6 Essential Tips for a Successful NaNoWriMo

As we begin to dive into NaNo Prep season, we’ve talked to some participants to get the inside scoop on how to best prepare for November. Today, writer Clara Nyx shares her top tips for “winning” NaNoWriMo:

Most people, at some point in their life, have thought of writing a novel. But few of them start writing that novel. And even fewer can say: “I wrote a book.” The reasoning behind this is simple, and everyone who’s tried their hand at writing knows it: writing a novel is hard and time-consuming. The excitement to tell your story turns into: “This makes no sense. An 8-year-old could write a better story. My vocabulary is trash.”

In this mindset, it’s easy to postpone writing that novel for a few more months until you become more literate, wise, intelligent, or a better writer. Then those “few months” turn into a few years as you realize that your vocabulary hasn’t changed, you haven’t gotten smarter… You haven’t improved as a writer because you didn’t write. 

Want to become a writer? Then write as much as you can! Overcome procrastination and sit your butt down in front of that blank page.

Easier said than done, but not impossible. How do you make this writing experience different? How do you start writing when all you can think of is failure?

Easy. You prepare for the month to come. What better way to start this writing experience than with equally frustrated writers? Here are 5 essential tips for a successful NaNoWriMo experience from a writer who has yet to “lose”:

1. Start preparing the moment you make the decision to participate in NaNoWriMo. 

It’s not enough to have a book idea. You need to prepare mentally. So make a list of the reason(s) you decided to write a novel, somewhere easy for you to look at and remember. Trust me, you want to remember why. Because, as I mentioned before, writing a novel is time-consuming. It will take you months, maybe years to have a decent story. And in that time you’ll brainstorm, write, edit, rewrite, edit, cut, add, rewrite, workshop, rewrite and rewrite some more. It’s really easy to lose yourself in the process, right? But that’s why you have your little list: to remember the excitement you had for writing that story.

Write down as many reasons as you can think of in your list. You can always add more points later. They can be lighthearted reasons like “I want to try something new”, “I like writing”, “I’m bored”, etc. Or it can be one damn good reason. Of course the definition of that “one good reason” changes from person to person. For me it is always along the lines of “I want to raise awareness for ______” or “I have this moral point that I want to share with the word.”

2. Brainstorm about your plot ahead of time. 

Have a story idea? Excellent. But as I said, it won’t be enough. Not for NaNoWriMo, at least. Because if you try to turn that idea into a plot in 31 days, you might start off decent, but at some point, you’ll stop and ask yourself: “Where am I going with this? What is the purpose of this scene? This chapter? Character? Dialogue? What’s the purpose of life?!”

The prospect of deleting 50,000 words because they basically lead you nowhere is terrifying, and it’s one of the reasons people don’t meet the monthly word goal. Why bother when you’ll delete later? Well, sorry to break it to you, but you’ll rewrite 99% of that first draft, pantser or not. 

It’s ok not to know where your plot is going while you’re writing your first draft. Maybe you’ll write one scene that will make you realize where you want to go. If not, at least you got to know your characters and setting better. But if you want to nail the plot in the first draft? Then you’ll have to plan. A lot. Ideally, start a month or two before NaNoWriMo. Brainstorm different ideas about the setting, the relationships between characters. Rearrange your ideas into categories and expand those ideas even more. Yes, it is a lot of work, but it’ll help keep you on track when you start to write.

3. Prepare your writing space and supplies. 

You might find yourself more excited to write if you have a clean and organized desk. Dispose of everything you don’t need for your writing session. Decide on your notebook/writing program based on your “style”. Create a playlist of writing music. Research what you need. 

Maybe set up how you’re going to access coffee or a snack—though unfortunately, in the past I’ve found these can also be excuses for procrastinating writing: “I can’t write now because I’m too lazy to make myself a cup of coffee and I cannot write without coffee.” (Spoiler alert: you can write just as well with water.) Be aware that in the middle of NaNoWriMo, you’ll try to look for any excuse not to write that day—no matter how stupid that excuse is.

4. Don’t forget to read. 

Neck-deep in that terrible first draft, you’ll feel as though you forgot to write. How do people talk? Do they really sigh that much? How do I describe a character or setting?

Take a deep breath and read a chapter or two of your favorite book or a book that inspires you. Know an author that writes phenomenal dialogue? Take a peek at his work. An author with appealing and relatable characters? Take notes on what makes you like those characters so much.

5. Try creating a monthly schedule—and sticking to it.

Got something you can do before NaNoWriMo starts? Do it. Creating a monthly schedule doesn’t always work because, most of the time, things don’t go as planned. But it’s worth a shot, especially if you get other things out of the way first.

Make time in your day to sit down and write. MAKE is the key word here. You cannot find time, you can only create it by not procrastinating and instead accomplishing something productive—like writing a novel. Is there a time of day when you watch TV or play video games or take naps? Not anymore, because you’ll be spending that time writing. It will feel unusual at first, but trust me, at the end of NaNoWriMo, you’ll feel guilty about watching TV and not writing.

Remember that you don’t have to write 1,667 words in one sitting. If you can’t write for two hours straight, try with shorter sessions of half an hour. But don’t skip those sessions. I often found myself thinking: “ I’ll write later in the day.” I never did, I just spent the next day catching up.

6. Ignore all of the above and do it your way. 

Those 5 tips are what I do, and they work for me. But they may not work for you. Finding a way that works for you is a lengthy process filled with trial and error, but it is something every aspiring writer should do. How do you know if you’re a planner and not a pantser if you haven’t tried doing both? How do you know writing in the morning is more productive than writing in the evening if you haven’t tried that too?

Don’t be afraid to try new writing routines. You might find a new favorite. You might find something that most definitely does not work for you. Or you’ll combine your old routine with a new one and create something that is unique to you.

Clara Nyx is an artist, avid reader and book blogger, who sometimes does beta-reading services. She specializes in dystopias and post-apocalyptic stories, as well as classic literature. When not writing book reviews, she works on her first novel and blogs about her interests, personal experiences and issues she feels are not represented enough in modern-day society. Check out her blog.

Top photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash.