On a Roll With #NaNoWriMo | Renee Scattergood

Originally posted by Renee Scattergood:

NaNoWriMo began on the 1st of this month and runs until the 30th. For those who don’t know, I have those thirty days to write 50,000 words. I love participating in the NaNo competitions because I’m not competing with other authors. I’m competing against myself. It’s a great way to connect with and support other authors in their writing goals.

I wasn’t planning to participate this year because I like to plan out my stories before I start writing. I tried the pantser method of writing and it was disastrous for me. I kept going off on tangents and before I knew it I was bored with the story and never finished it. I couldn’t even remember where I was going with it.

So, now I plan. I go in-depth with my planning, but at the same time, I like to leave wiggle room. My stories always seem to take on a life of their own and I like to let that happen. One thing never changes though. I always know how it will end, and I know the basics of how I’m going to get there.

I’ve found this speeds up my writing a great deal, but I fell into the trap of letting myself write too much in each sitting and I burned myself out. So this time around, I’m taking weekends off, and even if I’m on a roll, I stop myself after about 2500 words each day. I let myself go over a little, but only to finish a thought.

I like leaving off on a writing high because it makes it easier to get into writing the next day. So far, this plan is working out great. We’re onto day 6 of NaNoWriMo, and I’m still ready to go. Normally by now, I’d have half the word count completed for the even, but I’d feel completely burned out and I’d find that I no longer cared about the story. Well, I’m right on target where word count is concerned (just over 10k words), and I’m still as excited about the story as I was on the first day.

I think it’s safe to say, this is going to be my preferred method of writing from here on out. It’s a great way to keep things moving forward. I’ll write an average of 12,500 words each week, and I won’t end up in situations where I’m so burned out, I go weeks without writing a word. It will make it easier for me to release things consistently.

I’m feeling so positive again about writing, and between the outlining competition through Pro Writing Aid and BeemGee, and NaNoWriMo this year, it’s getting even better. I feel like I’ve finally worked out my writing groove!

How about you? Do you have a preferred method of writing that just seems to work for you and helps you stay consistently productive? Share it with us!