Getting Around the Block - Writer's Block - with NaNoWriMo
by Elizabeth Solar
We have been awaiting November with a mix of dread and excitement. The possibilities of what could be…or the disappointment and devastation of having our hopes dashed. Another piece about election season? Are you kidding? Haven’t we had enough of that? No, this is about that pivotal time of year when aspiring writers set their sights on becoming Authors.
Each year we celebrate the season called National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. So, if your goal is to publish a novel next year, you best get crackin’ this year. And with trees shedding their leaves, with the days getting colder and darker, and the overall tenor of the year known as 2020, you have the time and opportunity to get on the writing track.
Some backstory on NaNoWriMo:
National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now worldwide, this only-writers community has motivated hundreds of thousands of people get their writing mojo on. A non-profit organization since 2006, NaNoWriMo is a social network for scribes. One great feature is the ability to track your daily, weekly, and cumulative word-count, just as you would count calories or steps on your Fitbit.
You say you have some great ideas, but you just can’t commit them to paper? Or the creative well has run dry? Or, you have lost the motivation – or will to live – until conditions improve? Regardless of the times, we all suffer from writer’s block. Heck, some of us have elevated it to an art form. But don’t despair. We have a few strategies to jump start your imagination, and get the ideas flowing again.
Read. Writers read. And readers can write. We draw our inspiration from Source Material. For instance, nearly every trope in a hero’s journey traces its governance back to Greek or Roman mythology, or the Bible. It’s said there are only two stories: The stranger comes to town, and the stranger leaves town. Sometimes the stranger never leaves town. Which I guess leaves us with one story.
Reading, whether fiction or non-fiction gets the creative juices flowing. Reading a diversity of writers broadens our worldview and opens our minds to new concepts, cultures and ideas. Films, television, fine art and music can also take us to places unknown that can stoke our drive to commit text to paper, or screen.
Get experienced. Our own experience, the world around us provides endless ideas. Let’s take the year 2020. Or you can leave it. But you have to admit, it’s never dull. The near dystopia of our daily lives has provided endless fodder for some pretty dark writing, based on my own tribe’s output.
Get physical. Take a walk. Or do something – anything – that will take your mind off the fact that you can’t come up with a sentence, let alone an idea. Get outside, and out of your head. You’ll be surprised by how a little distance, and some time away from your inner critic, can help release the storyteller within.
Map It Out. If you do have a story, but lack discipline to get it all down on whatever your chosen format, organize. I am the worst offender when it comes to imposing order on mywriting. That’s why I –
Write it down. Write it all down. No matter how clunky, nonsensical, out of context or sequence, just commit it to text. No one is grading you or judging you. Shut down your self sensor. Think of it as a warmup. Start with a few unrelated sentences. Write gibberish if that’s what moves you. You’ll find and develop that muscle that wants to tell a story naturally falls into one, and then, look at you – you not only have pages, but perhaps the start of a novel or short story. Or haiku. No matter. You, my friend, are in the writing groove.
Not to overwhelm you, a few more things to think about: Develop a writing routine. Like exercise, learning an instrument, or memorizing a presentation, a writing practice is just that – a practice. Since it takes at least 21 days to form a habit, make an appointment to write. Put it on the calendar and be consistent.
If something isn’t working, just stop and write something new. Unapologetically forge ahead.Use music as a soundtrack to your writing. It creates mood, energy and provokes feelings.
Get off the damn internet. Yes, it a great resource for researching your book, but ten minutes into your ‘research’ you’re kneed-deep in Amazon orders, or and in a maze of social media chat both repellant and impossible to leave. And who needs that?
Ditch perfectionism. Let your writing be good enough. Sure, you can spin your wheels and fall into a well of depression reworking that chapter, page, paragraph or even just the right word till it’s perfect. Well, guess what? You’re not perfect. Neither is your writing. Often imperfection is where the genius lives.
Finally, you could ascribe to the Hemingway rule of writing: Write drunk. Edit sober.Before you assume I advocate or condone literary alcoholism, let me explain. Write with joy andwithout inhibition. Be free and fierce and flamboyant in that draft. The sober inner critic will help you clean up your prose when the party’s over.
If you need support, there are hundreds of thousands of people just like you who want to write it all down this November. Lest you think only a novel will do, try a short story, essay, or poem, it’s all good. You do you. Getting to 50-thousand words is not the point. It’s getting started. One. Word. At. A. Time. Banish that inner critic long enough to enjoy the adventure of exploring your creative geography. Find your tribe, follow your passion and discover more about National Novel Writing Month nanowrimo.org.
