It’s Week 2 of NaNoWriMo. Maybe you’ve had a banner week or maybe you barely got words on a page. Maybe you haven’t started yet. Don’t worry it’s not too late. I’m in great shape. Sunday I pulled ahead of my rounded up daily goal of 1,700 words. Monday I held on. Tuesday and Wednesday I slipped. Thursday not a word on the page. Big Fat Goose Egg. I made up for it Friday and Saturday, especially Saturday. Sunday was a steady day.
Here’s the thing. NaNoWriMo is very doable. If you write about 1,000 word/hour it’s only 1.5-ish hours per day. You can do it without your family going hungry or wearing dirty clothes. And you don’t have to take any vacation days.
Tip 1. Plan Ahead
Where I failed a couple of years ago was when I wrote a story that I only had down as a concept. My other two years were in a story world where they were sequels to a story I already created, and I knew where I wanted it to go. I’m pretty much a pantser but I still sat down and did a bit of plotting and character development.
Tip 2. Set Time Aside
For me that is at night. If I can be rear in chair about 9 or 10, I can write and be in bed 11-12, which works for me. Maybe your golden time is 6-7:30 in the morning or 4-5:30 in the afternoon. Or lunch hours. Set your DVR and record your favorite show. Write during that time and watch the episodes in December or as a treat for making milestone word counts.
Tip 3. Make the Most of Down Time
I got an early birthday present, a Bluetooth keyboard for my iPad. I got around 600 words in the car this weekend in fifteen minute drives to Walmart, Church, small group. Write while you’re waiting in the school pick up line. Do you carpool to work or take mass transit? Do it then. I wrote while waiting at the dentist’s office.
Do you have any other great tips and/or strategies for winning NaNo?
The New Authors Fellowship 