3 Things to Try If NaNo Is Too "Easy"

We're thundering headlong into that glorious season again. The one decorated by the blood, sweat, and tears of writers. That's right: it's NaNoWriMo time.<-- don't ask why I even bothered with that intro. Y'all ain't living under rocks. You know what this is about.

Moving on.

When listening to the stories of NaNo, I feel like there are three camps when it comes to NaNo participants.

1. Those who have a hard time reaching the word count.

2. Those where it stretches them, but in the end they reach it without a ton of stress.

3. Those who not only reach it, but sometimes even easily double or triple the word count. Crazies.

Generally speaking, it seems that in Camp 2, the participants are happy coming back year after year. They're challenged, but can still reach that elusive 50k.

It's Camp 1 and 3 that have a harder time finding the motivation to participate in NaNo. On one hand, if one never seemingly reaches the 50k, then it's hard to find a reason to come back if it'll be the same disappointment again. If this is you, I've got a post for you coming soon!

On the other, if one can not only reach the word count, but exceed it--by a lot--one might ask why even bother. And these are the people I'm here to talk to today. I want to give you 3 things to try if NaNo seems to easy.

Disclaimer: NaNo is not easy for me. At all. I struggle every year. Some years more than others. This is inspired by gathering intel off of people who do have a relatively easy time getting their word count in and what I would do if I were in their shoes.

Who are we kidding? That'll never happen.

~Try a different genre~

Sure. You can write that 100k+ word fantasy book in a month. But would writing a crime thriller or a contemporary or dystopian be as easy? Probably not. 

If you're needing a new challenge, maybe try switching genres for the month. Try one you wouldn't have normally tried. Maybe one you haven't even read before. You might find you have a love for that genre!

~Try a different format~

If word counts goals aren't a challenge for you, maybe try creatively challenging yourself by trying an entirely different format. 

Maybe write a novel in verse. 

Or maybe add in fictional newspaper clippings, journal/diary entries, photographs, and similar items into your story. 

Or try drawing illustrations for your novel while you're writing it. 

You don't have to be stuck in a novel-writing box. You can try and branch out to other things that are new and different to you. 

If you use a different style of format, please let me know! I absolutely love books that have a unique format. 

~Work on something you don't quite have a handle on~

This is based on Jules's tactic this year.

She went back and forth on ideas, before settling on finishing our novel, Ships, Secrets, and Survivors. We both wanted it done this year, but ended up focusing on other projects, then ran out of time.

Her finishing it helps us reach our goal, gives her a project, and challenges her because she has to figure out how to write my characters. All while writing it in a way that will make both of us happy.

Reaching that 50k is going to be a challenge.

Bonus points: we're not even entirely sure there's enough material left to make 50k. Meaning, she's going to have to come up with stuff to do on the fly if she ends up hitting the end of the book before the word count is up.

These are just a few things that came to mind as I was pondering what I would do if I had a relatively easy time with the NaNo word count. If you fall into this camp, perhaps give them a try. Also, drop all your tips for speedily getting to your word count down below! I need all the tips!!

Onto y'all! Do you participate in NaNoWriMo? If so, which camp do you think you fall into? Have you tried branching out to new genres or formats during NaNo? Or have you tried writing something you're not entirely sure of? Let me know down below! Also: give Jules a round of applause for taking on SSaS!