One of the most difficult things about Camp NaNoWriMo, I feel, is the fact that you really need to be writing every single day. Of course, that is also one of the best things about it, because it forces you to work even when you’re feeling lazy, and it pushes you to make consistent progress. In that way, it’s fantastic. But at the same time, writing every single day is not the easiest task, and I’m pretty sure that everyone who has ever participated in a Camp NaNoWriMo has felt tired and unmotivated at some point during the month. I know I certainly have. So I thought today it might be interesting to talk about some of the ways I stay motivated during Camp NaNoWriMo. As a bonus, some of these tips work year round!
@NaNoWordSprints
During Camp NaNoWriMo months (and also during NaNoWriMo in November) the official NaNoWriMo Word Sprints account on Twitter runs round the clock writing sprints. If you’ve never participated in a writing sprint, it’s basically where you set a time limit, usually for a short chunk of time, like 10-15 minutes, and then you do nothing but write like crazy during that period. Then, when the time’s up, you can take a break, count up your words and see what progress you’ve made. it’s even better when you do it with a bunch of other writers because then you can share word count records, lines you liked, and encourage each other. As a bonus, a lot of the word sprint leaders on the NaNoWriMo Word Sprint account also provide optional writing prompts if you need an extra burst of inspiration.
4 The Words
This is the best writing website I have ever come across. 4 The Words has turned getting your word count into a game, where you battle monsters by writing, earn rewards, customize an avatar, and build a writing streak. Not only that, but you’re on an rpg style fantasy quest. And the awesome folks behind the website run special events during Camp NaNoWriMo to give you an extra little boost. It is a paid website (which I am absolutely not affiliated with in any way. I just love it and use it every day), but you can get a free one month trial, and the subscription is not super expensive. If you can afford it, it’s an absolutely fantastic way to build your writing habit, and motivate yourself to write more. I’ve been using it since last year, and I have a 280 day writing streak, and use it for everything form drafting books to writing blog posts and keeping a journal. It’s that good.
Spotify Playlists
If you like writing with music, then I highly recommend checking out the curated playlists on Spotify. Even when I don’t feel like writing, putting on a good playlist of background music usually helps me get in the right mindset for writing. I personally like the Focus playlists, but I also like the Sleep playlists as well, if I really need to calm my brain down enough to write. Or you can often find movie and video game soundtracks to play in the background, which are designed to put you in a different mind zone and stay in the background while you’re working. It can be super helpful if you find something that matches the feel or tone of the scene you’re writing. You can get a free Spotify account if you don’t have one, so it’s worth checking out.
And some quickie motivation tips not involving the internet or any websites, but things I’ve found super helpful everyday.
Don’t Read Right Before You Write. For me, I either get super into the book and don’t want to stop reading, or my own book looks super flat and badly written when i do shift over.
Fullscreen Your Work. I recommend only having your writing on screen while you’re working. If you’re writing in Google docs, close other tables, and don’t leave dual windows open with a YouTube video or Netflix playing next to your writing. You just won’t write.
Allow Yourself Breaks. Especially on hard writing days when I’m at my least motivated, knowing I’ve got regular breaks scheduled can be the only thing that gets me started. And once I’m started, sometimes I don’t need as many breaks as I think.
Know What You’re Writing Before You Start. Even if you’re a pantser, having a little pointer about what direction you want to take the plot in when you begin can be really helpful> it can be as simple as making a note about where you want the story to go next at the end of each writing session.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up If You Can’t Write Much. There is nothing more demotivating than being super disappointed at the amount of progress you’ve made in a day. Not every day is going to be your best writing day. That’s ok. Another day will be. It all averages out in the end. As long as you’re writing, you’re doing great. That’s all that matters in the end.
These are some of my favourite motivation hacks, all of which I’m putting to good use this Camp NaNoWriMo. Most of them are supremely helpful during the rest of the year too. Hopefully you find some of the useful. But I would love to hear from you. What are some of your best motivation hacks? How do you keep yourself writing, even when you really don’t feel like it? Do you do any of these things on my list? Let’s chat in the comments!
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All great options! I like to give myself breaks, too. It’s much easier to take things in smaller pieces than try to do one solid chunk of writing time.