It's the eleventh of November. And that means we're almost halfway through NaNoWriMo. No, you didn't read that word wrong and it's not Pig Latin.
For millions of writers each year, November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, a free program for creatives everywhere.
For these intrepid wordsmiths, instead of spending the month planning for Thanksgiving Dinner and Black Friday shopping, they're racing toward the 50,000-word finish line.
That's right: NaNoWriMo challenges writers to complete an entire novel (50,000 words or more) in the 30 days of November. Not an easy feat.
To keep ourselves motivated, we writers use lots of tricks, like word sprints, write-ins, pep talks, and more. Falling under the "and more" category is using visual motivation to generate creativity.
What does "visual motivation" mean for NaNoWriMo? It could be a word count checklist, a map to the finish line, pictures of characters or settings, or even a working book cover.
You might be wondering how a book cover can motivate you to keep writing through dry spells and busy days. For me, seeing the cover of my work in progress helps make my book real. It pushes me to write, to fill the pages between the covers because I want to hold it in my hands, flip through, and revisit my characters and their (usually wacky) lives.
There are many talented artists who offer their creative services to writers. These phenomenal peeps can make your vision of a cover a reality. But if you're a do-it-yourselfer, like me, I've got a fast, easy, and free way to create your own NaNo book cover.
Click here to read my post from last year that walks you through the process step by easy step.
If you're already doing NaNoWriMo, send me a buddy request! And if you haven't started, don't worry -- it's not too late. Every year, hundreds of writers manage to fit 50,000 words into the last few weeks of November.
And even if you don't hit 50,000, the number isn't what matters anyway. The idea is to get started writing and write every day. So even if you hit 50, 500, or 5000, that's more than you had when you started.
Did you try making a cover using my tutorial? Let me know how it went!
