November (National Novel Writing Month) is almost here. Are you knee-deep in preptober? Or are you wondering what NaNoWriMo even means? In short, writers around the world will attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days. The communal spirit fuels this daunting task, but it is easy to get frustrated and give up mid-journey. Take heart, writer friends. With careful planning and good old-fashioned determination, you can successfully conquer the NaNoWriMo mountain! Here are 7 steps you can take to make this your best NaNoWriMo ever.
Declare Your Intentions
Tell your mom. Tell your friends. Tell the world. Committing to National Novel Writing Month is a big step. Stating your goal out loud and in writing establishes accountability. This requires telling the people in your life (or complete strangers on the internet) that you WILL write 50,000 words in 30 days. C’mon, set a goal. You’ve got this!
Find Your Friends
Visit NaNoWriMo.org and create an account. Then name your project and start finding buddies as well as special events scheduled in your region. There will more than likely be a write-in planned near you. This is an opportunity to gather with other writers and get words on the page. There’s also an official NaNoWriMo Facebook Group and searching #nanowrimo2019 or #writingcommunity or #nanowrimoprep helps find other participants as well. While it’s tempting to climb into your writer cave and embark on a solitary journey, trust me when I say you’re gonna want some friends along for this wild-and-crazy ride.
Send Your Inner Critic Packing
The goal of NaNoWriMo is 50,000 words on the page. That’s an average of 1667 words per day, if you are able to write every day for 30 days. There isn’t time for editing or second-guessing or deleting files. So if your inner critic is loud, obnoxious and stifles your creativity, send that unwanted guest packing. No worries, the editor will be invited back later when it’s time to polish and revise your NaNoWriMo project.
Tackle the Time Suckers
Life is unpredictable and we can’t prepare for every scenario. There are certain events in November that I’m confident will happen: a major holiday, kids home from school, probably at least one person in my life will get sick. Our weather will transition from cool to cold and suddenly none of my children will have a winter coat or pants that fit. Instead of getting frustrated, I can mentally prepare for how to deal. For example, I’ll delegate (ask my husband to take the boys shopping) and plan extra writing sessions for days when everyone is out of the house. I’m also responsible for feeding 5 people every day, so I’m trying to plan meals/grocery shop in advance so I’ll have enough time to write consistently.
Essential Ingredients
I heard New York Times Bestselling author Frank Peretti speak recently. First, he reminded us that every story needs a hero. Then he said to ask 4 questions: What is your story about? What does your hero want? What happens if he doesn’t get what he wants? Who or what will stand in the way?
No matter how strongly you feel about flying by the seat of your pants, I promise that by day 8, you’ll desperately long for a road map. Otherwise, you’ll wander aimlessly and might be tempted to give up. So, gather your ingredients now. There’s still time to dream up a hero or heroine and make his or her imaginary life miserable with plenty of dreadful obstacles and lots of internal conflict.
If you need help planning, the NaNoWriMo website has a wonderful handbook available here.
Celebrate Success
Humans value rewards for our accomplishments. Positive reinforcement encourages us to keep moving forward. There are virtual badges available online for hitting certain word count milestones, but I need more concrete rewards. Chocolate, a latte, going for a walk, holiday shopping, baking or reading a much-anticipated novel are all ways I celebrate success in my writing life.
Take Care of You
While you’ll certainly encounter plenty of creatives who can sustain a phenomenal pace, summit the NaNoWriMo mountain early and brag about how they haven’t slept for 23 days … you don’t want to be that writer. Believe it or not, this is supposed to be fun. Establishing a workspace that’s conducive to writing is half the battle. You might need to work in public places like libraries and coffee shops, or declare a corner of the guest room your temporary office, or maybe you have to write on the train as you commute. Carve out time to write AND time to sleep, eat, and exercise and you’ll be well on your way to making this your best NaNoWriMo ever!
Your turn: leave a comment and tell me one fun fact about your NaNoWriMo project. If you’re seeking buddies for NaNoWriMo, feel free to add me. My handle is HeidiMcCahanWrites. I’m also on Instagram as @heidimccahan.author, where I’ll be sharing about my own NaNoWriMo journey all month long. Happy writing, friends!
