By means of some sort of dark magic, today is November 28, which means we are in the last days of NaNoWriMo 2019.
How are you all doing?
Has anyone earned that gold badge yet? Are you hanging on to your keyboard by the tips of your fingernails or have you given up by this point?
As you know from my last post, I have been finding it difficult to keep the momentum going.
In fact, last weekend was a bit hectic in my personal life so I had no time to squeeze in any writing. I even missed my Sunday session with my NaNo buddies.
Luckily, I have the train journeys to work, which are ideal for dreaming up plot developments and getting some words on the page.
Because I read words on a screen all day for my job on “The People’s Friend”, I prefer writing in a notebook on the train.
If it was good enough for the likes of Virginia Woolf or Robert Louis Stevenson, it’s good enough for me.
It becomes a therapeutic process, with my hand and mind working in tandem. I love the scratch of the pen on the paper and the sound of my hand sliding across the page.
I know Manon (our Illustrations Ed) enjoys working on her notebook when she commutes, too — and it saves lugging a laptop to and from Dundee every day.
Of course, it’s not as fast as typing into a computer. But it gives my eyes a break from a screen, and I am more encouraged to look out of the window as the coastal landscape rolls past.
It does mean I have to type up my writing in the evening, but it gives me a chance to do a sneaky edit at the same time.
NaNo Buddies
It can be a lonely experience writing on your own. That’s why NaNoWriMo is great.
You have a ready-made online community that you can tap into any time you like. I have found this very encouraging.
The forums are active with people sharing their own experiences and motivating one another. This has kept me going when I have lost momentum.
Here at “The People’s Friend”, we also have a writing community.
Writers love our weekly Writing Hour on Twitter, and they keep in touch on Facebook, too.
There are loads of online communities you can join which will help you grow as a writer. If you have joined a NaNoWriMo group, you may find that they meet up all year round, not just in November.
I found this gem from the NaNoWriMo Blog about the importance of having writing buddies. It’s worth reading for the kitten pictures alone.
If you have any friends or colleagues who like to write too, suggest getting together with them.
Ensure you set some boundaries so you both get some writing done. A great tool to use is the Pomodoro Technique, where you set a timer for 20 minutes and you write non-stop for that time.
NaNoWriMo often has these little writing sprints on Twitter. You can follow NaNoWriMo on Twitter for regular updates and inspiration.
You can find “The People’s Friend” (our handle is @TheFriendMag). Tracey from the Fiction team runs the #WritingHour every Tuesday.
It’s Good To Share
Please share your writing journey with us. Have you been following NaNoWriMo this year? How many words have you achieved so far?
Are you a regular reader of our fiction online and in the magazine?
We love to hear from you!
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter and stay in touch.
Wishing you happy writing in the last few days.
We can do this!
To read more about Sharon’s NaNoWriMo journey, click the tag below.
