Halfway through November, National Novel Writing Month is going pretty well for me. I think I’ve started to figure out a real writing process in the limited writing time I actually have day to day.

And it’s only taken me five months to get here!

My NaNoWriMo word count sits at 4,308, and even though that seems like a pittance for a friendly race to 50,000 words, I feel great about it.

I’ve written more in the last two weeks than in the months of August, September, and October combined.

And I did so by being less restrictive with my writing time. I don’t have a laptop anymore. I do most everything from my desktop, in my office, in the rear corner of our house, on the second story. As strange as this may sound, some nights it’s just plain hard to find the motivation to sit my butt down in my office to write.

But NaNo has kept me motivated, and I’ve found a rhythm with one of my characters (Arden, of course), so I found a way around this. At least twice over the last week I’ve written in my journal, on my couch, sitting with my wife and dog.

Then, when I have the chance and the proper motivation on a different night, I’ll go up to my office and rewrite from my journal into my actual draft. This allows me to accomplish several things.

a) I still get some writing done.

b) I still get some snuggles with my wife and dog, even if I’m preoccupied with writing.

c) When I transcribe from my journal to my computer, I can refine and improve my writing, while bolstering my word count. This also gives me a great headstart for a longer writing session. It’s much easier to keep writing than to start writing

Let’s go over that one more time.

It is far easier to keep writing once you’ve started than it is to start fresh in a new session.

Week 2 NaNoWriMo Tip

• If you get stuck, try rewriting a previous paragraph or section. It may help you continue the thought and add new content.
• Find different ways and places to write, because your primary writing space may not always be ideal.

Two tips in one week! I’m on a roll.

Steve D