Well, what another successful month November was! For those that don’t know, November is (unofficially) National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. It should really be InNoWriMo, because it has been Inter-national for a number of years. I won’t repeat words here to tell you what it is (just click the link above to go to their website!) all I will say is that it’s a month where people aim to write a whole novel in 30 days!
Writing a novel is no small feat, and in a month is even harder, so I commend all those that took part. That is, however, not the topic of this blog – not directly anyway. The ‘Write’ Habits will be my contribution to existing and aspiring writers, by offering tips and suggestions over the next 12 months. Writing can be a lonely chore sometimes, even though most writers would agree with me that it’s an addiction (of sorts!) that you just can’t not do. We all need encouragement, help, and handy guidance from time to time. In these posts I’ll be sharing things I do to continually write, habits I’ve learned, things that don’t work for me, mistakes I’ve made, and guidance from fellow writers.
Here’s the first tip: Write Every Day!
Whether you are working on a novel or not, the habit of making time each and every day will hone your skills, it’ll prepare you for those odd bouts of writer’s block (which I rarely suffer from as I almost always have multiple projects going on!) Even if it’s a poem, or free-association, and even if it’s only for a few minutes, sitting down with pen and paper, or fingers at the keyboard, it’s solidifying the habit.
Short and sweet, stay tuned for more tips next time!
About the author: Anthony Donnelly is author of The Shepherd, a short, inspirational parable about life growth and living more consciously, which he’s promoting right now for ONLY 99 cents. In additon, he has over six other published works. He is a business consultant and life guide, and spends his time in Costa Rica, Europe, and North America.