*stares bleary eyed at the screen*
*watches the cursor blink rhythmically and contemplates falling back asleep*
*decides to make a cup of tea instead*
Hello, people! I assume we all know what day it is! *blinks* You don’t? *shuffles over to my calendar and flips over the page*
IT’S NANOWRIMO!!
Y’all, if you know me then you know… I love this challenge! XD There’s just something about it that’s so freeing. Maybe because it forces me to get words in whether I feel they’re any good or not because I know I have to write *something* if I want to make my goal.
I feel like there’s a quote for this. Yep. Yep, there definitely is. Hold on, one sec…
You may not write well every day, but you can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page. ~Jodi Picoult
There it is. XD I love this quote. But I find it can be so hard to actually follow through with this. I mean, tell me I’m not the only one who struggles to write words knowing full well that they’re trash??
*counts hands in the crowd* Yeah, I thought so.
Well, lucky for you, this is what I got on to talk about today.
How to Start the Flow of Words
So it’s the first day of Nano, we’ve already established that. The big question is, what do we do now?
If your day started anything like mine then you got up with all this energy and excitement. You couldn’t wait to put pen to paper. You grab your supplies, hit the couch…
And stare at the blank page.
Yeah. I know this feeling all too well.
What happened to that excitement that was overflowing just moments before? You may even have an outline so you know what you’re supposed to be writing… But it won’t come out. What do you do?
Instead of giving the generic answer of, “You write,” I have a list of practical suggestions that will immediately jump you right into your story world as well as this challenge! These tips are guarantied to place you in your character’s head and start the flow of words like nothing else can.
Even though the advice to “Just start writing,” is a perfectly valid answer as well. XD I mean, think about it, the only way to get anywhere is to simply start! But still. Achem. I do have more suggestions than that…
1. Mood Music
One of my favorite things to do when coming up with a new story idea is to create a playlist. This is very important to me because this playlist will be what I listen to for however long it takes me to write this novel. These songs are my ticket to starting that creative flow.
When I create a writing playlist I make sure to have a balance of both instrumental and lyrical songs because I enjoy listening to both while I’m writing depending on the day. Discover what you prefer and ensemble a playlist that reminds you of your characters as well as your story.
Find songs that your characters would listen to! Then listen to those songs while writing that character. Let me tell you, this is one of my favorite ways to jump into a character’s head.
Because, let’s face it, it can be hard to enter the right headspace for each character that you write. And maybe you have more than one main character (like I do for my current novel). So now you’re not only worried about getting into one character’s head but two.
Complicated, right?
But it doesn’t have to be. If you use these tips then I promise you’ll see a difference.
2. Aesthetics
Right next to music for me are all the pretty aesthetics. *heart eyes* Seriously, all the collages, character boards, mood boards, and more! I love them.
There are a few ways you can create fun aesthetics for your story. Possibly my favorite way is, of course, creating a Pinterest board.
When I come up with a new story idea, whether I have a complete idea or not, I create a Pinterest board. This helps me to see my ideas come to life and it also stimulates more ideas to come. You get to see your story in front of you and not just in your head. And if you’re more of a visual person then you’ll want to do this for sure.
But beyond Pinterest boards, you can create fun character collages! Or create a collage for your story as a whole. This is easier to do if you’ve already created a Pinterest board because then you simply take pins off of there and piece them together for a collage.
My favorite tool for this is Canva. They have already made templates you can use or, if you’re feeling especially creative, then you can start one from scratch. This is how I create all of mine.
3. Find Your Beverage of Choice
Whether you’re a coffee or tea drinker, having a go-to beverage can really help you when you sit down to write. Something fun that I love to do is assign a different drink to each novel that I write.
I’m a die-hard tea drinker (sorry, coffee fans) so I usually pick a new flavor for each novel. For Project: Detective it was London Fogs. For the novel I’ve been writing this summer, it’s chai.
No joke, to this day when I drink a London Fog or chai it makes me think of those stories. Discovering this has been a life saver for me!
4. Candles
*sigh*
There’s something magical about candles. Whenever I light one it instantly puts me that much more in the mood to write. In fact, when I was writing Project: Detective I found I couldn’t get the words to flow until I lit one.
Something fun that I like to do to take this to the next level is find candles that fit the vibe of my story. For example, my novel that I’m writing this month (Project: Miss Marple) is set in the fall and I’m hoping to make a fall scented candle soon. This helps to instantly put me in the desired head space for what I’m writing.
And if this is something that you enjoy as well then it’s your lucky day! Because I actually have an Etsy shop where I sell 100% natural and safe-burning candles. That way you can find candles with all the fun, bookish scents without worrying about the bad properties in candles.
I can even work with you to create a scent that is specifically meant for your story. I recently took the listing for this off of my Etsy shop, however, so if this is something you’re interested in simply message me and I’ll see if I’m able to do it or not!
Conclusion
Form habits and stick with them. That’s more important than anything I listed above. Consistency is key to a writer’s success.
Create a routine and don’t stray from it. Get to a place that when you turn on a certain song from one of your character’s playlist, it instantly makes you think of that character and, in turn, you’ll go, “Ahh! Now I want to write that story!”
Or when you drink a certain tea or light a certain candle it’ll cause those neurons to fire and suddenly you want to throw your schedule to the wind, sit down, and write. Seriously. This happens to me all the time.
And it can happen to you too.
These are my go to methods for helping me get the words flowing and down onto the page. But now it’s your turn! Go out and experiment for yourself to discover what works specifically for you.
Don’t be afraid to try new things. You won’t know if it works for you or not unless you give it a go. But on the flip side of that, don’t be disappointed if something doesn’t work for you like you wish it would’ve. You are your own person, not anyone else. Just because something worked for one person, doesn’t mean it’ll work for you.
And above all, have fun! Nano can be stressful and hectic, yes. But it doesn’t have to be. Remember that writing is an art! Play with words and enjoy the feel of beautiful prose.
Remember why you love writing.
And then go write.
How do you get the words flowing? What are some of your go to methods for getting in the right head space for your story? Can you relate with any of these tips?
(Re-posted from Allyson Jamison's Blog!)
Catch ya on the flip side! _Mac 🤎