By L.E. Williams
Ah, October. Here in my little corner of the world, the weather is finally cooling off into something resembling fall-ish-ness. The possibility of donning my favorite sweaters again is tantalizingly close. I can’t wait to make some pumpkin soup, curl up with a big cup of tea, and—
Hold on a moment. Is that an earthquake? A disturbance in the Force? A distant herd of stampeding buffalo?
Nope. It’s the writing world (or, at least, the ones who are participating in the challenge) gearing up for NaNoWriMo.
Now, today I shan’t be telling you all how to prep for National Novel Writing Month. Why? Well, for one, my fellow intern Chelsea has already written a lovely article on the subject, so go seek out all her wonderful words of wisdom on that particular matter. Instead, I shall be pointing your gaze to the (very near) future and telling you how to survive NaNoWriMo.
Thus, dear writer, here are five tips, tricks, and words of wisdom to help you weather the challenge that is writing a novel in thirty days:
1. Befriend Fellow Writers (Especially Other NaNoWriMo-ers)
This first step is one that I have heard many a time throughout the years, and wholeheartedly support the thought: find some writing friends. Why? Well, I’ll be frank with you, dear writer: NaNoWriMo is hard. Not impossible by any stretch of the imagination, but difficult nonetheless.
However, it’s much easier to do hard things with other people who are doing the same hard thing that you are.
This is something I learned while studying for Humanities exams in college. My classmates and I would gather in the library a few nights before the exam (which lasted an hour and a half and included a hefty written component) and review the material we’d learned. Though the material was rarely fun to study, I always looked forward to those study sessions, which remain some of my fond collegiate memories. We spent a considerable chunk of the time bemoaning the upcoming exam, to be sure, but the sense of community and the comforting knowledge that we were all in this together helped ease my test-taking nerves more than the actual preparation probably did.
The good news is that you have this kind of community at your fingertips in the form of the Kingdom Pen forum. Challenge each other to word wars. Complain about how your sidekick’s antics are throwing a wrench into your outline. Fellowship. Cry. Write.
2. Banish Electronic Distractions
It’s probably been said a thousand times, but one of the best ways to increase your wordcount output is to cut out as many distractions as you can. And, speaking from personal experience, one of the biggest distractions from writing is the ever-luring call of the internet.
Countless times, I’ve cracked open my computer to write only to voyage down the rabbit hole of YouTube or Instagram. It’s a lot easier (and, often, a lot more fun) to make aesthetic Pinterest boards about your book or characters than to actually write.
And so, one recommendation I have for surviving NaNoWriMo is to consider taking a step back from the internet and/or social media, especially if you’re struggling to find ways to fit NaNo into your schedule.
Mute notifications. Delete your social media apps off your phone. Install a content blocker for distracting websites (*guilty glance at Pinterest*). If you have an iPhone, utilize their “screen time” tools to your advantage. Turn off your phone and disconnect your laptop from the internet. Straight up delete your social media accounts if you have to (trust me, it’s not as bad as you think). Whatever works for you, do it.
Not only does this give you more time to chip away at your word count goal, but it gives your brain a chance to breathe. It’s much easier to get immersed in the flow of your writing (or, as the kids say, “get in the zone”) when your attention isn’t being pulled in fifteen directions at once. Cast your phone deep into the fires of Mordor if you must, and let your creativity flow freely.
3. Intentionally Schedule Writing Time
Allow me, dear writer, to give you a sneak peek into how my typical NaNoWriMo day has tended to go:
You see, the problem I’ve faced in past Novembers is simple: I was not intentional about scheduling my writing time. Now that I have a few more years under my belt, I’ve learned that this is a crucial component to getting words on the page, both during NaNoWriMo and outside of it.
Now, how does one go about scheduling their writing time, exactly? Well, in my experience, the first step is to determine when you prefer to write. For a long while, writing at night was the best choice for me and my schedule, as my creativity seemed to be at its sharpest when my house was quiet. (Important side note: I have three younger brothers. Noise was an ever-present reality when I lived with them.) However, nowadays my words flow best early in the morning, which is now when I do most of my writing.
So, a good first step to scheduling your NaNoWriMo sessions is to determine when you prefer to write, which can be done through trial and error. Perhaps you have a gap in your schedule in the afternoons, or you love to scribble away at a chapter while you sip your coffee. Determine what works for you and your writing, and make that your NaNo time.
Additionally, if you find that you don’t have time in your schedule for a lengthy writing session, consider breaking your writing into more manageable chunks. Perhaps aim for 500 words in the morning, 500 more during your lunch break, and the last 667 in the evening before you wind down for the night.
If you plan out ahead of time when you intend to tackle your word count goal for the day, it can do wonders for minimizing the late-evening panic of trying to cram in 1,667 words right before bed.
4. Know That It’s Okay to Fail
This may seem the most counterintuitive out of all of these five tips. But, dear writer, I promise you it’s true.
It’s okay to fail.
It’s okay if you don’t write 50,000 words by December 1st. You aren’t a bad writer by any stretch of the imagination. Life, annoyingly, happens.
For instance, I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo in one form or fashion since 2014-15ish. (Yes, I’m old.) Care to know how many times I’ve actually achieved my goal?
Twice.
Now, I’ve since learned to get at the root of some of the things that prevented me from writing during those other attempts. However, I don’t regret all the times I tried NaNo and failed, because, at the end of the day, I ended up with more words than I started with.
Take the pressure to succeed off your shoulders, and you’ll often find the freedom to forge ahead anyway.
In the words of Lewis from Disney’s Meet the Robinsons, keep moving forward.
5. Prioritize Taking Care of Yourself
Last, but absolutely not the least, the most important NaNoWriMo survival tip is to take care of yourself.
Take breaks from long writing sessions. Drink water. Go outside for a breath of fresh air and a quick walk—yes, I know it’s cold out, but movement does wonders for the creative spirit, plus taking a quiet moment in nature provides a wonderful time to talk to God and refresh yourself spiritually. Drink water. Find a fluffy animal and pet it. Brew yourself your hot beverage of choice (coffee, tea, hot chocolate—the world is your oyster. Or, rather, your kettle). Drink water. Get enough sleep. Turn on some epic writing music—I particularly love this website if I’m looking for a playlist for a specific mood. Don’t forget to eat because you’re too busy writing (yes, I speak from experience.) Drink water, I cannot emphasize this enough, please stay hydrated.
Since we writers exist so much in a fictional headspace, it can be difficult to remember to look after our physical being at times. However, caring for yourself, mentally, physically, and spiritually, always should take precedence over your writing.
Be gentle with yourself this November, dear writer. God loves you, and the story you’re writing is important, even if it feels like utter chaos at the moment.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go brew myself a cup of tea (green tea with honey and lemon, to be precise) and pet my cat to my heart’s content. It is the coziest time of the year, after all. As for you, dear writer, remember to take care of yourself as you go forth and chase after that 50k. You can do it!
What tips, tricks, and words of wisdom have helped you survive NaNoWriMo? What will you be doing to help yourself reach your goal?
L.E. Williams
L.E. Williams delights in confusing her friends and professors by going by her middle name (Elizabeth).
When she isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, photography, violin, acting, and playing video games with her husband Taylor (who serves as her biggest supporter, an incredible filmmaker, and her absolute favorite person).
Her favorite band is Stella Stagecoach, a group so hipster that even Google has barely heard of them, and she loves macaroni and cheese with a passion matched only by her fondness for her cat (Theophilus) and her ever-growing collection of plants.
She currently resides in East Tennessee, where she is pursuing a B.A. in English at Milligan University. You can visit her website at www.lewilliamsauthor.com to read dramatic accounts of her everyday adventurings.
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All these points are SO helpful! Especially the one about scheduling your writing time. You could argue it’s necessary while doing NaNoWriMo. XD
Not only do I appreciate this post for its advice, but also because the writing style is fantastic. Well done!
These tips are so awesome and I’m definitely going to be using them this NaNoWriMo. I particularly love the idea of scheduling time for writing. Being scheduled and organised has never been a forte of mine, but since it was a tip in my own post I thought I better actually do it 😛 And it’s been working really well!
And amen on the point about failing.