NaNoWriMo: Unconventional Tips and Tricks to Winning

Since 1999, November has been NaNoWriMo month. Now, you may be asking yourself what the heck that is, well let me explain. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and the basic premise is to write a 50,000 word piece of fiction in 30 days. This may seem like an odd concept, but it does have quite a few advantages. Most people who say they want to write a book have a myriad of excuses as to why they don't do it, usually the excuse is time. Most people think that a good novel can take years to write, but NaNoWriMo cuts that time down to 30 days.

The premise is to write 50,000 words and not concern yourself with grammar, spelling, punctuation and the likes. You can always go back later and edit. You are told to turn off your inner editor and just write. This isn't always easy to do, a lot of people have a hard time turning off the inner editor, so I have some unconventional tips and tricks to help you get to the end of your 50,000 words.

Tip #1: Have distractions
Most people recommend scheduling writing time and this does work, but it also puts undue pressure on the writer to actually write. If you have something to distract you, then you will feel less pressure to sit and write. You can write a few sentences or paragraphs in a burst, then take a break to check email or whatever other distraction you have and go back to your writing when you are inspired again. Creativity doesn't know time, it doesn't know that from X to Y is your writing time and the time that you need to be creative. Creativity comes when it comes, you have to take the bull by the horns and write when the creativity is flowing.

Tip #2: Don't Write Daily
Most people recommend writing daily, setting a minimum daily goal, then push themselves to get to that goal. By doing this, again they are adding undue pressure on themselves. If you know that you have to write 50,000 words in 30 days, it does break down to approximately 1667 words per day, but that doesn't have to be set in stone. Set your goals by the week. There are 7 days in a week, with ~1667 words per day, then a weekly goal is around ~12,000 words per week. If you want to write three days, then go for it, if you want to write 5, go for it. You can even write 50,000 words in one day if you want, you won't be the first one to try it.

Tip #3: Don't Read The Forums
Seriously, avoid the NaNoWriMo forums unless you absolutely need to go to them. The reason behind this is simple, there will always be someone there who is doing better than you, who has written more, written better, outdone you. This isn't to say that you suck, because by attempting to do NaNoWriMo at all, you do not suck. It is to say, however, that there are people out there who will finish in a day or have half of their goal by the end of the first few days. It will discourage you, it will make you feel inferior, it will add more undue pressure on your writing. If you need information, google it and try to find it elsewhere first. There are plenty of participants with their own blogs and you may even have friends participating as well. Go there first, then if all else fails, go to the forums, search your information, but don't read anything else.

Tip #4: Don't Count Your Words Daily
I can hear the shouts of "but I won't know if I'm making my goals!" Yes you will. Write your first day, make sure that you are finished for the day, then run it through your word counting software. You will know approximately how many words per line you write and you can always use that as a maker. If you write 150 words in 7 lines, then you should have approximately 650 words in 30 lines. Is this a great way to keep track? Probably not, but it keeps you from obsessing over the number of words that you are writing. At the end of the week, count your words, then you'll know if you're on track to 50,000 or not. If the approximation is coming out differently than you estimated, then you can always go back and adjust your numbers.

Tip #5: Stop Wherever You Are
This may seem like common sense, but many people will try to force the rest of a scene or chapter before stopping their writing for they day. If you get stuck in the middle of a scene, just put it down and walk away, come back to it later when you feel up to writing again. If you force your scenes and chapters, then you are setting yourself up for failure. By writing a forced scene, you may not be able to pick up later and continue on easily. Forcing yourself to continue with your writing, you're adding pressure to perform on yourself which in many cases lead to frustration or worse, quitting. The goal is to write 50,000 words, not write the great American novel.

If you stop and look at NaNoWriMo realistically, then you will stand a better chance at winning. Remember that the only real tangible prize is having that novel at least started. You have a first draft and that's more than a lot of aspiring authors will ever have. Can you improve it and publish it? Of course you can, but that's what the rest of the year is for. November is for the writing, nothing more than that, just don't make it your entire life.

Good luck, go forth and write!