NaNoWriMo Tip #22: When You Can’t Write…How To Deal With So-Called Real Life
 |
| I use this same recipe. |
These are my personal tips for NaNoWriMo. You know the drill. Take only what works.
If there is one
theme to these Tips, it’s that not all Writing is writing. There’s a lot more
to finishing a novel than just typing the scenes.
It’s possible you
have other stuff to do today besides sit at the computer working on your novel.
I’m not going to guess what that might be… what am I, psychic?
I mother three boys
under six and frequently babysit one to three more young cousins along with
them, so there are many times in my work week when I have to live with
distractions. I can’t concentrate on writing on the computer with the kids
around, so I don’t try. However, there are some activities I can do even while
watching the kids. They work on their stuff and I work on mine and if I need to
look up from my work to praise a castle construction or mediate a dispute, no
problem.
Here are some
of my low-concentration-required tasks.
Your list may differ; go ahead and jot it down, or just give it some thought.
1. Imagining.
2. Reading novels in
my genre to inspire me.
3. Reading nonfiction
How To Write books to help me with particular problems, or just inspire me.
4. Reading drafts of
fellow writers.
5. Writing related email.
6. Writing related social media.
7. Sketching
characters from my novel, or scouring magazines or the internet for pictures of
people, places and things in my novel
8. Working on my map
or chronology.
9. Talking to friends
about my story.
10. Pretending any
conflicts, fights or family tension I might be experiencing is happening to
characters in my novel. ;)
Comments