November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo--a organized blitz for novelists to write a 50,000-word novel from start to finish in one month. Writers come together to encourage, support, and push one another to meet the NaNoWriMo goal.
Even if you're not writing a novel, goal-setting is a good thing. Break NaNoWriMo's 50,000 words down into daily amounts (1,667 words per day if you're writing every day; more if you take a day or two off each week). Even if you don't meet the goal every day, keeping track of your progress will motivate you to write consistently.
The more you write, the better you get at it. Writing is like a muscle you need to exercise every day to keep it in tip-top shape.
If you commit to NaNoWriMo, you'll need to write every day--otherwise you'll wake up on November 30 witih 48,000 words to go. Writing every day for a month will get you into the habit, and you'll find you miss writing on the days you don't do it.
Online writers typically write pieces of 250-650 words, which means you'll need to write about three to seven pieces per day during NaNoWriMo. If you write each piece for a different site, you'll increase the number of times your name shows up in feeds and search engines each day.
For online writers, the more you write, the more you earn. Writing 90-210 pieces in a month gives you a lot of opportunities for income. A well-diversified online writer can utilize their NaNoWriMo goals to build up a strong library for revenue share income while also bringing in a steady amount from up-front fees.
If you have another job that takes time away from your writing, 50,000 words might be an overly ambitious goal. Since NaNoWriMo isn't an official competition, you can adjust your goal to meet your particular situation and still take advantage of the NaNoWriMo spirit.
Great tips, whether or not you're writing a novel. Thanks!
I hadn't thought of using NaNoWriMo for online article writing, but that's a fantastic idea. Think of the number of articles you could get done in 30 days!
select one here...