So, Redbeard and I are about 10k into our novels. I had two huge conventions early in the month, and between that and serious personal stuff, we have kinda ground to a halt. I've been doing NaNo almost every year since 2004 and have won 5 times. Not a great win record, but I've won in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015, so it's shaping up. Redbeard has been doing it since 2013 and has won every time. Basically, it would be a huge blow to lose ... but it's starting to feel a little hopeless. I've pulled off "NaNoWriMo miracles" in the past but this month, man. Ugh. Any words of wisdom?
When I needed to get a lot done I did word 20 minute word sprints with 10 minute breaks, and this helped me average about 1k words/hour. With that its just 1.5ish hours to reach minimum daily goal.
I also noticed my increases and decreases in my writing speed based on what I was writing in my story. When I writing action and chase scenes I could get up to 600-700 words in those 20m (700 was a lot more rare than 600), but sometimes went as low as 300 words in 20m when I was writing scene changes or other parts of the book I was unsure about. So if you know what you want to write, or are writing a faster paced part of the story, maybe you can get some additional words in too.
Another thing that helped me when I was running out of steam were the write ins. I was able to talk in the chat with others and hold real time conversations about our novels, and between them and the actual webinar I felt a little more rejuvenated. They hold word sprints there as well. Honestly, I usually ended up leaving half way through to just start writing, but it was still a big help.
I also noticed my increases and decreases in my writing speed based on what I was writing in my story. When I writing action and chase scenes I could get up to 600-700 words in those 20m (700 was a lot more rare than 600), but sometimes went as low as 300 words in 20m when I was writing scene changes or other parts of the book I was unsure about. So if you know what you want to write, or are writing a faster paced part of the story, maybe you can get some additional words in too.
Another thing that helped me when I was running out of steam were the write ins. I was able to talk in the chat with others and hold real time conversations about our novels, and between them and the actual webinar I felt a little more rejuvenated. They hold word sprints there as well. Honestly, I usually ended up leaving half way through to just start writing, but it was still a big help.
Gamers wrote:
When I needed to get a lot done I did word 20 minute word sprints with 10 minute breaks, and this helped me average about 1k words/hour. With that its just 1.5ish hours to reach minimum daily goal.
I also noticed my increases and decreases in my writing speed based on what I was writing in my story. When I writing action and chase scenes I could get up to 600-700 words in those 20m (700 was a lot more rare than 600), but sometimes went as low as 300 words in 20m when I was writing scene changes or other parts of the book I was unsure about. So if you know what you want to write, or are writing a faster paced part of the story, maybe you can get some additional words in too.
Another thing that helped me when I was running out of steam were the write ins. I was able to talk in the chat with others and hold real time conversations about our novels, and between them and the actual webinar I felt a little more rejuvenated. They hold word sprints there as well. Honestly, I usually ended up leaving half way through to just start writing, but it was still a big help.
I also noticed my increases and decreases in my writing speed based on what I was writing in my story. When I writing action and chase scenes I could get up to 600-700 words in those 20m (700 was a lot more rare than 600), but sometimes went as low as 300 words in 20m when I was writing scene changes or other parts of the book I was unsure about. So if you know what you want to write, or are writing a faster paced part of the story, maybe you can get some additional words in too.
Another thing that helped me when I was running out of steam were the write ins. I was able to talk in the chat with others and hold real time conversations about our novels, and between them and the actual webinar I felt a little more rejuvenated. They hold word sprints there as well. Honestly, I usually ended up leaving half way through to just start writing, but it was still a big help.
Thanks! Unfortunately my novel this year is VERY dialogue heavy >_< So that has been a contributing factor for sure. I keep trying to break into a scene where I can expound on some aspect of the world or something, but there's only so much to go around. I definitely should do more word wars though! I never do enough.
Try to break it down into chunks. Tell yourself you are going to write X words before lunch, X number of words in the afternoon, and X number of words in the evening.
When I was marathoning my ass off I would sometimes even wait to get up to go to the bathroom until I'd done another 200 or 300 words. Time to eat? Better write another 500 first.
I bought a candy I really liked and would lay out 20 across the edge of my laptop. Every 250 words I could have 1 piece.
Don't be afraid to just power-ramble and write long winded descriptions for things that probably will need to be chopped down later or edited out. If you are stuck, just sorta BS your way through that part JUST to slog through it, even if that bit sounds stupid, rush to get to a part you KNOW you can sling down the words for. If you think you are done for the night..? Try to write just one more scene. You'd be amazed at how much it adds up if you just sneak a little more here and there every chance you get. 15 min before you gotta leave? Thats enough to slip in a couple extra paragraphs. Waiting for water to boil while cooking dinner? Quick, go write another 200 words.
Sign out of FB and other distracting things. If you find yourself absentmindedly going to X site, block yourself out in some way from going there until you've at least hit your quota for the day.
When I was marathoning my ass off I would sometimes even wait to get up to go to the bathroom until I'd done another 200 or 300 words. Time to eat? Better write another 500 first.
I bought a candy I really liked and would lay out 20 across the edge of my laptop. Every 250 words I could have 1 piece.
Don't be afraid to just power-ramble and write long winded descriptions for things that probably will need to be chopped down later or edited out. If you are stuck, just sorta BS your way through that part JUST to slog through it, even if that bit sounds stupid, rush to get to a part you KNOW you can sling down the words for. If you think you are done for the night..? Try to write just one more scene. You'd be amazed at how much it adds up if you just sneak a little more here and there every chance you get. 15 min before you gotta leave? Thats enough to slip in a couple extra paragraphs. Waiting for water to boil while cooking dinner? Quick, go write another 200 words.
Sign out of FB and other distracting things. If you find yourself absentmindedly going to X site, block yourself out in some way from going there until you've at least hit your quota for the day.
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