How to Write a Novel in a Month

If you wish to challenge yourself by trying to write a novel in a month, you coold reap many rewards. Writing to a deadline is a fast way of getting a draft finished. When you power write very fast, you use your creativity to its utmost because without the kind of rewriting and revision that you might otherwise put into your first draft, you concentrate on the flow of your ideas rather than on the writing itself.

Instructions

1. Take a vacation from work and any other obligations that will wait, including social events. This means getting approval ahead of time for the time off work and letting your family and friends know you are not available for social obligations for the next month. You will need every spare moment to write. Make the vacation at least a week--or the whole month if you can get it--and get as many consecutive days off as you can, which means adjoining vacation days to weekends or holidays. Remind your family and friends this is a special time and you are just asking for a temporary abeyance of responsibilities.

2. Set up a buddy system for this project, if possible. You and a buddy--it can be an Internet pen pal--can have a competition, write together, check up on each other, or work out a reward system to motivate yourselves.

3. Stock up on food, including any creativity-enhancing foods you like, so you don't have to go shopping this month. If you depend only on yourself for preparing food, consider using plastic utensils and plates just for this month to cut down on chores. And depending on your personal hygiene, you may find there's no need to do much laundry if you're staying home like a hermit.

4. Give up the idea of a normal sleep schedule, unless keeping a normal sleep schedule is important to you. This month is for power writing. That means if you have an idea in the middle of the night, you should get up and write if at all possible.

5. Make a place your defined writing area. It could be at your desktop computer. It could be an armchair where you can use your laptop or notebook computer or pen and paper. It could be outside, at a cafe or somewhere else. Don't choose the "ideal" place; choose the place you'll really use, that's comfortable and easy to work in, and where you can munch on snacks and meals while you work.

6. Finish the novel without worrying about how good it is. Don't show it to others unless you're working on it together, because this will make you want to revise. Avoid editing or revising very much this month. The idea is to write a first draft of a novel. It will need revisions and maybe sections rewritten. But revisions can be done after you've had some time away from the draft. You'll need some perspective before you are ready to revise.