Write. Write. Write.
That’s lesson one of NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month. This creative writing project inspires writers to commit to writing a 50,000-word long manuscript during the month of November.
There are just a few things you need when doing NaNoWriMo. An idea, a writing device (a laptop, a phone, or even a good old pen and paper will do), and an audience in mind.
Yes, of course, you are unlikely to get a perfect manuscript out of it. But what you do get is 50,000 words, a lot of practice, and a better grasp of your own writing capabilities.
The dirty secret behind writing? You never get it right the first time around. You may spend months doing research to have all the facts and figures. However, no matter how perfect your research is, if you never get around to putting it down on paper, that’s all you have then—research.
Beginning a new project, be it a novel, a business proposal, or a blog post, is always intimidating. Novelist Neil Gaiman described writing as “a very peculiar sort of a job: It’s always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.”
NaNoWriMo helps you win that first battle; once you get that first 50,000 words out of the way, you’ll see writing more is a piece of cake. You’ll probably end up deleting a hefty part of your first draft during the editing process, but the more you write, the fewer edits you’ll need.
Edit with your audience in mind. With time and practice, you’ll learn how to convey your message in a cohesive (and more concise) way.
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