October 27, 2015. Welcome to my October Blog Challenge on preparing to write your novel. This post is about the seven best tips I've ever heard, and used, for decreasing the time it takes to get your first draft written, by doing three things: start writing sooner, keep writing longer, and write faster by not breaking your flow.
1. Turn off the editor - One side of your brain is creative, the other side is analytical. Trying to create and edit at the same time is like running two complex programs simultaneously. So focus on creating--you can always edit it later. If, while you are creating the story, you can't think of a word,or of the best word. leave three hyphens (two hyphens are a dash) where the word should go, or write down several words/expressions/nouns (that's how I do it) that would work and pick the right one later, when you're editing.
2. Turn off the researcher - Don't stop your creative flow to check a fact or do more research. Instead, write a word to cue yourself to research this later. Choose one that isn't a common word in your text, so you can use "Find" to find it, such as NOTE, RESEARCH, or CHECK.
3. Stop writing at the end of each session in the middle of a paragraph - or in the middle of a sentence. When you pick up again the next day, it will be easy to finish that thought, and that will get you writing again quickly.
4. Set a daily word count quota. Having a daily goal will increase your output and give you a sense of success. 50,000 words is intimidating and progress can seem discouragingly slow; 1,500 is much more doable.
5. Read your notes on the next section you're about to write just before going to bed. Let your subconscious mind work for you while you sleep. When I do this, I wake up with entire scenes in my mind, ready to be written.
6. If #3 & #5 don't get you writing as soon as you sit down, try doing a short meditation or reading the last paragraph you wrote (not to edit it, just to get back into the story) or write a page of stream-of-consciousness thoughts, before you begin writing your story.
7. Overcome your inner resistance. Write 3 pages or 1000 words as quickly as you can: list every fear or anxiety you have about being successful at NaNoWriMo and how you will overcome each one. Define what being "successful" at writing your novel looks like to you, and visualize that success in daily words on the page.
Do you have a trick that speeds up your writing? Please leave a comment sharing it. We can all learn from each other.
1. Turn off the editor - One side of your brain is creative, the other side is analytical. Trying to create and edit at the same time is like running two complex programs simultaneously. So focus on creating--you can always edit it later. If, while you are creating the story, you can't think of a word,or of the best word. leave three hyphens (two hyphens are a dash) where the word should go, or write down several words/expressions/nouns (that's how I do it) that would work and pick the right one later, when you're editing.
2. Turn off the researcher - Don't stop your creative flow to check a fact or do more research. Instead, write a word to cue yourself to research this later. Choose one that isn't a common word in your text, so you can use "Find" to find it, such as NOTE, RESEARCH, or CHECK.
3. Stop writing at the end of each session in the middle of a paragraph - or in the middle of a sentence. When you pick up again the next day, it will be easy to finish that thought, and that will get you writing again quickly.
4. Set a daily word count quota. Having a daily goal will increase your output and give you a sense of success. 50,000 words is intimidating and progress can seem discouragingly slow; 1,500 is much more doable.
5. Read your notes on the next section you're about to write just before going to bed. Let your subconscious mind work for you while you sleep. When I do this, I wake up with entire scenes in my mind, ready to be written.
6. If #3 & #5 don't get you writing as soon as you sit down, try doing a short meditation or reading the last paragraph you wrote (not to edit it, just to get back into the story) or write a page of stream-of-consciousness thoughts, before you begin writing your story.
7. Overcome your inner resistance. Write 3 pages or 1000 words as quickly as you can: list every fear or anxiety you have about being successful at NaNoWriMo and how you will overcome each one. Define what being "successful" at writing your novel looks like to you, and visualize that success in daily words on the page.
Do you have a trick that speeds up your writing? Please leave a comment sharing it. We can all learn from each other.
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