#youngwriter

mayapoetbe:

tell me

is this forever

am I doomed

to feel this way

-mayapoetbe

mayapoetbe:

you are not trying to forget

what I did to you

you are trying to forget

everything at all

- mayapoetbe (draft)

Due to the onset of the internet and online support programs, young writers are emerging into the writing scene and setting goals to finish novels. However, this can be ambitious, so Smrithi Senthilnathan is offering her advice on how to achieve your goals as a young writer.

I’ve only done NaNoWriMo once before, but I absolutely loved the experience! Not only did I manage to write a full 50k novel, but I also gained a lot of friends and knowledge about the craft of writing. Now I want to pass it on to you, by telling you how you can fulfill your Camp NaNoWriMo goals as a young writer.

Achieve your goals as to set a goal that suits your writing style and life. 

Camp NaNoWriMo is an event where you set your own writing goals. This means that you do not have to set a goal that you think will be too hard for you. If you’re tied up with school work and can only manage to write around 500 words or less per day, you can always set a goal for 10k words. This event is all about making sure you reach your goals. That being said, if you think that April will be a light month for you in terms of other workloads, feel free to set a goal for 100k words or even more. Go crazy, go wild but remember: make sure your goal is doable but don’t make it too easy; it has to be something a little out of your comfort zone, something you’ll need to push yourself to complete. Hence, take some time to evaluate your current situation and what you think will be most apt for you, and then choose your goal accordingly.

Plan ahead of time. 

At heart I am a plotter and I do not even start writing a story without having a completed outline, a couple of character sketches and a good idea of my world (I mostly write fantasy). While I know that a lot of people are pantsers and write stories from scratch, personally I would not advise that, especially if you’re still in the beginning stages of your writing. The NaNoWriMo website has a lot of helpful resources under the NaNo prep section, and I highly suggest you at least use some of them to plot out your novel. Trust me, it really helps. Since NaNo is all about writing quickly without worrying about editing, you won’t be able to write quickly unless you know what’s going to happen in the story. Although the fun of writing is creating as you go, having a basic outline will help make sure you don’t get stuck in the middle.

Find some helpful writing buddies.

I cannot stress the importance of writing to friends. They motivate you when you’re down, hype you up when you’re excited, and help you work through all those plot holes you can’t seem to fix. Try to find writing buddies of your own age and frequency, so that you’re able to interact with them better. 

Create a good writing routine that is easy to keep up even on the bad days. 

Even if you don’t write for the same amount of time, if you write at the same time every day it’ll become a habit. Even on your bad days you’ll still show up to write at that time, thus keeping up the habit.

Focus only on writing.

Don’t stop to think about editing, even for a minute. If you get sucked into the editing hellhole, you’ll never be able to find your way out. NaNo is all about just getting that first draft out there, and so only focus on that. 

Recognize and celebrate the small achievements. 

Every chapter you finish, every word you write is a step closer to your goal. Keep recognizing your achievements, no matter how small, so that you always have something to look back at and smile at.

And that’s about it! Each writer works differently and I can’t say that these will work for you, but if you’re a young writer like me and you’re new to NaNo, you might want to try some of these out to help achieve your goals. But also remember that it’s completely okay not to achieve your goals. You’re doing this only for you and no matter whether you meet your goals or not, you’ve still added words to your project, and you’re still a valid writer. So keep writing, and don’t stop no matter what. 

Smrithi Senthilnathan is a 16 year old writer from India. From a very young age she’s nurtured a passion for reading books and writing stories. Recently, she started to channel that passion into working on longer projects, like novels. Some of her stories have been published in online literary magazines. When she’s not writing maniacally, you can find her playing the piano or reading with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her hand. 

Instagram: @thereaderspoint101

Blog:https://theunwrittenstories101.wordpress.com

Photo by Amelia BartlettonUnsplash