How Long Should Your Novel Be?

by Lewis / November 19, 2019 / Editing, Other

NaNoWriMo has set the standard for how long a modern novel should be.

Despite this, there continues to be a lot of debate about how many words a “real novel” contains. Some argue it doesn’t matter, while others say anything below one hundred thousand simply isn’t worth reading. Since no one can seem to agree, NaNoWriMo has won the argument by proxy—fifty thousand words has become the new, de facto length of the modern novel.

However, this number doesn’t really give the full picture. Nearly every writer will wonder how long their novel should be at some point, but the truth is that only they can decide. Fortunately, there are some common trends that can guide you if you ever find yourself asking: how long should my novel be?

Your Guide to Staying Inspired During NaNoWriMo

by Lewis / November 14, 2019 / Inspiration, NaNoWriMo

Staying inspired is a challenge for every writer.

Though you may start your story filled with ideas, as you get sucked into the day-to-day work of writing your novel it can become harder to find the original spark that ignited your creativity—and during a writing challenge like NaNoWriMo, this struggle to find your inspiration can be extra stressful.

Fortunately, you don’t need to feel overwhelmed. There are ways to jumpstart your inspiration, no matter how impossible it may seem. In fact, there are two methods that, when used together, can help keep your ideas fresh and your mind creative!

Why You Should Dictate Your Novel for NaNoWriMo

by Lewis / November 12, 2019 / NaNoWriMo

Some days we just can’t help it—we can’t silence our inner editors.

We’re all human after all, and that constant drone of “not good enough” can easily get the better of us. Some of us try to push through this self-doubt, but often all we can do is take a break. Unfortunately, during NaNoWriMo these lost writing days quickly add up.

On the other hand, few writers struggle to explain their novels out loud. Not only do most of us speak faster than we type, but we don’t have to think as hard about what we’re saying—it just comes naturally. All of this raises a question: for a challenge like NaNoWriMo, wouldn’t it be better to dictate your story?

14 Tools to Help You Breeze Through NaNoWriMo

by Lewis / November 7, 2019 / NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo presents many unique challenges.

From keeping track of your word count to avoiding distractions, to even just writing your draft itself, National Novel Writing Month requires a lot of focus and preparation from its participants. Unfortunately, this is often a major factor that discourages new writers from diving in headfirst.

However, there are plenty of great tools out there that can minimize these hurdles—and maybe even improve your writing process overall. Here are my top fourteen tools to help you thrive during this year’s NaNoWriMo!

How to Survive All 4 Weeks of NaNoWriMo

by Lewis / November 5, 2019 / NaNoWriMo

Fall is in the air, and with it comes NaNoWriMo!

By the time this article goes live, we’ll already be a few days into National Novel Writing Month, so I hope you’re well on your way to hitting that coveted 50k. Over the last five years I’ve taken part in my fair share of NaNoWriMos, and they’ve always been a blast!

Of course, even if you jump into NaNoWriMo head first, the challenges you face on day one will be very different from those you face on day thirty. So, to help you prepare for everything NaNoWriMo will bring, here’s my game plan for writing your novel in thirty days!