Once again this year I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and was fortunate to make it all the way to the finish line. There were a couple of moments when panic began to set in and I wondered if I was going to make it at all! Looking back on NaNoWriMo this year, there were three very important lessons that I managed to take away from the whole experience.
Less time on social media helps you to focus.
The more time I spent writing and less time on social media, I became more focused on my WIP and found myself less distracted. From having only 30 days in which to write as much as you possibly can, every minute counts. Because I spent less time on social media, at the end of each day I felt I had achieved something ā which was making more progress towards the goal of 50,000 words. Now that NaNoWriMo has finished, I continue to spend less time on social media, making me feel more relaxed and more focused upon my writing goals.
Writing is the No.1 Priority.
Doing NaNoWriMo and concentrating upon that one writing project made me realise that writing is my No.1 priority (as it should be). As I am easily distracted, social media shows me what other writers are doing towards their goals, while allowing me to lose focus upon my own. Doing NaNoWriMo has allowed me to re-focus, prioritise and work on my own path towards publication.
Writing 50,000 words a month is do-able.
The thought of writing so much is initially daunting, especially for those writers like me who are used to writing shorter works. When I participated in NaNoWriMo last year, I found some things which helped me enormously in getting the words down. The thing about NaNoWriMo is to get you into the habit of writing on a regular basis and trying to meet deadlines. These are habits writers must learn in order to become professional.
I have already decided not to participate in NaNoWriMo next year as I now have a couple of NaNoWriMo projects that need a lot of re-working (adding to the pile of all the other projects I want to get through š ).
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and enjoy your holidays! I look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year.
Did you do NaNoWriMo this year? What did you learn from the experience? Did you make it to the finish line? Do you plan on taking up the challenge again next year?
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Congrats on your NaNo win!
I also won, and I was pleased with the draft I came away with, something that hasn’t happened in a good long time. I did a lot more prep ahead of time, and I spent less time on social media and on other things during the month. Making it the priority was hard work in terms of not getting to other things, but worth it in the end. š
Have a wonderful holiday!
Thanks Madeline and congratulations to you too! I did more prep this time as well, even though what I’ve written this year feels like a jigsaw puzzle. I kept jumping from one scene to the next, but at least it’s more of an organised mess that the previous years attempt! I’m actually looking forward to going over this one. Merry Christmas and I wish you a wonderful holiday too! š