6 Tips for NaNoWriMo Success

It’s almost November which means it’s almost time for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or NaNo for short)! NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November (roughly 1667 words a day) and writers all over the country come together to participate. The beauty of the NaNo experience is coming together with so many other writers who are all working toward sharing their creative dream and getting their words onto the page. The momentum and excitement of challenging yourself to write every day creates an environment of consistency that many writers need to give them a boost at the end of the year. It’s so much fun and I’ve loved every time I’ve participated!

If you’re considering NaNo this year, you’re most likely equal parts excited and nervous about the amount of effort ahead of you. It’s a lot of work and a big commitment, but let me encourage you right now that it is doable.

I’ve completed NaNo twice in the past and finished 5 days early both times. To help you get the most out of your month and set yourself up for success, I put together the tips and tricks that helped me ‘win’ the challenge.

Tip #1: Do at least some prep or prewriting.

Beginning NaNo with a completely blank page works for some writers as they discover their story when the words fly from their fingertips. Other writers prefer to do extensive prep work during October (#preptober) to give themselves a solid plan of action going into the challenge. All ways are perfectly acceptable; the key is knowing what works best for you as a writer and what gives you the highest chance of success.

No matter what kind of writer you are, the goal of prep work is to ensure that you don’t run out of steam. In my personal experience as a pantser, I’ve done minimal prep work and still written all 50,000 words early. I attribute part of my success to developing a basic understanding of my story premise ahead of time so that I knew the general direction I wanted my story to take. This kept me going on those days where I struggled to pick up steam.

Before NaNo begins, write at least a couple sentences about your story using these prompts:

• What does your main character want? What are they trying to achieve, gain, or do throughout your story?
• What flaws are holding your character back? How are they going to change by the end?
• What is the conflict? What’s going to go wrong for your main character? What journey are they about to embark on?

Knowing at least a little about your main character (their goals and flaws) and what sets your plot’s events in motion (the conflict) will provide a solid foundation upon which to build your story.

Tip #2: Find a community group for support and encouragement.

One of the biggest trials of NaNo is the mental hurdle of reaching such a large word count goal in a short period of time. It can be really tough to stay on top of daily writing, especially when you hit the ‘tired weeks’ (as I call them) where you begin to feel stretched physically and mentally. Find a group of other NaNo participants to help encourage you (and for you to encourage others) when the words get tough. Going through the challenge with other writers can give your brain the mental kick in the butt it’ll likely need. Plus, we write better when we are in community with other writers!

Connecting is a huge part of NaNo and I fully encourage you to put yourself out there, be a little vulnerable, and make new friends.

Here are some places where you can connect with other writers:

• Sign up on the NaNoWriMo website to find community forums and local writer groups
• Use the hashtag #NaNoWriMo2021 or #NaNo2021 on social media to connect with other participants
• Find Facebook community groups centered around NaNo
• Follow the official NaNoWriMo social media accounts

Tip #3: Set goals that work for you.

I am not a NaNo purist who believes you only ‘win’ the month if you write 50,000 words. Rather, I think the heart of this month is to challenge yourself to grow as a writer. You should set a goal that is a stretch for you to accomplish but is also attainable. For some writers, that’s 20,000 words, for some it’s 60,000. Many writers don’t even use a word count goal; they instead substitute an Act goal or a revision goal. This is still a perfectly valid way to approach NaNo.

I would rather see you participate and accomplish a meaningful goal that you set for yourself than try to hit the 50,000 word mark and not reach it. Evaluate what you feel is attainable, what kind of momentum you can keep up for that long, and set your sights on that.

Tip #4: Try to write ahead.

What’s difficult about NaNo is how hard it is to catch up if you miss a day or two. With an average daily word count goal of 1667, that’s a lot of ground to make up if you fall behind. I tried to write ahead as often as possible, aiming for about 2000 words a day when I had the energy, to give me a little buffer in case I missed a day.

However, it’s easy to burn out when you write so many words. So I only recommend this on days where you have extra time or capacity, like weekends or days off, or if you feel like you’re in a great stride with your counts. The buffer you create will be invaluable to your success when life throws unexpected surprises your way.

Tip #5: Stop when you know what’s next.

This is my all time favorite piece of writing advice, and it’s applicable outside NaNo as well. When you get into a good writing flow, you will want to write as many words as possible (especially if you’re trying to pad your word count!) and go until you run out of steam. I’m going to warn you against this—yes, even after I just told you to stretch your words per day.

Stop writing when you know what is coming next. Finish your word count goals, build that buffer if it helps, but make sure you stop when you can still see a couple steps ahead. If you’re slogging through the words, keep going until you get the next idea. If you’re flying along, but know you’re reaching an unknown part, stop before you finish! When you stop at a point when you know what happens next, you will be ready when you come to the page the next day. You will have a plan already, at least for the first step, so you can pick up right where you left off, rather than staring at a blank page of unknowns and trying to gather momentum again. Keep your momentum going by stopping when you have a clear vision as to what is coming next!

Tip #6: Stay flexible. Have fun.

NaNo is supposed to be fun! Let me repeat that: NaNo is supposed to be fun! Yes, it’s hard, but at the end of the day, it’s so important to enjoy the challenge and the words that result. My advice is to remain flexible when you approach the page and have fun with it. Some days your story may take an unexpected turn and I encourage you to embrace that as much as possible. Be willing to let the words flow and take you wherever they go. Be open to change but most of all, enjoy the process. Get to know other writers, build your own writing community through networking and connecting, and have fun!

You can do this!

The last thing I’ll add (not exactly a tip but more of a reminder) is that whether or not you ‘win’ or you hit your NaNo goals this year, you are still a worthy and amazing writer. You can do this, but don’t use this challenge as a benchmark to ‘prove’ yourself as a writer. You’ve already proven yourself just by showing up. All progress is good progress, so whatever you put on the page is more than you had before. Every word you get down, every inch closer you get to your goals, is another step on the writing journey. At the end of the day, use NaNo as a learning tool to help you become a better writer. Don’t forget, have fun!