Ready... Steady...

Want to write a novel?

Do you want to write a novel quickly?

How about in one month?

That's just what NaNoWriMo was set up to help writers do. National Novel Writing Month is an annual event in which participants write 50,000 words in November. 

Here are a few tips from my experience:

1. Make room. Clear as much off your to-do list before November as you can. Complete as much work as you can in advance that needs to be done by December.  Batch-cook so you can go into your freezer for easy, healthy meals. 
2. Prepare a writing space. Make it fun and comfortable and private, away from distractions or interruptions. Make sure family or friends know you'll be unavailable during your writing time each day.
3. Anticipate any potential stumbling blocks. And set up an if-then chain in your mind - or even write a contract to yourself. A plan. For example:  "If I'm tired one morning... I'll turn up to my desk anyway and do 50 words. If I can, then I can always write more."
4. This is a marathon. Look after yourself. Eat healthy, sleep plenty, and exercise regularly (even just a little walk in the fresh air every day can make a big difference).
5. Get yourself a support network. Writing friends can support you when you're struggling. Friendly competition and encouragement, and a bit of banter, can help make the whole thing a lot more fun! I'll be setting up a Figment NaNoWriMo group. If you'd like to join, drop me a message or an email. There may even be a virtual writing pub-crawl or two involved...
6. Plan your idea out so you know where to start. Use books like "Save the Cat!" to help. Or do a brief outline using the Hero's Journey structure - there's a blog about this below or you can look it up online, there are loads of tips. But even if you don't know exactly what you want to write yet, or where it might end, don't worry. Stories often change as we write them. As long as you have a character and a dilemma or challenge they have to face, then you have a beginning. An opening sentence can help too.
7. Set up a routine. When do you normally focus best? Make that your time to write. Try to set it at the same time each day. And give yourself a day or two off. 
8. Break it down. 50,000 words is an average of 1,667 words each day. If you have a couple of days off a week, that's 2000 words a day. There might be days when the unexpected comes up, so maybe try for an average of 2,500 or 3000 words a day to give you a bit of a cushion.
   
9. If that seems like a lot, don't worry. Join in the Figment NaNo group or join my "Just Write" sessions with two-hour sets of writing sprints to help keep you focused. (e-mail [email protected] or  sign up here to join our list of writers). 
10. Be kind to yourself! Plan in plenty of treats and rewards for yourself for each milestone. For your first 1000 words, right up to your 50,000th word! (Massages are a great idea because they'll help with any writing-related aches and pains in your shoulders and back). 

Sign up to NaNoWriMo here: https://nanowrimo.org/

Good luck folks!

More tips to come next week...