Writing · by Noah Campbell · 2026-11-04

How do you push through the November slump when the draft stops being fun?

NaNoWriMo season, and like every year I'm at about 6k words and the shiny opening has worn off. The middle of the book feels like wading through wet sand. I've tried outlining further ahead and writing out of order, with mixed results. What's actually worked for you when a draft goes flat a week in?

20 sparks · 4 comments

Comments

Mango Panda · 6 likes

give yourself permission to write badly on purpose. like intentionally terrible scenes. it unblocks something

Ren Suzuki · 1 likes

honestly sometimes the draft is flat because the idea needs more time. not every slump is a discipline problem

Rizky Pratama · 0 likes

I skip to a scene I'm excited about and write toward it. the middle gets written as a bridge

Olena Shevchenko · 6 likes

same, but then I end up with 9 exciting scenes and no bridges lol