TIPS

Write with someone else also writing. Less likely to waste time when writing with someone else

Use tools to help you find time to write when you are ready to knock out your daily word count goal.

Pick a task tracker calendar

Asana

Google Calendar

Pomodoro timers

Tomato-timer.com

Focus To-Do free app

Have a standing time with yourself each day that you cannot miss, barring an emergency.

Don't over-commit in your social life because you're optimistic about your ability to write quickly.

Reclaim your time

This challenge requires focus. No one is going to fault you socially for choosing to remain focused in order to reach your writing goal.

Chunk it down

Break up writing times into multiple shorter writing stints. Unless you ramp up your cadence you're going to need to allocate enough hours to your writing goal to hit your target goal.

Remember all of us NaNoWriMo authors are in this together! If you need a writer buddy to help you stay on track reach out in the forum or try to connect with someone virtually or at a write-in. We're almost halfway through the month and the time is ticking. Keep those fingers clicking.

In the next episode, I will share some wellness tips to keep you healthy through the rest of the month.

Thanks for listening.

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

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Welcome back.

I want to take a moment and check in with you.
Were you able to pass your word count goal for today? Double it? Or, is your home the cleanest it's ever been?

If you've answered A or B, way to go! I knew you had it in you!

If you strongly resonate with that third answer, then this is the show for you.

Here are a few ways to find it in yourself to keep going with your novel this month.

• You're writing a novel. Understand that It's going to be a long process. Writers take many months to write this amount of words. Years or decades even. You're doing it in a single month.
• You are not alone. Right now someone else, very likely in your town, is sitting down staring at a blank page willing their hands to keep writing their novel. You want them to continue, don't you? I want you to continue. You can do it.
• So many people have tried before they even got started. You've already come this far. Keep going.
• You are the only one who can write your story. People want to hear what you have to share. But they can only do that if you write it down, and you can only write it down if you take the time and write it. Right now. It's time.

Take a few minutes to look at some social media sites.
Facebook
-
Use the search phrase "NaNoWriMo" to find groups and pages filled with motivation and encouraging words.
Twitter
-
Use the Hashtags NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo2018 Twitter

Follow @amadvox on Twitter for reshares and encouragement from/for #NaNoWriMo participants.

I'm curious to know what keeps you motivated? Let me know on Twitter by using the hashtag #amadvox and I'll check it out.

Tomorrow is another day. Another chance to take your novel to new heights and write your story. So many people are doing NaNoWriMo around the world. You may know some of them. They want to share their novels and they want you to be able to share yours. Do it for them.

Finally, there's one reason for motivation that is uniquely yours. The only novel that can capture that voice is the one that you write. It's what made you take on the challenge in the first place. Because you had the thought that you could. And you can. And I hope you continue to give it a try.

Thanks for listening.

Here's to getting more words down tomorrow than you dreamed possible. Let's connect.

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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Welcome back to A Mad Vox podcast NaNoWriMo Edition. This is the 9th day of NaNoWriMo, and we are heading into the weekend. Today's episode is about how to harness the momentum of the weekend and use it to help you write strong through the rest of the month.

Congratulations, writer, for doing this challenge. It's not easy but definitely something worth attempting. It will change your ability to make something with impact for the better in the future. Whether you get 50 words or 5000 words written this weekend, you're taking advantage of a great opportunity to grow your creativity mindset and I want to commend you for that.

If you've taken the action of signing up for NaNoWriMo and declared your novel, you are amazing!

Let's get to those weekend tips:

You have 2 days or 48 hours in the weekend. So plan out a realistic amount of time to hit the word count goal you want to reach.

Whether that means staying up late to write as many words as possible or getting up very early to get a jumpstart on the day. Do that!

Take into account your cadence and plot out those hours and I would recommend if you can get your word count within the first two hours of being awake in the morning that will set you up for having additional hours to get in more writing later in the day.

Today's write-in status/testimonial (hint... it was great)! I doubled my hourly cadence!

If you find a write-in that you enjoy you should add your buddies as your buddy on the NaNoWriMo website.

• That will help you stay in touch
• and help you keep each other accountable

Use the momentum to continue to build your word count!

There are several tools on the site itself that you can use to help you track your word count, do solo word sprints or organize virtual group sprints.

In addition to listing links to other word counters that will help you stay on track each day, you can use the word count updater on the top right section of the site if you're logged in, to update your own progress each time you complete a writing milestone. Personally, I like to use it after every single word sprint to stay motivated to beat that goal for next time.

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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This is the 8th day of NaNoWriMo. Now that we're officially out of the first week I have a feeling that you're feeling some kind of way about your recent decision to attempt to write a 50K word novel by the end of the month.

This show goes out to anyone who finds themselves working out why they signed up for this challenge during one of the shortest months of the year while also realizing that non-writing life stuff still needs to be managed.

Flex Your Pace
Time: 1 hr
Using your one-hour writing cadence as a word count goal, try to hit that number in 30 minutes.

Take a five-minute break, then try to do it again in 15 minutes.

Take a 2.5 minute break, then try to hit half of your original cadence in 7.5 minutes.

For example: if you can write 1000 words per hour, try to write that amount in 30 minutes. Then try to hit that number again, but in 15 minutes. Then for the last sprint, write 500 words. 
How'd you do?

Did you write 2X or 3X your original cadence over this hour?

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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Hello and welcome to AMV NaNoWriMo Edition.
On this 7th day of NaNoWriMo. I'm so excited that I've been able to share daily tips that can help you get through this month of novel writing and I want to pass that excitement on to you and encourage you with even more ways to approach your story will keep you pumped for each day's writing session.

There are a plethora of possibilities with your novel at this stage. I mean, it's only day 7.

Plotters:

Take your outline and flesh parts of your story in any order that you prefer to write, not necessarily in the order listed. Remember, when you're finished no one will be able to tell what you wrote first, but you will have enjoyed the process that much more!

Pantsers:

This is a chance for you to write with abandon, letting your characters run wild, and letting them get entangled in a plot. Like little kids in a room with silly string and no grown-ups around until the last can is emptied.

Plantsers:

Pick which section excites you the most and flesh that part out first. If you find out one part isn't really working for you as well, then feel free to plot out another point and write that.

If you find yourself stuck and looking for a prompt I've got one for you. Playing with favorites.
Start with a favorite.
word, food, tv show. Have one of your characters say it in a sentence.
Think of what their favorite food would be to eat? PB & J?
Perhaps they can't cook and that's the go-to meal that covers 3/4 food groups. Sure let's go with that.

Example:
If you're writing about characters going on a road trip, the less likely the fav food item is to be available for the character(s) to eat it, the better.
Have your characters develop a craving and send them on a wild goose chase. Or think of a way to incorporate this favorite into a quest that they decide it's worth making a side trip for.
You can use this prompt as warm up to what you plan to write today, or you can use it as a fun way to get you to your daily word count goal.

Each day is a new day to start fresh!

Celebrate your journey each step of the way!

Writing the 50,000th word this month should not be the first time you commemorate your effort.

Have you started writing a novel this month? That's amazing!
Have you reached your word count on any given day so far? That is a good reason for a celebration right now.

Are you able to do it again today? I think you can and I hope will give it a try.

I would love your feedback on the show. What would you like me to talk about next? Let me know #amadvox or @amadvox on Twitter.

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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This is the 6th day of NaNoWriMo. Many writers get stuck because they can't finish the first paragraph. Others get stuck because they can't beyond the first paragraph.

When readers start a novel their minds are looking to get into the story right away. There's only one way to go and that is forward.

They have no idea how long it took the author to agonize over each word or sentence before placing it just so. That reader just wants to see your story and have a grand ol' time.

How can you learn to give the people what they want and learn to move forward?

Most writers are readers, and most readers are used to seeing a story just play out. What you may not know is that writers don't necessarily write the stories as the readers read them. They have a few, sometimes more than a few, rounds of revisions and editing. I'm talking about the pros here. If their work can stand a few rounds of revision then why do we feel that we must put everything down on the page perfectly in the first pass as it is meant to be read in its final form?

Before the galley copies and the proofreading like your livelihood depends on it this is your chance to have fun, to try something new. To experiment with the imperfect; learning to enjoy the process of imperfect writing on the first pass.

This will take four (4) word sprints of 15 to 20 minutes.

• In your first word sprint write an action-packed scene with multiple characters in your story as you normally would.
• In your second word sprint, try to write that same scene as retold from a different character's POV.
• If you are writing from an omniscient narrator's POV, do the same thing with a word sprint for an action-packed scene. Try changing that narration to a first-person POV of a character.
• For the last word sprint trying switching the scene from an omniscient narrator to a character who is the least knowledgeable about what's happening as the exciting scene unfolds all around them. This could be a stranger passing by, an animal, or a small child.

Read these back and see if there's one version that draws you in more than the others. Is the most interesting scene version written in a POV that you weren't initially using to write your story?

Of course, you can go back and rewrite the scene the normal way that's consistent with the rest of your story and get even more words toward your goal as long, as you don't delete the words from the initial word sprint! You're welcome.

Did you try this experiment? I'm curious to know if your POV on writing imperfectly has changed. Let me know by using #amadvox on twitter and I'll be sure to check them out.

By now you have a new way to move forward in your novel and keep the interest of the reader top-of-mind vs. the writer who is hesitant to let your story out!

LINKS:
NaNoWriMo website prompts

• @NanoWordSprints
• @Nanowrimo

Find prompts on chatnano.net

With this exercise, you'll be able to reduce the dread in moving forward in writing your story and ramp up the excitement where your reader can't wait to read what you write next!

Tune in next time for tools and tips to get you fired up and ready to rock your next writing session.

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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On  day 5 of NaNoWriMo, let's review the why, the how, and some tools to help you stay focused when writing.

By now, if you're doing NaNoWriMo you've

• set yourself up for success
• figured out what time of day you write best
• are making those connections to get your accountability and catch-up plans in place

Today it's time to get yourself focused while writing.

This strategy will keep you on track for the rest of the month.
Doing NaNo is more like a marathon than a sprint. You're going to want something that'll keep you motivated when you can no longer see the starting line and the finish line is not yet in sight.

Pool example.

Using a good focus process will help you reach your word count goals each day. To get all of your writing goals where you want them to be, start with getting one idea into focus in a way that makes it simple to execute. Once you have done that, then picking another idea and repeating the process is much easier. Before long you'll have your first draft coming along quite nicely.

FOCUS = Follow One Course Until Successful.

Some people think that writers are naturally mature enough to set a goal to write something and to get it done. LOL
Writers use stick and carrot rewards. A.k.a. positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. You may also refer to these as bribery and threats.

As any moderately tech-savvy person has discovered, there's an app for that. The struggles of writing have been gamified for us.

Written? Kitten!

http://writtenkitten.net/

Set word counts at either 100, 200, 500, 1000 words, and see a cute animal once you reach your goal.

Fighter's Block

https://alternativeto.net/software/fighter-s-block-/

Write to the word the limit and before the time limit to beat an enemy. If you stop writing you lose XP!

Write or Die

https://v2.writeordie.com/

The OG writing tool of consequence for slacking off.

Whatever method you choose, get those word sprints in!

Bribe-I mean, positive incentive, or a negative consequence?

Let me know on Twitter @amadvox.
Hashtag your answer with #amadvox and I'll be sure to check it out.

If you have any topics you'd like to hear about, send me a tweet. Thanks for listening and please subscribe in your fav podcatcher!

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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Let's Catch Up.

First, let's do some math.
Once you're behind you are no longer trying to write 1667 words/day.
Reality is, this is now how much you need to write to finish NaNoWriMo if you're one day behind; 1725 words per day.

Try to front-load your word count as much as possible.

It happens ...
we're human...
Sometimes we need a break... once in a while.

Three tips to catch you up:

• Do the math to keep realistic expectations of what you have left to write.
• Learn your writing cadence. Do you know how many words per day or per hour you typically write?
• Know that you can do this!

Today we focused on catching up. Next time, we'll review how to stay focused.

What specific topic do you want to learn about this month?

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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Make a Connection
Day 3 of NaNoWriMo brings us a tool that will be immensely helpful in maintaining your streak or exceeding it. This is a tool that can make or break your NaNoWriMo experience.

Tool: Connection

3 ways to stay connected.

How do you connect with others?

• Word sprints!

ChatNaNo.net - sign in and join a room to get started with doing words sprints with a buddy (or a few) in your timezone.

• Go to an in-person write in
• Do a virtual Write-in

Follow @NaNoWriMo on Twitter and do sprints there.

This will help you learn to write on a time deadline.

How do word sprints work best for you?

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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Set yourself up for success.

Sometimes first-time NaNo writers give up before they really get started.

Decide that you want to succeed

It's a daily commitment and it's going to take a lot of your time and effort. Writing 1667 words per day will get you there. Writing more than that will get you there faster.

Set aside enough time to write

It goes without saying that you can't succeed if you don't give yourself sufficient time to do so. You may have to give up something that you're doing in your day to day that is not moving you toward your writing goal. That habit may be eating up some valuable time that you could use to get your word count up to the daily limit.

You may need to set some other non-essential tasks aside, at least temporarily, so that you can focus on your writing.

Write at the best time of day for you

It can be self-defeating when you set a goal to wake up to write at 4:30 each morning when you know you're not a morning person. Also, vice versa. Don't try to do everything that you can do in a day and then leave yourself a few minutes at the end of the day where you have to try to speed write to get your word count when you're already exhausted. You want to find a happy medium there. You may need to experiment a little bit to find that happy medium but once you find it, do your best to stick with it for the best results.

What time of day works best for you? Morning, afternoon, or evening?

Find "A Mad Vox" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or almost anywhere you get your podcasts.
 

If you find this show of value, don’t keep it a secret. Please consider sharing this show with someone you know participating in NaNoWriMo, and leaving a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts to let others know about A Mad Vox. Thank you! 

Find the show using search keywords "A Mad Vox" in the App store under the Podcast Category (Arts).

Click on the show page. Find the tab that says "rating and reviews".

Rate the show (Gimme ALL the stars, please! :)) and write a brief review. Then hit submit.

Connect with A Mad Vox on social media! Use #amadvox to join in the conversation.

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