138: How to finish writing your book (NaNoWriMo tips—midway point!)

Are you in the process of writing a novel this month, for National Novel Writing Month (or, as it’s more commonly known, NaNoWriMo), and are you getting caught in the struggle of it? 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 SIX resources for starting to write your novel this month, during #NaNoWriMo...   

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:

• Get podcast and book updates delivered to your inbox at SaganMorrow.com/behindthescenes .
• Learn more about all of Sagan's books (including Small Town Stilettos, the Polyamorous Passions romcom series, Our Choice: Romance for Roe, and the business books) at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Episode 32 of Indie Author Weekly: 20 writing prompt ideas .
• Episode 114 of Indie Author Weekly: 7 examples for how to get story ideas from everyday life .
• Episode 133 of Indie Author Weekly: 5 tips for how to write a book with a busy schedule .
• Episode 65 of Indie Author Weekly: 10 tips to beat writer's block .
• Episode 31 of Indie Author Weekly: how to get through the messy middle .
• Episode 46 of Indie Author Weekly: how to boost your word count during NaNoWriMo .
• NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) .
• Get productivity and success coaching with Sagan: SaganMorrow.com/ceo .
• Super-quick survey to share what you want MORE of on Indie Author Weekly: SaganMorrow.com/question 
• Reach out to Sagan on Twitter or Instagram: @Saganlives .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email hello@saganmorrow.com .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

Transcript

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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 in the process of writing a novel this month, for National Novel Writing Month (or, as it’s more commonly known, NaNoWriMo), and are you getting caught in the struggle of it? 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 6 episodes that will help you as you are in the middle of going through National Novel Writing Month—this is a follow-up to Episode 136, when we did a round-up of episodes for BEGINNING your novel.

Once again, regardless of the time of year you’re listening to this episode, these resources can definitely help you out as you’re writing your book. Here we go: 

First up, we’ve got a series of writing prompts—20 ideas when you’re not sure what to write. These writing prompts are available in Episode 32 of this Indie AUthor Weekly podcast.

Are you stuck with what to write next for National Novel Writing Month this year? Struggling to get your creative juices flowing? Need to meet your daily word count goal, but not sure how to get there? Never fear—these writing prompts are here to help!   

With 20 different writing prompt ideas to use during NaNoWriMo, you'll have no problem reaching your word count goals! Put pen to paper, explore your creativity, and stretch your writing muscles when you use these writing prompt ideas. Again, grab those in Episode 32.

Next, we have a variety of examples for how to get story ideas from your everyday life—this is Episode 114 of Indie Author Weekly.

Are you stumped to think of new story ideas, and wish you could tap into your everyday life for epic creative ideas? This is the episode for you.

I encourage you to tap into your creativity in all aspects of life. You don’t need to be sitting down at the computer to write stories. In fact, I’ve done some of my best quote-unquote “writing” while out for a walk, kayaking on the lake, or even laying in bed unable to sleep at night. 

You are a delightfully creative human being, and there is creativity all around you and within you. It’s a matter of connecting to your own inherent creativity.

And that’s where the magic of getting story ideas from real life comes into play.

Get those 7 examples for tapping into your creativity and inspiration from everyday life—which can help you when you’re struggling to think of new ideas or scenes for your own stories and books in Episode 114.

Our third resource for today is for you if you’ve got an exceptionally busy schedule! And let’s face it, who doesn’t? This is all yours in Episode 133 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. 

You’ll get 5 powerful tips for how to incorporate writing a book into your busy schedule—including real-life examples for how I’ve reworked my own schedule to accommodate book writing.

But maybe your problem isn’t a busy schedule… Maybe, instead, you’re struggling with writer’s block. In that case, Episode 65 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast is for you!

Let’s be honest: we all tend to struggle to get the words on the page at some point or another. There’s no doubt that it can be difficult to figure out how to overcome writer’s block when it crops up.  

But luckily, it’s not the end of the world! There are a variety of ways you can overcome writer’s block, regardless of the type of writing that you do.  

I’ve had multiple conversations over the years with various people—friends, other freelancers, clients—who have a misconception that because I write for a living (and because I’ve been doing this for the past decade), I personally don’t really have to ever deal with creative blocks.  

This couldn’t be further from the truth! I’ve hit walls with clients projects and with pretty much every book in my Polyamorous Passions series, at one point or another. I have those tough writer moments too, just the same as you. But it’s what we do when it happens that matters.  

Writer’s block isn’t the end of the world. It’s all a matter of addressing it when it happens… and then taking action and DOING something about it. Even the most experienced and prolific writers get stuck from time to time. What sets those writers apart from the rest is that they’re willing to plough forward and get over it.  

And you can do that, too! You have it within you to overcome writer’s block when it strikes. I believe in you, and you need to start believing in yourself, too… and taking strategic, intentional action to do something about it.  

Get 10 tips for how to beat writer’s block when it inevitably comes up in Episode 65.

Our next resource to help you out during National Novel Writing Month features 5 tips for how to get through the messy middle—this is Episode 31 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. 

These actionable strategies will empower you to keep ploughing through, even when you’re feeling bogged down. (Plus, you’ll get an additional 5 questions you need to ask yourself when you’re analyzing the issue of your personal experience of going through the messy middle.)  

The “messy middle” is a common occurrence for probably just about every single author out there—it’s that experience of starting off strong with your book, and then partway through, you might feel kind of stuck. Super common at this point during NaNoWriMo, when you’re right in the middle of your story. The plot fizzles out or your characters don’t do what you want them to do or you forget how to string a sentence together. 

So, how do you keep ploughing through when that happens? Tune into Episode 31 for 5 tips to help you out with that exact issue...  

And lastly, one of the BIGGEST issues you might be facing with National Novel Writing Month is trying to boost your word count! The goal for NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000-word novel throughout the month of November. That’s why I love this handy, and very simple, trick for boosting your word count, in Episode 46 of Indie Author Weekly.

Sometimes, we get stuck in a particular part of a book, or the idea of meeting a particular word count goal can feel overwhelming, or we’re just really struggling to put pen to paper. You’re trying, struggling, to increase your word count. It can feel overwhelming and exhausting and a complete uphill battle.  

The good news with all of this, is that we can kind of “trick” ourselves into boosting our word counts. It’s a little sneaky, but it’s effective! Tune into Episode 46 for my super useful and very simple trick for boosting your word count.

There you have it! Your round-up of tips to help you finish your novel strong while you’re participating in NaNoWriMo this month. Happy writing! Connect with me on social media to keep me posted on how things go with your NaNoWriMo experience this month, and which of these resources you’re using to write your book—my handle is @Saganlives on Twitter & Instagram

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.