National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo)

I currently have two books I am promoting and one, Writing is Easy that is in the editing process. I am promoting it as well. So how does a writer work on marketing and promoting AND write?

This question drips of writing obstacles and writing distractions. This scenario is no different than the grass needing mown and the hedges requiring a trim. There is no end-all and be-all answer, as is true in much of the writing life.

We all have pressing issues. Marketing and promoting books takes time. Mountains of it, unless you have deep pockets and pay PR folk their outrageous fees. A writer must, MUST find that 'discipline' aspect of writing that fits his personality. For some, this 'discipline' can take on a daily word count persona. For others, their writing discipline may be no ice cream until a chapter is written - a reward system.

Personally, this time of year, I love Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). www.nanowrimo.com is an incredible tool that will jump-start many writers. The basics are: write 50,000 words in the thirty days of November. You can sign up anytime, even during the month of November.

50,000 can be an intimidating number. I achieved victory two years ago, clocking in at 50,183 words in 29 days. Last year, I only completed 36,000 words. Only. How many writers would be thrilled with 36,000 words? Far too many.

This year, I am making sure I complete 1667 words per day. This is the necessary daily word count to reach the magic 50,000. I can write 1667 words in one hour. Understand this - Nanowrimo is not about "pretty" writing. It IS about getting words on your hard drive. Many of these words will be cut out. Many will be changed/edited dramatically.

The important factor here is that you as an author are writing. Nanowrimo is nothing more than a writing challenge. Nanowrimo is a contest. You are a guaranteed winner of this contest, as long as you put the 50,000 words in.

Yes, you could cheat, but what good would that do you? You would walk around, bragging how you won Nanowrimo, knowing full well you failed. Nanowrimo is about building confidence. How? By proving to yourself you can put down 50,000 words in one month.

One thing the completion of Nanowrimo DOES do is take away many of your favorite excuses. Once you write 50,000 words in thirty days, even you know this is novel length work. Based on this kind of output, an author could produce twelve manuscripts a year.

50,000 words is truly not that many. As I said before, I can write the daily quota in one hour. The year I won Nanowrimo, I wrote in bursts. Some days I would key 500 words, others, 5000. One day that year, I keyed 10,000 words in one day. I had fallen behind on my word count and needed 15,000 to get caught up. I wrote the 10,000 one day, hit my daily count the next two, then made up the other 5,000 the third day.

Nanowrimo challenges you as a writer to establish daily writing goals, then meet them. No one is looking over your shoulder. Heck, no one even cares if you finish- except you. Prove to yourself you can write book length in one month and all the sudden your writing confidence will soar.

You must continue to write even though you have books out. You must find ways to keep yourself tuned into your muse and your writing voice. As writers, we have no lack of subjects to write on. The only thing that truly stops us is death and ourselves. The death thing we can't do anything about. Spurring ourselves on is something we all must actively pursue.

Try out Nanowrimo. It's free. It's fun. It's a tool that may get you into that writing groove that has eluded your writing life. Twenty-one days develops a habit. Slip yourself into a daily writing routine. Use Nanowrimo this month. You writing career may thank you.