Preparing for NaNoWriMo

By Lisa White, Director of Teacher Logistics, Writing Symphony

November is National Novel Writing Month, and, for budding authors across the country, that means participating in NaNoWriMo, which is a yearly challenge to write an entire novel (50,000+ words) in the month of November. Though it may seem like an insurmountable challenge, following these steps will help you get started on the path to success!

1. Begin with a Simple Idea

One of the biggest challenges in participating in NaNoWriMo is knowing what to write about. As a novelist, I can attest to the importance of starting with a simple idea and letting the story grow organically from there. Don’t stress if you don’t have every detail figured out. Instead, start with the basics: the characters and the conflict. Use this template to state your story in a two simple sentences:

[Character Name] is struggling because ____________.

As a result of the struggle, [Character Name] will ____________.

By completing these fields, you have a central conflict that will drive the plot of the story. Now that the conflict is established, you can outline other aspects of the story, such as the setting and the character’s personality. Of course, you can always simply start writing! There is no wrong way to write a first draft.

2. Stay on Track and Reward Yourself

50,000 words is a massive number of words! It is roughly two hundred typed pages, making it easy to feel discouraged when faced with such a daunting task. To be successful, tackle this task with smaller steps. If you want to write each day in November, you will need to write roughly 1,667 words each day. You could also choose to write only five days each week, or any other variation that fits your schedule. Just be sure to divide 50,000 by the number of days you want to write. This gives you a daily word count target to reach your goal.

Plan rewards as you meet your daily word count. This could be watching your favorite movie, going for a walk, making a yummy treat, or enjoying a different hobby. Rewarding yourself will help you stay motivated and provide a much-needed break.

3. Have a Dedicated Writing Time and Place

It can be hard to add NaNoWriMo into an already packed schedule. Be sure to have a dedicated time to write, whether it is early in the morning, in the evening, or anywhere in between. Treat this time like a meeting with yourself and strive to keep it. How much time you will need each day will vary from person to person. At first, plan for one hour of writing time. If this turns out to be too little, increase the time. If it is too much time, you can end your writing session early after you have reached your daily word count.

Also, have a dedicated place to write. Some people have an entire office while others prefer to sit in their bedrooms with a laptop. Regardless of your preference, make sure that your writing space is free of distractions and unnecessary noise. It is also a good idea to turn off notifications on your cell phone and social media. Communicate both your writing time and place with friends and family so they respect your need for focused time to accomplish your writing goal. This is your time—make the most of it each day.

4. Be Flexible

Once you begin your NaNoWriMo journey, it is important to be flexible. There will be days when you do not feel like writing or when your dedicated writing time is interrupted. Some days, you may not reach your targeted word goal; other days, you may look up and find that you have written five thousand words in a single sitting. Understand that this will happen. Be flexible. You may need to break your writing time into two different segments instead of one. You may also need to take a brain break and return to the story later. That is okay! NaNoWriMo is meant to be challenging and fun; it is not a punishment.

5. Don’t Expect Perfection

It is not necessary to edit your work while you write your first draft. What matters right now is telling the story and getting the major plot points written. Don’t worry about typos or grammatical mistakes. There will be plenty of time to polish your work in the coming months when the time is not so limited. Your first draft will be messy—it's supposed to be! Remember: all published novels are edited extensively prior to their release. Not even a published author’s work was perfect the first time.

Good luck on your NaNoWriMo journey!

Writing Symphony offers a variety of classes year-round to strengthen your abilities as a writer, including Grade-Level Writing Courses, Skill-Focused Academic Camps, and targeted punctuation and grammar courses. Contact us today for a trial class!