This month we’re taking a break from our usual Steps to Success series in order to take a look at something near and dear to my heart. Because NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is here!! Which means that today we’re talking about how to accomplish big writing goals.
Whether you’ve signed up with NaNoWriMo to write 50,000 words in a month, you’re not sure if you’re ready to commit to that, or you think we’re all a bit crazy (very possible), these are strategies we all can learn from.
Basically we’re looking at how to accomplish big writing goals.
Many of us say we want to write a novel yet we struggle to actually do so.
National Novel Writing Month is designed to provide encouragement, resources, and community to help people reach their writing goals. Alternate writing goals and projects are totally allowed as well. The point of NaNoWriMo is to get people writing.
Yes, writing a novel in a month sounds insane. (Yes, it kind of is insane.)
But setting big, crazy goals can push us out of our comfort zones and help us to accomplish more than we ever thought we could.
So yeah, that’s what NaNoWriMo is about! I encourage everyone to check it out. Whether you sign up or not, there are a lot of great writing resources available as well as a thriving writing community to get connected with.
And without further ado, here are some survival notes and tips to succeed during NaNoWriMo or wherever your writing is taking you these days.
21 Survival Tips for NaNoWriMo
(Or how to accomplish large amounts of writing in a short amount of time.)
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Don’t be afraid of big goals
If we don’t let ourselves dream big dreams we won’t get very far. Let’s be brave! Even if we only admit our dreams to ourselves for now, that’s okay.
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Identify what we want to accomplish
Success can look different for each of us and it’s good to know what our personal goals are. Maybe it’s a 50k wordcount, maybe it’s something else. Let’s take a minute to figure out what we really want.
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Commit to our writing
Making a decision to commit to our writing and our writing goals is a big deal. We are stating, if only to ourselves, that this is a priority and that we are willing to work for it.
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Make at least a bare bones of a story outline
In order to write a large quantity of words quickly it helps to know what direction our story is going in. Not an outliner by nature? Don’t worry. Even having a basic plot in mind can save us some of the struggle of getting stuck midstory.
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Decide on a writing plan
When and where will we write? Can we write daily or will the weekends be our catch up days? It’s good to make a plan in advance and commit to sticking with it.
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Identify what will make this plan hard
Knowing what struggles we’ll face throughout the month can help us to be prepared to deal with them when they arise.
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Utilize even small amounts of time
Let’s not overlook the small moments of time we have throughout the day! Even 5 minutes spent writing here and there can add up to lots of progress over time.
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Have people to support us
It’s so wonderful to have people who will encourage us along the way and listen to our story successes or woes. Let’s talk with people about our writing and let them know what we’re up to! Check out the NaNoWriMo forums if you’re looking to connect with other writers.
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Have people to hold us accountable
Along with encouragement, we also need people who won’t let us get away with being lazy. I know it always helps me stay on track if I know my friends are going to ask me about how my writing is going. (Thanks, friends!)
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Practice saying NO
It may seem like a small thing, but being prepared to set boundaries is important. In order to make time for our writing and for our own self care we may need to say no to other commitments or activities. (And this doesn’t make us a bad person.)
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Set up rewards for ourselves
Yay for rewards! It doesn’t need to be anything elaborate, but even having simple rewards in place can encourage us to reach our daily, weekly, and monthly goals. I like to reward myself with a cup of tea or some time reading fiction after I’ve finished my daily writing.
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Ask for help as needed
If we get discouraged or stuck it can be valuable to ask another writer or a willing friend for help and encouragement. We don’t need to go at it alone!
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Don’t be surprised if things are hard
Nothing worthwhile is easy, right? When things get hard and we’re sick of writing it’s important to remind ourselves of what our goals are and that we can do this.
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Recognize what’s going well
Taking a moment to evaluate what’s working with our writing can help us to double down and hopefully do even more writing this way. Plus it’s encouraging to see progress!
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Keep going forward
Even if our writing is terrible and we’re sick of the whole thing, we need to keep committed to continuing. We’ll all have times we want to quit. Instead, keep moving forward. Every little bit more we write today is something we didn’t have yesterday and it will bring us that much closer to our goal.
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Don’t make excuses
We’re all too busy, too tired, and too __________ (fill in the blank) to write. There’s always something else we could be doing. Sometimes legitimate issues come up that take us away from our writing and that’s understandable. But let’s commit to being honest with ourselves and to not make excuses to get out of working on our writing.
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Save everything
Let’s not lose our work! Save everything always. Back it up. Some of our writing will be terrible but now is not the time to look back or delete. Every word we write counts, and at the end of things we hopefully will find that some of the words have been good ones.
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Never judge ourselves or our writing
In NaNoWriMo this is often called “turning off the inner editor.” We are writing a first draft with the understanding that it will not be perfect. We can revise and edit our work later. This is a time to create, not to judge.
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Celebrate every accomplishment
Wrote for five minutes every morning this week- that’s awesome! Finished chapter 2- fabulous! Made it to the halfway mark of 25k words- incredible! Each and every thing we create is a victory and each time we make ourselves sit down to write is a success.
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Rest intentionally
Whether we reach the end of the month or the end of a project, taking a break and getting rest is important. Self care is vital to remaining balanced in life and as a writer. But we don’t want to stop writing altogether! Being intentional in how we rest can help us to continue on with our writing even after November is over.
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Be proud of ourselves no matter what
Whether we write a novel in a month, a few pages in two months, or outline a screenplay in a year- that’s wonderful. It takes commitment and grit to make something out of nothing and to put words on a page. We’ve created something that didn’t exist before. I hope you brag to your friends and feel a warm glow inside, cause it’s a big deal!
You are a bold, beautiful, and fantastic person, and I’m proud of you!
Wherever you’re at with your writing this month, I wish you luck! Happy November, friends, and happy writing!
Are you doing NaNoWriMo this month? What project are you working on? Feel free to share any tips for writing or for surviving NaNoWriMo in the comments below!
