National Novel Writing Month comes around every November and challenges writers worldwide to write 50,000 words in 30 days. It's a tall order, especially if you're not used to writing long word counts in a short space of time.
However, the beauty of NaNoWriMo is you DON'T have a lot of time. You don't have time to think, criticise, and harshly self-edit. You only have time to write.
To achieve that awesomely attractive number of 50,000 words, you break it down over the 30 days:
Around 1,667 words per day
This number isn't as scary, but it still takes a leap of faith in your creative ability to sit down and write those words each day. Getting out of our critical mindset is a challenge for most writers. So how do you get out of your head and get in the zone to write almost 2,000 words every day?
You freewrite.
What is freewriting?
I first came across the concept of freewriting when I read Writing Without a Parachute: The Art of Freefall by Barbara Turner-Vesselago. This book gave me validation to do what I'd always preferred to do when writing - winging it.
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| Image Credit: Amazon |
The idea is simple: set yourself a time, grab your writing material and just write. Don't think. Just write.
We use one part of our brains when being creative; and when we're editing and analysing, we use a completely different part of our brains. Constantly switching between the two isn't helpful to either skill.
By focusing purely on writing, you strengthen your creative muscles and slip into that zone we writers love so much. You know the one - when the words are flowing faster than you can write them as the world passes you by and you completely lose concept of time and space. Yeah, that zone!
The idea isn't to hit a perfect piece first time, the idea is to give you something substantial to edit once you've completely finished.
4 steps for your first freewrite
1. Find your fastest medium
Whether that's pen and paper or your fingers and a keyboard, find which medium helps you write quickly and smoothly. Make sure your pen isn't running out of ink and the battery of your device is fully charged. You don't want ANY infuriating interruptions once you find your flow!
2. Get your project ready
The idea is not to think, so the last thing you want is to sit down to write but have no idea what you're writing. Use your current project (plug: NaNoWriMo again) or just grab a few writing prompts to get you going. Whatever you're working on, get it read. Then, as soon as your time starts, nothing is stopping you.
3. Set a timer
Yep, I love timers. I use them on my kids constantly (10 minutes to get into your PJs, 15 minutes to tidy your playroom - you get the gist!) and I love timers for myself, especially when I'm freewriting. You can start small with 10-minute bursts, or you can take the leap and go for 25-30 minutes.
To give you a rough idea of the time you'll need, I did the NaNoWriMo time management quiz in the Prep Course I mentioned in this post. My results suggested I needed the following schedule to hit my word count in November:
TWO 30 minute writing sessions every day, writing 840 words each time.
Suddenly, 50k words seems so much more feasible!
4. Write, don't think!
I've said it many times, but I'm going to say it again - Don't. Think!
Keep writing until your timer stops, even if it feels like you're writing total rubbish. Keep going and trust that creative intuition you have inside you. Your Inner Critic may have buried your Creative Self pretty well, but freewriting is the way you slowly dig her out again and let her breathe.
What next?
Ok, so you've finished your project and you're pretty pleased with yourself. What do you do next?
Don't read it.
It may be tempting, but trust me on this. Don't read it as soon as you finish writing. Walk away and let your project sit for a while. Celebrate your victory and bask in the glory of unleashing your Creative Self from her prison.
After a day or even a month, depending on how much time you have and how long your project is, sit back down with your project and switch your brain into editing mode. You'll find the writing wasn't as bad as you thought and you will be able to calmly edit and mould your glorious first draft into the masterpiece it should be!
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