As a follow-up to last week’s list of resources for National Novel Writing Month, this article will serve as a list of ways in which to boost your motivation for the home stretch of NaNo. The third week is always the most difficult week of the month. You will start to enter some slumps, perhaps even lose the motivation to write for a day or two. Or maybe, your life will start to get hectic, and when you do sit down to write, you’re so exhausted that nothing comes of it. We’ve all been there, whether it’s dejected or overworked or just plain bored with our writing. Here are a few good resources for upping your motivation as the month continues.
1. Read some pep talks
While there are frequent pep talks that come out through the month, you also have access to a whole list of pep talks from previous years. Sometimes, taking those extra few minutes to read some encouraging words is all it takes to keep you going. My personal favorite pep talk is the one by Lemony Snicket.
2. The Thoughts Room
As part of The Quiet Place Project, The Thoughts room is a wonderful, relaxing web-based place where you can let your thoughts rest. The Quiet Place Project also has some other lovely resources you can access at the bottom of the page, depending on your needs. While this isn’t direct, hype-you-up motivation, I find it to be a wonderful place to go when life gets hectic, as it always does in November.
3. Create a vision board
Vision boards have become popular recently, and while you may not be the most artistic person (I know I’m not) it’s still a project worth doing. Whether you list your goals for writing, paste up pictures of your characters, or write out quotes and affirmations, creating a personalized vision board on an empty wall in your house, in your writing notebook, or even in a Word document can be essential in motivating yourself to write.
4. Join the conversation
Sometimes all you need to keep going is to know people are with you. You can do this in multiple ways, and I strongly recommend all of them. The first way is to check out the NaNo forums. There are always people willing to talk, whether you add on to a thread or create your own. Don’t be afraid of reaching out to other participants in this way, especially if they are in your regional forums as well. The second way is to update on social media. I create daily posts listing my word count, how much coffee I’ve had that day, and whether or not I’m maintaining my sanity, among other things. There is much to be said for the motivation a few likes on your reports can yield. The third way, and perhaps the most difficult and most motivating, is to let the most important people in your life know what you’re doing. It’s tough to combat the motivation that comes with the wish to avoid letting your loved ones down.
Motivation is difficult to come by, especially when writing is such a lonely thing. Adapt the above list to your own needs, and keep pushing through this difficult week. You’ll thank yourself when you reach the end.
