20 Days to 50k Words: Writing Hacks from a Pro Author

Explore the creative process and uncover tips for clearing writer’s block and achieving your literary goals by listening to the full episode.

Creating Worlds Through NaNoWriMo: Insights from Author Carolyn Miller

Key Takeaways

NaNoWriMo improves you as a writer

Carolyn Miller, an established author of historical romance, underscores the importance of NaNoWriMo in transforming the writing habits of aspiring authors. NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month, takes place every November and challenges writers across the globe to produce a 50,000-word novel. “It’s about that concept of give yourself a deadline and surprise yourself by seeing what you can get done,” Miller states, emphasizing the project’s potential to catalyze significant creative output.

Miller recounts the evolution of her writing journey, initiated by a curiosity sparked during the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. Observing a poignant moment between athletes inspired her first novel attempt, leading to a realization: the act of writing itself, rather than exhaustive preparation, can be the most effective teacher. “It happened in the doing. Not just the learning about how to do, but the actual doing,” she affirms.

NaNoWriMo fosters a community spirit, offering support and encouragement to participants. Whether officially registered or not, writers are driven by the collective goal of completing their stories, transforming solitary creativity into a shared endeavor. As Miller describes, “It’s a really awesome thing that can really kick start somebody’s writing.” This environment cultivates writing as a disciplined practice, enhancing both speed and proficiency.

Tips for fast drafts and finished novels

A critical aspect of Miller’s approach is distinguishing between drafting and editing, a practice she champions during NaNoWriMo. She advises against editing while writing, arguing it stifles creativity. “Your first draft does not have to be perfect,” she insists, promoting the idea of producing a “fast first draft.”

By advocating for this method, Miller highlights how freeing oneself from the expectation of perfection can lead to greater creative flow and authenticity. The discipline of daily word count targets, like NaNoWriMo’s 1,667 words, fosters consistent writing, allowing ideas to evolve organically. “Once you start getting in the flow, then you really can produce a lot more than what you think,” Miller notes.

Recognizing the importance of protecting time dedicated to writing, Miller shares her strategy for balancing her workload.

“I’ve got 40 something books, so I am used to writing and I’m used to writing fast,” she reveals. This level of productivity stems from viewing writing as a skill akin to a muscle: as Miller puts it, “the more you do it, the stronger and the easier it is.”

Faith and Fiction: writing as a calling

Miller’s dedication goes beyond productivity; it is deeply rooted in her faith and the power of storytelling to inspire and uplift. Her belief that “God is interested in our lives and interested in our stories” drives her commitment to write stories of faith, hope, and love, which resonate with a global audience. She perceives writing as not just a creative outlet but as a divine calling to reflect “God’s amazingness.”

Miller’s narrative technique aligns with her spiritual ethos, focusing on imperfect characters who find growth and redemption. Her experiences underscore the potential of fiction to convey profound truths and foster personal connection. “You can use fiction to speak truth to people,” she asserts, articulating the broader impact of her work on readers worldwide.

For Miller, NaNoWriMo serves as both a creative catalyst and a spiritual exercise, blending the joy of storytelling with a mission to inspire. Her success story—the timely interplay of a publishing contract and an internal nudge—illustrates her belief in divine guidance. “Thank you, God. That nudge, it was so cool,” she reflects, reinforcing her trust in creative endeavors as paths to spiritual fulfillment.

Writing can not only be a creative outlet but a divine calling to reflect “God’s amazingness.”

Illuminating the writer’s journey

Carolyn Miller’s insights into the NaNoWriMo experience reveal its dual nature as both a creative and transformative endeavor. By embracing the challenge of writing with a deadline and yielding to the flow of inspiration, writers can achieve what might seem insurmountable at first glance. Miller’s story embodies this journey, where dedication to writing becomes a medium through which creativity and faith intertwine, guiding her on a path of prolific storytelling.

Her experiences remind aspiring authors of the possibilities that await when one commits to a creative process without the constraints of immediate perfection. Writing becomes a dialogue between the author and the reader, a partnership in exploring new worlds and ideas.

As creative aspirations align with personal faith and discipline, the stories produced are not just tales, but vessels of connection and understanding across diverse landscapes of human experience.

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Feature Image: Supplied.