National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo) takes place during the month of November. The objective of NaNoWriMo is to draft 50,000 words in one month, which is about 1,667 words per day.
Deciding to take part in NaNoWriMo as a writer can be a big commitment. After all, writing 1,667 words can take up to several hours, depending on your writing style, and doing that every day for a month can be a lot. That being said, there’s a lot of help from other writers in the online NaNoWriMo community. (Typically, the NaNoWriMo organization encourages local gatherings of writers, though activities are online this year due to the pandemic.)
If you’re a writer who’s thinking of taking the plunge to do NaNoWriMo this year, your journey doesn’t have to start on November 1! Taking the following steps now can help you hit the ground running and hopefully hit that 50,000 word goal in November.
Make a plan.
At Wreath Writing and Marketing Services, we encourage all of our writers to have a plan before diving into a writing project, especially if that writing project is as long as a novel. Whether you make a detailed timeline or just have a few bullet points regarding the arc of the story, this will help you stay on course and hopefully hit your final word count goal.
Find friends.
We talk about the importance of support for writers on our Instagram a lot, but every writer needs some kind of connection with other writers. NaNoWriMo is an especially great way to get involved with other participants, especially in your local area. While gatherings may be online this year, you can still reach out to other writers in your region and support each other throughout the month. Try connecting with your region now so you’ll be well-acquainted come November!
Get in the habit early.
It’s a lot to expect yourself to just jump into hitting 1,667 words a day, especially if you haven’t developed a daily writing practice before. In the weeks leading up to NaNoWriMo, try to start writing a little bit each day. It doesn’t have to be a full 1,667-word day every day in October too, but setting aside even just a little time to write will help you mentally prepare for the time and energy commitment that will be coming in November.
Get inspired.
Want to participate in NaNoWriMo but don’t have a story idea in mind? Now is the time to come up with one! Read other novels, look through old drafts, watch a new movie or TV show, or pursue another activity that will get your creative juices flowing and spark some inspiration.
Don’t take it too seriously.
In the end, NaNoWriMo is about writing your story. Whether you hit 50,000 words or only actually write for the first few days, you’ll have accomplished something. Look at the month of November as a way to develop good writing habits, find a new creative outlet, and hopefully make some friends.
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