What Writers Can Learn from National Novel Writing Month.

writrs:

It’s October 1st, and that means that it’s Pregame Season for National Novel Writing Month. What better way to kick off that season than with another entry in my What Writers Can Learn Series? This time around, I thought I would do something different. I’ve written about Sense8 and Batman, but why not write about the lessons writers can learn from National Novel Writing Month itself?

So here are five important lesson I’ve learned from National Novel Writing Month. Hopefully you can do a better job of implementing them than I do.

Write Every Day

When you have to write an average of 1,667 words every day for a month, it can make a huge difference if you don’t write even just one day during the month. With that in mind, you either develop this mentality or spend part of your month writing a pile of extra words.

This is an important skill even when you don’t have a 50,000 word goal to meet in just 30 days. Every writer needs to work on writing every day, even if it’s just a sentence or two.

Be Creative

During National Novel Writing Month, your story is going to go through some changes from what you first expected. This can be a problem for the planners, but that doesn’t have to be a bad experience. Let your creative juices flow. Come up with something unexpected to keep your story alive. Don’t worry about the plan that you had. Sometimes that plan has to change.

Let Your Story Flow

Your story will have a rhythm and flow of its own. Listen for that rhythm. Follow the flow. Let the stream of your story guide your way. Don’t follow it blindly, but be aware of your story as you write.

You will also want to keep your eyes open for themes and symbols as you proceed.

Dream Big!

You are already making a grand dream. 50,000 words in only 30 days is an epic undertaking, and you need to be a dreamer. However, as a writer, you need to understand that there is not much to writing just 50,000 words. As a writer you will write so many more words in your lifetime. Dream about those words. Let them fill you with passion as you work through the many stories that will fill your mind in the coming years.

Be greedy for those stories.

Keep Writing

The most important lesson you can learn from National Novel Writing Month is to never stop writing. No matter how many words you have to write, you can always reach that goal. Whether it is a paragraph for school or the next great American novel. You can reach that goal. Never stop writing.