 7:15 am
Eers moet jy die nuwe buddy op NaNoWriMo se blad opspoor. Ek het so BIETJIE daarmee gesukkel en op die ou einde gaan kyk hoe lyk die URL as jy na iemand se blad op NaNoWriMo kyk en dit aangepas. Die URL is iets soos “https://nanowrimo.org/participants/” en dan vervang jy met die regte naam; sit ‘-‘ waar daar ‘n spasie is.
In elk geval, as jy eers op die persoon se blad is, is daar ‘n knoppie regs bo wat sê “Add as buddy”, kliek dit en siedaar :).
Het jou nou bygevoeg.
2018-10-25 at 7:36 am
Dankie ek het jou uitnodiging gekry. Ek kom steeds nie by jou en Erna uit nie. Sal more weer probeer gaan nou eers slaap.
2018-10-25 at 10:03 am
Lyk my my slim merkers in die URL het verlore geraak! Dis https://nanowrimo.org/participants/(username) en dan vervang jy (username) met die regte een bv. https://nanowrimo.org/participants/ScrapyDo
2018-10-25 at 8:49 pm
Gaan dit nou weer probeer. Ek het jou buddy uitnodiging gekry. Dankie daarvoor.
2018-10-26 at 7:17 am
Plesier :D. Wonder nog of ek hierdie mal perd gery gaan kry!
2018-10-27 at 7:25 am
Ja wat, ek is ook half skrikkerig. Ons sal mekaar maar aanmoedig. Ek het toe reggekom met die buddie storie.
2018-10-24 at 7:24 am
Scrapy, ons is albei op die selfde gek skryfgolflengte. Ek het ook ingeskryf. Ons moet buddy….groetnis.
2018-10-24 at 7:31 am
Alle sukses albei van julle flukse dames!
2018-10-24 at 7:36 am
Dankie, weet nog nie watter mal perd ek opgesaal het nie.
2018-10-24 at 7:59 am
O flippit, dis tyd, deel van gee voor myself oad.🤗😉
2018-10-24 at 8:25 am
Ag die haastige vingers. Ek het mos na my fotosessie geskrywe ek moet voor myself gee pad. Get out of my own way. Ek is so lief vir skryf en stories, maar uitstel is my groot tydverdryf. Nou kan ek nie – 1 November tot 30 November is vir my om my self-dissipline in pas te kry.
2018-10-24 at 8:36 am
Dis uitputtend, maar heerlik wanneer jy daarin slaag. Kan jy voor die tyd begin skryf? Ek gaan nou eers oplees oor NaNoWriMo.
Ek het klomp notas wat oral rondfladder – so ek dink as jy ‘n skedule het en temas is dit nie teen die wet nie…ek gaan in elk geval so maak!
2018-10-24 at 9:16 pm
Jy mag jou notas gebruik netnie copy en paste nie!
2018-10-25 at 5:00 am
Hulle is in notaboeke! So ek sal nie kroek nie! 🙂
2018-10-24 at 7:35 am
Aaaaaa, dis gaaf om te hoor. Het jy al jou inligting ingevul op die webblad? Ons kan rerig skryf buddies wees. Dit sal lekker wees om uit te ruil. Ek was al bekommerd om niemand te hê nie omdat ek in Afrikaans wil skryf.
2018-10-24 at 7:58 am
Klaar ingeskrywe. ErnaMare, las my aan dan maak ek ook so
2018-10-24 at 9:15 pm
Mooi man. Ek kry net nie Buddies ingeskryf nie. Hoe doen mens dit.? Ek skryf onder Scrapydo. HIer is n Celia Lombard wat ook gaan skryf en sal ook my buddy wees. Jy kan haar miskien ook nader hark.
Celia is my aangetroude kleinniggie. 😉
2018-10-25 at 5:49 am
Scrapy , my epos is ernamare123@gmail.com, stuur die fisiese link van jou blad op die NaNoWriMo vir my, ek kry jou nie opgespoor nie…..
2018-10-25 at 7:05 am
Nee jong, ek kry julle ook gladnie! Ek het jou naam en van en jou email probeer! Myne is Scrapydo
en my adres inekekruger@gmail.com As jy iets uitgerig kry laat my weet asb. Mens is veronderstel om n uitnodiging te stuur aan die Buddy of friend.
2018-10-25 at 7:14 am
Ek maak so
2018-10-24 at 6:08 am
2018-10-24 at 7:06 am
Baie dankie. Sal nou net elke dag n uur moet sit en skryf! Ek het genoeg om te skryf. Gelukkig het ek al baie lysies met goed wat ek kan gebruik. Dit gaan soos jy wees wat elke dag n foto plaas.
2018-10-24 at 3:11 pm
Fantasties! Lekker skryf!
2018-10-24 at 4:31 am
2018-10-24 at 7:05 am
Thanks fingers crossed that I’ll get there in a month.
2018-10-23 at 9:39 pm
Sterkte dit gaan nie maklik wees nie
2018-10-24 at 7:04 am
Dankie. Ek het al so baie dinge neergeskryf en uitgewerk. Nou moet ek alles net op skrif kry.
2018-10-23 at 9:14 pm
2018-10-24 at 7:02 am
Thanks Leya. I
I’ve got so much to write. I hope to go till the end.
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