Another year is almost down, and with it, another NaNoWriMo has come to an end. This was a particularly difficult NaNo for me, and not for any discernible reason. Perhaps it is due to the fact that I am in a different job, I am more sociable, generally happier. I know, it sounds awful, right?

So I had to resort to a few extra techniques to get my word count done on time. I thought that, by sharing them, it would help others develop their own.

Of course, first and foremost, the best thing to do is to keep writing. Write and write, even when you know it is no good and even when you really just want to sit down and play some Skyrim or watch another episode of Pretty Little Liars (we all have our guilty pleasures, for anyone getting all judgey). Every writer gets into a rut, and it often happens after a burst of pure inspiration. Unfortunately, you cannot be filled with inspiration for the entirety of NaNo. These are the times when you need to resort to extraordinary measures.

This NaNo, I have developed a technique I will call the ‘Finger Bun’ technique. For anyone who does not know, finger buns are bread rolls with icing and, often, hundreds-and-thousands on them.

Anyway, I am getting sidetracked by visions of finger buns. But the general gist is, the last week of NaNo, I would buy a finger bun from Baker’s Delight on the way home and set it on the kitchen bench. Then I would not allow myself to eat it until I had reached my word count for the day. I am not going to lie, there were many times I was close to tears because all I wanted was to eat it and then maybe everything else in sight – writer’s block gives me the nibbles. But it worked, and success was sweet.

A more long-term technique I developed is to reward myself after reaching certain milestones. For instance, I have aimed to complete the draft for my novel ‘Wanted’ before the end of the year and, to reward myself, I can buy bluetooth earphones.

But the main technique that works is to keep writing, even if you are sure it is terrible. Getting the story out is the most important part of a draft. No one else will read it but you, and no one else needs to until you want them to.

“The first draft of anything is shit.” – Ernest Hemmingway

No writer will get published off a draft, and that is where the editing process comes in. This is what I tell myself as I write horrid cliches and introduce awful characters. Remember, if I can do it, so can you!

Of course, now that November is over I will no longer be writing 1,700 words a day in a frenzy of tears. But I will still be writing. Even 100 words a day is something, because it will still get me over the line eventually.