National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo is underway! Novel writing is a form of artistic expression, with its hardships and sweet rewards. Thus, this month of November we encourage you to write freely, without distractions to allow you to unleash your true creative self.

What is NaNoWriMo you ask? Let us give you a rundown.

NaNoWriMo began in 1999, challenging people to write a novel in November. NaNoWriMo is a non-profit organization that helps people achieve their creative goals by providing them with the tools and platforms necessary to become an author. The organization acts as a social network for writers, helping them track words, and keep them motivated. Communal writing sessions take place coordinated via volunteers around the world in cafes, libraries, and other communal areas. Numerous novels have been published, written during NaNoWriMo and each year authors offer their valuable insights in the form of pep talks. NaNoWriMo also has a Young Writers Program in which writers under 18 are encouraged to write without any constraints to their creativity.

Now that we’ve established what NaNoWriMo is and what it stands for, here’s how to celebrate it using some novel writing tips!

National Novel Writing Month is the perfect time for you to write your first book or second or even third! Let your creative side run wild.

Develop a Story Idea:

Take time to figure out what you want to write about, the general idea behind your story.

Create Complex Characters:

Characters need to have a depth to them that resonates with the reader and draws them in. With real-life complexity and real-life problems, albeit in a fictional setting.

Construct a Detailed Plot or Outline:

Writing your plot outline helps keep you on track and keeps your story in a good structure.

Build a Strong World:

Settings are the backdrops for your characters. They help set the tone of your novel and play an important part in your characters’ journey.

Organize Your Life for Writing: 

Use the checklist provided by NaNoWriMo to get started. Divide up your chores, pre-plan your meals, prioritize your responsibilities in advance, and set up your comfy writing space for starters!

Find and Manage Your Time:

Writing 1667 words a day is a daunting task, however, by keeping your schedule free and your daily tasks at a minimum, as well as using techniques such as Promodoro, you can achieve your goal!

Novel writing can be time-consuming and mentally exhaustive. Keeping this in mind, one can set up a schedule in many different ways. This can be done by slotting time for yourself to write early in the morning, for either 20 minutes or 2 hours straight. Similarly, it could be that you write for 30 minutes every day on weekdays and then for 3-4 hours on the weekend. Try using the Promodoro technique, 25 minutes of writing with 5-minute breaks in between. There is no need to keep going back and editing what you have written. Just focus on reaching your word count for every single day and stop doubting yourself. Remember, even a bad draft is better than no draft at all. Once written, it can always be fixed but you can't fix what's never been written.

Writing is a labor of love. It takes time, effort, and dedication. We, at Austin Macauley Publishers, realize this fact and commend all the writers out there for taking the time and effort to write their creativity down to share with others. Our teams of highly qualified and experienced editors, proofreaders, illustrators, and designers allow us to give prospective authors a chance to take their writing to another level. This is one of the reasons why we have a fully open submissions policy, inviting work from both fresh and seasoned authors. An open submissions policy means that we accept unsolicited manuscripts without any literary agent. We are currently accepting submissions across all genres. You can submit your manuscript to us via email at [email protected], via post to the Submissions Department, Austin Macauley Publishers, 40 Wall Street, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10005 USA, or via our online form.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch. We are here to help you achieve your dream of becoming a published author. This National Novel Writing Month, finish your novels or write new ones using our novel writing tips and send us your manuscripts. We’re waiting!