Motivation

[dreadfulpenny81]

Hello all! This is my third attempt at NaNoWriMo. The first attempt was utter failure and last year when I signed up, I was making good time until I got sick and was miserable for almost the whole month.
Now I'm feeling fit and ready, but I'm trying to keep myself motivated. What do you do when you're in the same situation?

Comments

[akedhi]

One thing I've done is promise myself a treat of some kind when I hit a certain word-count. Like 'after I finish this scene, I can go make myself some hot cocoa.' (There should be more examples than that, but I can't actually remember some of the other things I did.)

It sounds a little silly, but I found it sometimes helped to be going 'okay, five hundred to go, three hundred to go, I can totally write one hundred more words, yay hot cocoa!'

This is something I haven't tried, but I went to a write-in last year, and someone had had the idea of making a chart they filled in with stickers as they hit various milestones. So, you do your first 1667 words and you put a sticker down, etc, etc. I think it's the same kind of motivation - you accomplish something and you reward yourself.

[rinkafic]

I set myself a goal when I sit down. I will write for x hours or I will write Y # of words or I will finish such and such scene.

When I find myself straying from my little goal, I hit the Wrimo forums to either get a giggle from a dare, cheer someone else up, or just distract myself a little without losing sight of the fact that it is November and Nano time.

[funkyturtle]

There is no motivation. There is only the word count. Write 1667 words every day. Period. Days previous do not matter. Days in front do not matter. You are not writing 50k. You are writing 1667 words today. That is all you think about. That is all you know.

[ridiculouso_o]

Don't motivate yourself, not really, till it actually begins. Before NaNo starts, just keep working on your plot. When it's done and there's time left, read your favorite book, sift through random magazines, dance, do whatever (so long as it ain't illegal ;]).

On the first day of November, just take a deep breath and type. Type for all your worth. Take a break when you're tuckered out. Then do something else for an hour. Then type. That's all there is to it! :D

This is my first time doing NaNo but I've been doing stuff similar to NaNo by myself alone, and it works :D

And do hit the forums when you're feeling off. It'll help! :)

G'luck,
♥ Mel.