Nov 15, 2010

10 Motivators to Keep Writing for NaNoWriMo

I like to move it, movie it...

Well I told myself to slow down. My NaNo novel came to a bit of a halt last week. I just decided to give myself a day off, or maybe three, I'd reward myself with words later. Turns out, I'm a bit stingy with my rewards. This week I will have to work hard to push those numbers up again. I did get a few words in on Sunday, and I didn't let myself waste my time off.

To keep the flow and motivation of writing when I just can't get to the keyboard or pick up the flow of my story, I like to:

  1. Write something else about my character in my notebook, like a diary entry. This can help me gain some insight to her deeper motivation.
  2. Watch youtube clips and listen to podcasts on the craft of writing - there's so many good one's out there!
  3. Watch a flick or shows in my genre - in my case it's mystery, so I sat through a few good episodes of Castle.
  4. Go to the movies. You watch a creative story unfold and you're in a new environment, away from home.
  5. Take walks. My imagination goes into overdrive when I walk the dog. It must be because I can't talk to anyone, my mouth shuts up and gives my brain a go.
  6. Start recording my dreams, even the silly one.
  7. READ. I read books on writing, and look for the element I'm struggling with, like dialogue or structure. I'll also read something similar to my writing style - I try to read things that are simple and don't take too much thinking.
  8. Draw. I doodle, 'cause I'm not much of an artist, but drawing loosens my mind and lets me be creative.
  9. Listen to Audio books. Sometimes I don't write because I'm exhausted or unwell, at these times I find it hard to read as well, so, I pop on a Charlaine Harris audio book and listen to the story unwind.
  10. I listen to Relaxation and Meditation books on my iPhone right before bed.
Is your story flowing or trickling? Do you keep pounding on, or step away?

6 comments:

  1. THese are great! Thanks for posting them.
    CD

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  2. I was hoping to write on the weekend but time ran out. I was so busy. The most I managed was to write a couple of blog posts between talks at a writer's conference. I've hit a difficult part in my NaNo novel.

    Great list of motivators :)

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  3. Even though I'm reaching my word goal most of the days I write, my story kind of ebbs and flows. I am really looking forward to getting to the end and going at it with a word cleaver. I'm hoping that the pieces that don't fit where they are (like my character faking a stomach ache and then actually having the flu) will fit somewhere else.

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  4. These are all great tips. They help you with your creativity that takes a break from the current big project. I've been having dreams lately that involve houses, obscure passageways, older dwellings...hmmm. Wonder what that means. Good luck with NaNo!!

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  5. I think you and I are totally on the same cycle. I took Friday and Saturday off--I was having money stress and was stopped up at the computer, so took a couple family days... movies with kids, cleaning for Christmas (which is not as distasteful as cleaning more broadly) Christmas lights up...

    I find when I am stopped, two things help more than anything else... I need t READ what I have because I have sometimes forgotten where I am, and OUTLINE a few chapters--I never fully outline at the beginning, but when I am stalled, the direction helps a TON.

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  6. These are all very good tips. I agree w/ reading & w/ seeing movies as these can really inspire you to get back to your work in progress.

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