Grant Faulkner’s Method for Writing 50,000 words Per Month

I first discovered the Nanowrimo method for writing high quantity pieces while scrolling on youtube for advice on how to best complete my novel. The thumbnail immediately grabbed my attention, bold and clear, with promising results, I had nothing to lose. This could be the solution I have been waiting for. At this stage, I’ve tried a few methods, but my lack of consistency seemed to haunt me wherever I go.

I popped on my Bluetooth headphones, pressed play, and headed to complete the first round of dishes as I listened to the interview in the background. Turns out this intensive 40-minute interview was well worth it!

The Creative Penn’s interview with Grant Faulkner revolved around his bulletproof method for writing 50,000 words in one month. This equals 1667 words per day.

Who is The Creative Penn

The Creative Penn is the name of the youtube channel run by Joanna Penn, an award-nominated, New York Times and the USA Today bestselling author who has over 30 listed books.

She regularly interviews writers of different genres in her famous podcast where they offer hands-on advice on creating, improving, and marketing their writing. I highly advise you to check her out as she offers updated and intensive advice.

Who Is Grant Faulkner?

Grant Faulkner is a successful American writer, who has written two books on the art of writing and published his work in The New York Times and Writer’s Digest. According to his website,

Grant is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month, Co-founder of the lit journal 100 Word Story, Co-founder of the Flash Fiction Collective, a member of the Oakland Book Festival’s Literary Council, a member of the National Writing Project Writers Council, a member of Lit Camp’s Advisory Council, and a member of the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Words’ Creative Council. — An excerpt from GrantFaulkner.com

The Nanowrimo Method

Nanowrimo is a non-profit organization that is completely free and runs purely by volunteers. The project runs once a year, every November, and supports the idea of writing 50,000 words consistently, as well as tracking, monitoring, and encouraging writers who choose to participate in this initiative.

The writers are held accountable by both the volunteers and other participants on the platform as they are encouraged to showcase their achievements by the end of November.

The project supports communities as it contains a young writer program and libraries that support writers of different stages in their writing journey.

Teachers are given access to free material and curriculum to teach and prepare children and youth to write a novel, whereas all members gain access to the once-a-year writing project.

According to Grant, Nanowrimo is designed for busy people. It's a creative experience that encourages and supports writers worldwide.

Despite some people criticizing this method, Grant says that it's a method to reenergize writers, instill creativity and build productive habits such as time management, self-discipline, and consistency.

Everyone has a story to tell, everyone’s story matters

- Nanowrimo’s motto.

Although he talks mainly about novels and the fiction genre, his method can also apply to non-fiction writers of both books and articles.

How Can You Get Started

• You don’t need to wait until November to get started. Once you understand the basic principles, you can start at any time.
• Aim to get a minimum of 1,600 words per day and you will be on your way to 50,000 per month.

Below are a few ways to keep track of the project.

1. Embark On A Time Hunt

• Pay attention to how you track your time for a week.
• How much time do you spend on social media or on outings?
• This will allow you to figure out where you spend the majority of your time.

2. Carve out time

Once you have tracked your time, you are in a better place to organize your priorities.

• Give up some of the unnecessary things that are not urgent in your life.
• Carve out a time every day dedicated to writing. Whether it is 30 minutes or two hours, stay consistent with the same time every day.

3. Prepare In Advance

If you are the type of person who likes to lay out everything before getting started, then this option is for you.

4. Put A Deadline

5. Banish Your Inner Editor

6. Public sharing

7. Identify You Weak Areas

8. Write a letter to your Future Self

I got this idea from @KhadejahJones. She referred to the importance of writing a note to yourself a year later, but it’s just as effective a month or two later after starting the challenge.

Write a note to your future self. It will be so fulfilling when you read it years later. Who knows? You might write another one. Everything comes full circle when you do that. It proves that all of that hard work you put in somehow paid off. It holds you accountable. — Khadejah Jones

What a wonderful feeling it would be to finish the month knowing you have dedicated the time and effort to discover your writing.

Advantages & Disadvantages Of The Nanowrimo Method

Since it was established in 1999, the Nanowrimo method has caused controversy among writers.

Advantages

1. Improves creativity
2. Holds you accountable
3. Develops a great writing habit
4. Strengthens self-discipline

Disadvantages

1. Time-consuming
2. Demanding
3. Emphasizes quantity over quality

My Take On The Nanowrimo Method

If you scroll through my profile you will know I am fond of long, intensive writing pieces.

I generally aim the majority of my articles to be between 1,200–1,700 words, but I produce around one long article per week.

I struggle with being consistent and aim to perfect my article before publishing, with results in a longer time between each piece.

This is why this challenge is perfect for me.

Here are my goals:

1. I am going to start the Nanowrimo method next month.
2. I aim to write 30 long articles, about 1,600 words each. I will not edit these massively but will make sure I run them through Grammarly.
3. I will use Tim Denning’s flow approach to better writing. He perfectly covers this method of reaching a flow state and the tools he uses for doing so. There are so many success stories from writers who have tried Tim Denning’s productive methods and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to try them.
4. I will keep a journal to keep you updated and hold myself accountable. This will help me know what worked and what didn't so I can optimize better later on.

What do you think? Would you try the Nanowrimo method with me?

Resources

• https://nanowrimo.org/

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About The Author

Noor is a first-year business student at Tredu. She is passionate about marketing and content creation. She runs a holistic wellness blog and recently launched her YouTube channel specializing in holistic healing.