NaNoWriMo (National Write a Novel in a Month) 2019 is Over

So, the question now becomes how did I do? Well, when it comes to the goal of writing 50,000 words I failed. For the month my total word count came to 30,732 new words giving me an average of 1,024 words per day when I would have needed to do 1,667 per day to reach the goal. But that is okay because when it comes down to it, NaNoWriMo, in my opinion, is about motivating people to write. In my situation, I only missed one day of writing through the month which is pretty good. More importantly, I completed a book that I started writing a few years ago. What I did was I began the month with 28,278 words written and I now have 59,010 complete. My personal goal of completing a novel that I wanted to complete is done. It has a beginning, middle, and end. It has a plot, characters, and prose that I am happy with at the end of the day.

My next step is to set the book aside for a few months, then go back to it and start the re-write process in the hopes that there is a proper novel to publish someday.

If you would like some tips on having a successful month of writing a novel. Here are some tips.

1. You don’t have to wait until next November to do it. You can have your own NaNoWriMo any month. You can do it anytime.
2. Have a schedule. It is easy to say I’ll do it later and not. My initial plan was to write a bit before noon then do edits in the evening. But as I began the process I found that the writing came smoother in the evenings instead, so I changed my schedule to write around 8:00 or 9:00
3. Write every day. Just like a musician practices almost every day. The brain is a muscle, keep it in shape by using it daily.
4. Have a support structure in place. It is much easier to focus on your writing if you have people around you who can help keep you on track. Even if it is simply saying you’re your significant other, please don’t bug me between these times.
5. Find a writing place. Some people write better in coffee shops while others at home. For me, it is easy to get distracted at home. I found my best days of writing were at a coffee shop for a few hours. However, that could get expensive so at home, I had a nice desk area set up specifically for the purpose of putting words to page.
6. And finally, set goals. Try to make the goals achievable but in order to complete a 50,000-word novel in 30 days, you need to get a certain amount of writing done each day.