NaNoWriMo has come and gone. It’s been a week since the end of the 50k-word challenge.
Did you hit 50k words? Did you complete your novel entirely? Do you still have more to go even after the 50k words?
Whether you’ve finished or not, here are some things you can do now that NaNo is over.
Step Back.
Take a break from your novel. Writing 50k words in 30 days is a lot, especially if you’re an overachiever and reach way over 50k within the month. It’s a lot of strain on your brain, your eyes are crossed, and your fingers can no longer type. Give your characters some space and take a rest.
Write Something Else.
If you still have the itch to write or are afraid you’ll get out of your writing routine, write something else. Write a new novel, a short story, or a poem. Take a break from typing and hand-write for a change. If you hand-wrote your NaNo novel, take a break from that and type something up.
Edit.
Okay, okay. If you really can’t part from your beloved novel go right ahead and start editing it. Start rearranging those scenes, deleting whole pages, or just be on the look-out for typos. Print out your novel and gaze upon the beauty of printed words and breathe in the smell of wet ink.
Read A Book.
Writing aside, I’m sure you got a bit behind on your reading during NaNo… Am I right? Read a book in the genre you wrote for NaNo (or a different genre). It’ll give yourself a break, but the creativity will still be flowing through your bloodstream.
Outline Your Next Project.
Hey, Camp NaNo is only four months away.
