Make writing easy with your writing space.
This one might come as a surprise, but one of the best things you can do to make writing easy during NaNoWriMo is to set up the right writing space.
I have a beautiful antique secretary desk at home that once belonged to my grandmother. It sits on display in my living room, the desktop folding up to keep all my writing supplies and wires hidden when they’re not in use. My laptop--too wide to fit when the desk is closed--nestles perfectly in one of the three drawers, which stick if you don’t pull both sides exactly evenly when you open them. It’s one of those pieces of furniture that has character. I love this desk.
But.
When I did NaNoWriMo for the first time in 2018, I learned the hard way that this desk was not the right place for me to write. It didn’t make it easy to sit down and start.
Before every writing session, I found myself mentally bracing myself for the extensive set-up process. When I had a limited window for writing, I was cutting into it to set myself up and put it all away again at the start and end of that window. Oftentimes, it was so much trouble that I wouldn’t even bother.
During NaNoWriMo--and all year, for that matter--twenty minutes of writing here and there adds up fast. You don’t want to start turning down those opportunities, especially if you’re fitting writing into an already busy schedule. If you’re writing in a notebook, don’t keep it hidden under your mattress lest someone stumble across it; keep it visible, open and ready so you can jot down a few lines as you pass by before the timer goes off for dinner. Find somewhere you can leave the laptop open, ready to power on and go when you wake up for 15 minutes before you get ready for work.
Wherever you choose--whether it be at your desk or your kitchen island--make it easy to sit down and start with little to no hassle.
Your word count will thank you for it.
Emily Nakeff
This writing tip is part of a series of writing tips, tricks, and advice during the month of November as we celebrate National Novel Writing Month. Join Essa Public Library and five other libraries across Simcoe County as we offer a variety of programs and events to help writers complete their novel. Participating libraries are also offering space for writers to work, free wifi, writing resources and more.
Attend an online or in-person event or drop by a Simcoe NaNoWriMo location and enter for your chance to win a Writer's Basket full of writing goodies. Participating libraries include: Barrie, Essa, Innisfil IdeaLAB and Library, New Tecumseth, Tay, and Clearview.
For a full listing of programs and events during National Novel Writing Month, visit the Essa Public Library's online event calendar.
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