Indie Author Weekly

136: NaNoWriMo tips round-up for starting your novel

• Sagan Morrow • Episode 137

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Are you gearing up to write a novel this month, for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and wondering how to go about doing it successfully? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!  

This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.   

TUNE IN NOW to get FIVE resources for starting to write your novel this month, during #NaNoWriMo...  

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Hello and welcome back to Indie Author Weekly! This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and the behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. I’m your host, Sagan Morrow (or @Saganlives on Twitter & Instagram), and I’m an anti-hustle productivity strategist and an author of polyamorous romantic comedies.

Now, are you gearing up to write a novel this month, for National Novel Writing Month (or, as it’s more commonly known, NaNoWriMo), and wondering how to go about doing it successfully? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!

But first, don’t miss an episode: You can now get all Indie Author Weekly podcast episodes plus book and writing updates delivered directly to your inbox each week at SaganMorrow.com/behindthescenes—link is in the show notes.

Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, I want to share a round-up of 5 episodes that will help you as you begin National Novel Writing Month.

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, takes place every November, and the idea behind it is to challenge yourself to write a 50,000-word novel during those 30 days. It’s a fantastic organization with lots of great writing resources and an easy way to track and graph your book. I’ve participated quite a few times over the years. It’s a lot of fun! ...and, it’s also INTENSE. That’s why I wanted to help you out with it by sharing a round-up of previous episodes, here on Indie Author Weekly, that will make your life easier as you write your book this November, for National Novel Writing Month.

Keep in mind that you can really apply these tips any time you’re gearing up to begin a new writing project. So whether or not you choose to participate in NaNoWriMo, you can absolutely still benefit from these strategies for how to prepare to write your next book!

Here we go: 

First up, NaNoWriMo prep tips: 10 ways to prepare in advance for writing your next book! This is Episode 28 of Indie Author Weekly.

These NaNoWriMo prep tips are a great resource for preparing in advance for writing your next book, regardless of whether you plan to participate in National Novel Writing Month this November, or if you are writing a book at any time of the year.   

The best trick to succeed with NaNoWriMo is to prepare in advance for your month of book writing. How much strategic prep work you do ahead of time—or simply at the beginning of the month—can directly correlate to your success with actually completing the 50,000-word goal by the end of the month. So that’s why this podcast episode is a must-listen to help really set you up for success if you are planning to participate in National Novel Writing Month this year. Tune into Episode 28 to get those writing prep tips.

The next resource I want to share today is a fun and simple exercise to enhance creativity—this is Episode 64 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast.

You’ll learn a handy, simple exercise you can use to expand your creative abilities. It’s going to help you tap into your inner creativity, make great use of your imagination, and make it easier for you to sit down and work on creative projects at any time. Pretty cool, right? 

This is an exercise I use all the time, and it’s something that comes fairly naturally to me. It’s how my brain works, frankly. I think in terms of stories. I live in my imagination a lot. I like playing with ideas and exploring concepts and going down the rabbit hole.  

That being said, you can use this as an exercise to actively work to enhance creativity. It’s a neat way to get more inspiration from everyday life. TUNE IN to this episode, Episode 64, to get the fun and simple exercise to improve your creative abilities, plus real-life examples of how I've used it! Tapping into a little extra creativity will be SO helpful for you throughout National Novel Writing Month.

Next up, How to use mind mapping to write a book: Episode 44 of this Indie Author Weekly podcast.

Yep, you get to learn how to use mind mapping to write a book in this episode, featuring a real-life example to make it easier for you to visualize and tips for creating your own mind map. Use these mind mapping tips to make it easy and fun to write your book! It’ll help you have a clear idea of where you’re taking your novel as NaNoWriMo progresses.

I loved using this method to map out my most recently published novel, and I totally recommend it if you’re a visual person. Again, you can get that in Episode 44.

Another great resource to help you out as you write a novel this month is my step-by-step guide for how to fit "writing a book" into your schedule—and that’s in Episode 83 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast.

You get a 5-step process to navigate this, plus an important reminder that no matter your background or personal circumstances, you, too, *can* fit a book into your schedule. Essential listening if you’ve got a lot going on this month. 

So, that’s the prep side of things for NaNoWriMo—getting all ready to write your book.

One final resource to help you out with STARTING National Novel Writing Month is Episode 79: Tips & writing prompts for the opening scene of your novel.

This episode shares 3 tips, plus a list of ideas and writing prompts, for how to start writing your novel. After all, sometimes one of the hardest things about writing your novel is actually starting it! After you write “Chapter 1”... what comes next? 

I encourage you to do 3 particular things when you’re writing the first scene in the first chapter of your book… get the tips, PLUS 10 writing prompts for writing the opening scene of your novel, in Episode 79!

So, there you go—a few episodes you can access right here on Indie Author Weekly to start National Novel Writing Month off on the right foot. Good luck with writing your novel! Please do reach out on social media to let me know how things go with your NaNoWriMo experience this month—my handle is @Saganlives on Twitter & Instagram, and I’d love to connect with you.

All right. That, my friend, is a wrap for today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly. As always, you can access the show notes for this episode, including all links and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/podcast.

Thank you so much for tuning in. Please take 2 minutes to rate and review Indie Author Weekly on Apple Podcasts—I really appreciate your support. 

Until next week, this is Sagan Morrow, signing off the Indie Author Weekly podcast.

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Sagan Morrow

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