NaNoWriMo Procrastination? No problem!
Photo by Kat Stokes on Unsplash
How did NaNoWriMo go, y’all? Did you hit that 1,667 words per day, or did you feel dread at the thought of even opening your novel's document?
Yeah, us too.
BUT…don’t fret! There are plenty of ways to “procrastinate” NaNoWriMo that you don’t have to feel bad about! Doing all of the below is just as important as writing the book…right? And you can keep working on your book, even if December is right around the corner.
Create Aesthetics
Aesthetics are a surprisingly pleasant way to explore your novel's themes, settings, and characters. Typically comprised of 6-9 squares, aesthetic boards allow you to visualize not only your book's overall vibe, but you can get creative with character aesthetics too!
Here are a few of our recent favourites from Instagram:
Create a Writing Playlist
Maybe one of the most productive things you can do for your novel besides actually writing it is to create a playlist for it! Inspiration can't strike every day, and a writing playlist does a lot of the heavy lifting on those off days.
Bonus: Lots of published authors have their playlists published on Spotify!
Put Notion in Motion
Not familiar with Notion? It's time to get acquainted, because this organization app is going to be your new best friend!
Particularly if you're a visual person, Notion is an amazing tool for writers. Among the thousands of things you can do with Notion, it's particularly useful in:
- Using virtual cue cards to organize your plot;
- Creating setting and character sketches with vibrant, free images;
- Creating visual, moveable family trees;
- Keeping track of edits!
Put your Notion in motion, writers! There's a whole world (and app) to explore as you write your book.
Short on Ideas? Read. Seriously.
The best remedy for a block on ideas is reading! Get lost in someone else's world, but pay attention to their pace, characters, and plot. Every book can teach you something, and we recommend these:
- Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
- Cursed Objects by J.W. Ocker
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
