Hoping to win NaNoWriMo this year? Here’s how.
I took part in my first National Novel Writing Month in 2005, fifteen years ago, and won. That story was never published, but it was the first time I actually finished a book – and I definitely credit it with giving me the confidence to write the next one. And the next one – which got me my agent. And the next one – which sold.
Despite writing – and publishing – over 40 novels for six different publishers since then, somehow I’ve never managed to time the writing of them fit NaNoWriMo since. But this year, things are different. This year, I’m going to win NaNoWriMo – and you guys are my witnesses!
Are you taking part in NaNoWriMo this year? Get in touch so we can be buddies!
Whether this is your first Nano or your fifteenth, when November 1st rolls around we’re all in the same position: staring at 30 days and 50,000 words to write before the end of the month. Here are my top tips for reaching November 30th with a smile and a story.
Know what winning NaNoWriMo looks like for you.
The basic concept of NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge in which participants try to write a 50,000 words novel over 30 days. Looked at in those terms, what winning looks like is simple: just write the words – 1667 a day, to be precise – and you’ll win!
But adding some personal motivation to the goal will make you a lot more likely to reach it. So, I’d like you to think about exactly what it is you hope to get out of Nano, before you start.
Do you want to:
- Establish a daily writing habit?
- Find out if you can actually finish a story?
- Explore a story world or characters or idea you think will be fun, and find out if there’s a book in it?
- Make writing fun again?
- Write the first part of a much longer book?
- Something else entirely?
What you want to get out of Nano not only affects how you approach it during the month – it can change what winning NaNoWriMo looks like for you.
For instance, if you’re hoping to kickstart a writing habit, then writing every day in November is more important to you than hitting 50k. That’s your personal win. If you want to make writing fun again, it might matter more to you to get into the forums and use some of the suggestions from the dares thread to really have fun with your story. If all you want to do is finish something, does it really matter if it’s 30k not 50k?
Basically, set your own goal, alongside the official one. That way you know when you’ve achieved what you wanted, and you get to call it a win.
Make Time To Write
Taking part in NaNoWriMo is a commitment – to yourself and to your writing.
If you were planning on running a 10k race at the end of the month, having never really run before, you’d need a training plan to prepare you. You’d know upfront you’d need to put the hours in. If you had an extra project due on November 30th, you’d know you’d need to set aside time during the month to produce it. You wouldn’t just magically expect these things to happen while nothing else about your life changed.
Same with Nano.
If you want to win NaNoWriMo, the same as any race, or any project, you have to make the time to write.
It’s helpful if you know how long it takes you to write, say, a thousand words, so you can extrapolate how long the book might take. I say might, because words are tricky things. I know I can write a thousand words in half an hour, if I get my head down and just write them, and if I know where my story is going and I’m caught up in the scene at hand.
I also know it can take me two hours to write the same thing, if the scene just isn’t working.
Still, as basic rule of thumb is helpful. I know that to write my planned words per day, I need to set aside at least 1-3 hours. I’d average that out at trying to write for 2 hours a day. Some days I might come in over target, other days under, but they should balance themselves out over the month.
(The first year I did Nano I did not do this, and I ended up writing 10k on the last day, while skiving off at the office. Not fun; do not recommend.)
The tracking tools on the Nano website can help you to visualise how you’re getting on, and how many words a day you need to write to hit your goal.
But before November 1st, spending a little time identifying where those two hours a day are going to come from, then committing to using them to write, will put you ahead of the game.
Remember! Most professional authors would take longer than a month to write 50k. This is a serious challenge you’re taking on, so prepare for it.
Struggling to find time? Check out my Making Time to Write blog post for some ideas.
Plan Ahead
As well as planning ahead with your time to write, you need to plan ahead for your story, too.
Now, everyone has a different comfort level with planning; some writers need to know every beat of every scene before they start writing anything at all, others like to go in knowing nothing and discover as they write.
I definitely veer towards the planning end (although not quite that extreme!). But even if you’re the ultimate pantser, I think that if you want to win Nanowrimo this year, a little planning can go a very long way.
So before November 1st, figure out these fundamentals to give yourself your best chance of reaching 50k.
Why you want to write THIS story.
I’m not going to lie to you; every book I’ve ever written there’s been a point in the middle where I’ve wondered if I’m just writing the wrong book. Going back to basics and remembering why this particular story excited me and mattered to me when I dreamt it up helps me get through that messy middle. So write your Big Story Why down now, before November, and put it somewhere you can see it often – or at least where you’ll be able to find it when you need it. (I put mine in my bullet journal, along with my other story notes.)
What your character wants.
What’s their goal? Why do they want it? And what is stopping them getting it? This basic conflict is what underpins your whole story, so it’s important to get them straight upfront.
Stumped by your conflict? Check out this blog post on Conflict Squares for some tips.
Where your story starts.
Knowing your opening scene, to the point where you can almost see it playing in your head like a movie, will give you fantastic momentum going into day one. Make sure that events in scene one are set up to lead you straight into scene two. Cause and effect are what’s going to drive your novel along.
(For more on the importance of cause and effect in a novel, check out the book Story Genius by Lisa Cron.)
Where your story ends.
You might not know the details yet, and that’s fine. But you do need to have some idea of what you’re writing towards. Is it a happy ending or a tragic one, or even an ambiguous one? Will you character achieve their goal, fail, or discover that they don’t want it after all? Your ending will act as your North Star when you get lost in the story. Keep your eyes on it and write towards it.
Your favourite scenes.
I’m not saying you have to plan out every scene of the book, but chances are that when you first came up with your story idea, certain potential scenes popped straight into your head.
The first kiss. The final battle. The comedy pub scene. That sexy dance scene. The moment they reach the top of the mountain. The moment your heroine confides in someone at last.
Somewhere between your opening and final scene, there’s magic you can’t wait to write, right? Make a brief list of all those scenes and, when the writing gets really hard and you can’t see where to go next, pick one and write that instead.
It’ll keep your word count up, your momentum going, and maybe even give you the insight you need to get back to the scene you were struggling with.
Build A Word Count Emergency Fund
30 days is not a long time (I mean, couldn’t they have picked a month with 31 days, at least?!). And as much as you might pledge to write your 1667 words faithfully, every single day of November, life happens.
There will be days when you – or a loved one – are sick, and writing doesn’t happen. There’ll be family events, busy work or school days, days where you’re just too tired to think let alone write.
However good your (and my) intentions, there will be days where writing doesn’t happen.
Which is why you need a buffer.
Because there will also be good writing days – days where the words flow without you even having to think about them. Take advantage of those days, and write a little (or a lot) extra. Add them to your word bank, and call on them so you don’t fall behind on the bad days.
Think of it as your word count emergency fund – and only use it for a real emergency. It’s easy to slack off when you’re ahead of the game, but remember, once you’ve used up that bank of words you need to build it up again, in advance of the next bad writing day…
Connect With Others
Half of the fun of NaNoWriMo is the energy and excitement that comes from the community, the feel of thousands of people all writing a book at the same time, and experiencing the same highs and lows.
So make sure you log into the website regularly, join the forums and find some writing buddies – they’ll keep you going through the tough days!
Good luck, Wrimo! I know you can win NaNoWriMo this year!
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