11 tips to winning National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo
Starting Nov. 1, hundreds of thousands of writers across the nation will retreat to their writing caves and won't emerge again until the end of November. This writing phenomenon is called NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month.
What exactly is NaNoWriMo?
From the website: "National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel."
Here's a little history on how National Novel Writing Month began.
NaNoWriMo was founded by Chris Baty in July 1999 in the San Francisco Bay Area, with only 21 participants. The goal of 50,000 words was set after Baty grabbed the shortest novel on his bookshelf ("Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley) and did a rough word count. Only 6 of those 21 participants completed the challenge. But doing NaNo in July proved too difficult due to the gorgeous weather outside. So after 1999, NaNo was changed to November to take advantage of the miserable weather.
More stats:
- The first official year of NaNoWriMo was in 2000, when the event had an actual website.
- By 2001, 5000 people signed up.
- In 2014, 175,002 people signed up, and 40,325 crossed the finish line with 50K.
So why was 50,000 words the magic number? This seemed like a difficult, yet not impossible amount of words, and the length makes it a short novel, about 175 pages.
Other novels that are 50K:
– "The Great Gatsby," by F. Scott Fitzgerald
– "Of Mice and Men," by John Steinbeck
– "Fahrenheit 451," by Ray Bradbury
– "The Notebook," by Nicholas Sparks
Several bestselling novels that were first written during NaNoWriMo:
- "Water for Elephants," by Sara Gruen
- "The Night Circus," by Erin Morgenstern
- "Wool," by Hugh Howey
- "Cinder," by Marissa Meyer
11 Tips to WIN NaNoWriMo
(Disclaimer: Winning NaNoWriMo basically means you have written 50,000 words or more before the deadline on November 30. Biggest prize is being able to call yourself a novelist. And the sponsors will kick in a few discounts and freebies to those who cross the finish line. But there is no competition here. The novel doesn't even need to be good. Anyone can 'win' just by writing 50,000 words.)
1. Plotting is better than pantsing.
This is controversial, as there are many pantsers out there who are probably reading this and ready to click away. But hear me out. First of all, let me explain what plotters and pantsers are. Plotters are the people who come up with a plan, any plan, before sitting down to type. Pantsers are the people who sit down on Nov. 1 with no plan at all, or maybe just an idea of what to write, but nothing else. They plot as they type.
Here's my argument for plotting. Sitting down with your computer or notebook on Nov. 1, things are going to go much smoother if you have a plan. You can start with anything from a rough idea to a detailed play-by-play outline. Things may change along the way, and you can adjust your outline to reflect that. But things will go much smoother if you start out with a plan than it will if you start out staring at a blank page.
2. Kiss your family goodbye.
Not really. But do let those close to you know what's going to be happening over the next month. Not only will it help you to be held accountable to your lofty goal, but it will also warn them that you are going to be less available this month than you are in other months. Skip all the socializing you can get out of, plan for easy dinners (or take out!) for the month, understand that the housework might go to the wayside (or get your family to help out), give the kids away (kidding!), don't sign on for anything extra, fill up your DVR with all the shows you won't be watching…. Make writing a priority. It's just for a month. On Dec. 1, your family can have you back.
3. Set a daily writing goal.
NaNo's goal is 1,667 words a day. I always set mine to an even 2,000. This way, I'm always ahead, even on days when the words aren't coming. And on days when I have a lot more time to write, I will strive to double that amount—because, let's face it, life happens, and there might be some days when writing isn't so easy.
4. Set your writing time at the same time every day.
This time should be when you're at you're most creative. For me, that's 5-7 a.m. before I need to start getting ready for my paying job. It also allows me to get my writing done first thing so I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the day, or I know how much I need to make up if I don't finish my goal. I will also use my lunch breaks and the evenings if I need to. However, the early mornings are when my writing muscle knows it's time to get down to business. If you sit down at the same time each day, your body will soon realize this is when it's time to be creative.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: