How to Make #NaNoWriMo Work for You and Get You A Saleable Novel

I might be a little biased here because I love #NaNoWriMo – it’s a great motivator to get out a reasonable chunk of a first draft. It always bothers me when I see writers trying to dissuade new writers from taking part on the grounds it’s not possible to get a saleable novel from it.

I’m just going to say it – that’s absolute rubbish. Apart from the fact that saying this is just dashing someone’s enthusiasm, I don’t understand why they even think it’s true. Sure not everyone can write that quickly, but a lot of people can, and just because it’s not their thing, doesn’t mean it can’t work for someone else.

Two of my own books started their lives as #NaNo projects, and yes, they got edited and parts were rewritten afterwards, but that’s true of every book, however the first draft comes about.

Here are five ways to make #NaNoWriMo work for you and get a saleable novel out of it:

Plan Ahead

I have to hold my hands up here and admit that when I’m writing for myself (as opposed to for a client), I like to go in blind, start writing with an idea of where it might go and see where the characters take me.

Having said that, if this is your first time doing #NaNo and you haven’t written lots of words this quickly before, planning ahead can keep you on track with your book and stop you from sitting staring at a blank screen.

Make it A Priority

Make writing daily a priority on your to-do list the same as you would for any task you want to get done. Bear I mind that while 50,000 words sounds a lot, if you write daily, it’s only 1,667 words per day. That sounds much more manageable right?

Choose a time slot that works for you and do your very best to make it happen every day.

Don’t Give Up If You Get Behind

This seems contradictory to the point above, but the truth is, sometimes things come up. Yes, this should be a priority if you really want to hit the target word count, but if real life gets in the way, then don’t get upset about it or give up.

Get back into it as soon as you can. Maybe you’ll catch up and smash 50K and maybe you won’t, but 30K or even 20K is still better than 0K.

No Editing

it can be tempting to go back over a scene or two and try to tweak it and get it just perfect. #NaNo isn’t the time for that. This is a time to pour your story down and get it all out. You will have plenty of time to perfect it all when the month is over.

If it’s really bothering you and you’re worried you’ll forget about it, highlight it in a different colour so you know you need to revisit it. If you get bogged down in everything being word perfect, it will make it so much harder to get those words out.

Whenever you’re tempted to fiddle around with your prose, remind yourself that this is just a first draft. There will be editing and rewrites later, just like with writing any book.

Relax and Enjoy It

I can’t stress this point enough. Writing isn’t meant to be a chore, and #NaNo is supposed to be fun. You’re being thrown in the deep end, yes, but there’s no real consequences if you don’t hit your target, and you’re being thrown into the deep end with thousands of like minded people who all share a love of writing.

And please, if #NaNo isn’t your thing, don’t try to put new writers off – enjoy their enthusiasm and encourage them to give it a go.

If you want to get prepared for #NaNoWriMo, I’m running a FREE five day preparation challenge that will have you ready to hit the ground running on November the first. You can get more information and join here.

You can also join my Facebook group, The Writer’s Den, where you’ll find more writers in the same boat as you. It’s a lovely supportive community and it’ll be the perfect place to talk #NaNo in November.

Are you doing #NaNo this year? Let me know in the comments, it’s always nice to connect with other crazy writers 😉

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