I am not a runner. I am not a jogger. I’m not even a power walker unless I am in a grocery store trying to get what I need and get out because there are too many people and I am peopled the hell out. Which is, like, always, and also why I prefer human contact through a computer screen, but that’s neither here nor there.
In order to run or jog it’s important to warm up and practice before doing a marathon, otherwise, you run the risk of doing yourself serious damage. Writing is no different. You may be sitting in one place, but your fingers and your mind sure aren’t. So October is a great month to warm up to the word count you want to accomplish during November.
A good method that I like is word sprints. The NaNo boards have great threads for this where you can check in with other people who are doing the same thing and they can offer encouragement and camaraderie. If you aren’t used to writing much start off with 200 – 300 words. Find a prompt that sparks something for you. Or, if you prefer, write to a time limit, like 15 minutes. If you can, keep going, if not take a break and then do it again in ten minutes or so. Carve out a little time a couple times a day to practice sprinting. That will train your fingers and your brain to take off and go, and you can build up your endurance along the way.
I write year round, but I also write inconsistently. Due to day job constraints, health, and real life with all its un-lovely curveballs, I may go a couple weeks or a month without writing much. Other times I may work steadily for weeks. That comes with its own price tag, namely stiff fingers and sore wrists, as well as mental exhaustion. This fall I have been making myself work nearly every day on my writing, though much of that has been revision and editing, which require different warm-ups than straight writing. That consistency has helped better me by training my mind to get into focus when I need it, rather than when it feels like it.
I’ve found my Novembers tend to start off explosive because I’m excited and ready to create, but if I haven’t warmed up properly beforehand I tend to slack off around the middle of the month and then struggle to catch up by the end. I’ve always managed to by sheer force of will and absolute pig-headedness, but that’s not a good habit to stick with. It doesn’t help me outside of November, and it doesn’t better my work ethic.
With seven days left until NaNo starts, there’s really no better time to start practicing so you’re ready to take off from the start line and keep yourself on track all the way to the finish.
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