Back in 2017, a friend of mine, Randy Wiafe, introduced me to a thing called NaNoWriMo.
I had never heard of it before, but when I told him I was an aspiring author, he immediately told me about it.
At the time I had so many novel ideas but never followed through with any of them, which was okay. It just wasn’t my time yet.
In 2017, during November, I started trying to write my first novel, Wintersweet, which I never had the motivation to finish. But after that, I was still keenly aware of NaNoWriMo and its availability to me as a writer.
What is NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It happens every November and challenges people who aspire to write a novel to finish writing it in the span of 30 days. They started the program in 1999.
NaNoWriMo tracks words for writers like Fitbit tracks steps, and hosts real-world writing events in cities from Mexico City, to Seoul, to Milwaukee with the help of 900+ volunteers in thousands of partnering libraries and community centers like… well, like nothing else.
They are a 501(c)3 that encourages people to get creative with their writing so they can finish that splendid idea roaming around in their heads. And not only do they provide you a platform to track your writing progress, they give you an entire community to network with and a myriad of resources to help you on your writing journey.
NaNoWriMo primarily takes place in November, but they also provide “camps” which happen in April and June.
How Many Words Do You Write For NaNoWriMo?
Now, this is the intimidating part. For NaNoWriMo, you are challenged to write 50,000 words in 30 days.
And while that sounds like it’s unachievable, it is actually incredibly achievable!
For NaNoWriMo 2020, I was able to write over 84,000 words for my novel. And I write on the side for Elephant Journal, and I work full-time, and I do freelance, so I was SUPER busy.
How Do You Use NaNoWriMo?
There are a variety of steps when starting NaNoWriMo. Here are a few steps to help you get started.
Step 1: Create an Account
Doing so is incredibly easy. Just head on over to NaNoWriMo and get your account set up.
Make sure you provide all the fun links to your website or portfolios and then a picture of yourself. You can also add an author bio and tell people who your favorite authors are!
Step 2: Start a Project
After you’ve added your bio, your author links, and chosen some of your favorite books and authors, it’s time to get your project going! There will be an option on your dashboard to Announce a project.
From there, you can add the following info:
- The title
- The genre
- Which stage of the project you’re in
- If you want your project private or public
- What type of project it is
- Provide a synopsis
- Your word goal
- Your Pinterest board
- A music playlist
After you jot all of this down, you’re ready to start writing!
Step 3: Track Your Progress
Each time you sit down at your computer to write, be sure to have your NaNoWriMo dashboard open. Try to write a little bit each and every day, even if you don’t have a lot of time.
Each time you add words, you can update how many words you’ve written in the dashboard.
You can add how many words you currently have and how you are feeling about your writing so far!
Step 4: Get Rewarded With Badges
Badges are the added incentive when writing and trying to accomplish your 50,000 words in 30 days. They have already set up goal for you that are activated as you complete them. Some of them include.
- Wrote 3 days in a row
- Wrote 7 days in a row
- Wrote 5,000 words.
- Etc.
With these badges, there are also separate badges for your personal achievements. Some of those include:
- Being a planner
- Telling the world about your project
- Joining a virtual writing seminar
All of this is designed to motivate you to finish your goal.
How Long is a Novel?
According to some of the great novel writers on MasterClass dropping their awesome knowledge, they say that,
If you’re writing your first novel, the general rule of thumb for novel writing is a word count in the 80,000 to 100,000 range. While anything over 40,000 words can fall into the novel category, 50,000 is considered the minimum novel length. Anything over 110,000 words is considered too long for a fiction novel.
While they’re probably right, authors like J.R.R Tolkien, Stephen King, and Goodreads Book of the Year Author, Sarah J. Maas have novels that are well over that amount with 800 pages (well over 110,000 words).
If you have a good book, I think it may not matter how long it is.
What If I Don’t Finish My Novel During NaNoWriMo?
I’ll just say, it happens.
It took me three years to start and finish a novel with NaNoWriMo. If you don’t finish your novel during November, set some goals and intentions for April and June when Camp NaNoWriMo comes around!
The biggest piece of advice I can offer here is to just not give up. Not everyone can have a great idea happen on the first try. Be patient with yourself and keep trying.
7 Ways to Successfully Finish Your Project During NaNoWriMo?
There are so many ways to accomplish your goal when it comes to using NaNoWriMo. If you’re not quite sure how to manage yourself to reach this goal, here are some suggestions.
1. Schedule Time for Yourself
No matter if it’s 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or one hour, schedule time for yourself to sit down and write every single day. Getting in the habit of writing daily is what will help you achieve this goal.
Set an alarm on your calendar, tell Alexa to remind you, whatever you have to!
2. Don’t Watch TV or Make Yourself Available During Writing Time
Some of us (myself included) run the TV or music in the background while we are writing. But we are human. It is easy to lost thought or stop all things to watch or listen to whatever is jamming in your writing space.
Get rid of these distractions so you can stay focused while you write.
3. Write What You’re Passionate About
I cannot stress this enough. Part of the reason it was so easy for me to crush my 50,000-word goal is because I was fiercely in love with the story I was writing.
Make sure you are writing about something that lights you up inside, if you don’t, you’ll feel like you’re forcing it, and then the writing experience will not be as enjoyable.
Follow your intuition! If you have a great idea that sparks profound interest, go after it!
4. Keep A Journal With You ALWAYS.
Obviously, you’re not going to be writing for NaNoWriMo at all hours of the day (although that would be nice). Since you can’t have a computer with you at all times keep journals with you or use your phone to write down ideas that pop out of nowhere.
I have a journal next to my bed, in my camera bag, next to my computer (if I’m working), or I keep notes on my phone.
5. Tell Your Social Channels What You’re Doing
I don’t know why it helps, but announcing your project and your progress almost makes you accountable for finishing your goal. You’ve announced your goals to the world and now people, even if it’s just a few, will ask, “So, how is your book coming?”
- Post stories on Instagram and Facebook
- Share updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok,
- Send out emails to family and friends
Plus, if you do it enough, after a while you’ll feel excited to share with those channels and you have the potential to build a bigger fan base!
6. Network With the NaNoWriMo Community
NaNoWriMo knows how difficult it might be to do all of this on your own, that’s why they have created a handful of ways for you to network with others and build a community while you write your novel.
Some of what they offer are:
- Forums
- Write-Ins
- Meet-Ups
- Groups and Regions to Join
All of these will give you a chance to meet other authors and even sit in a writing space with others while you work on your book.
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Start Over
If you start writing and you find out you just don’t like this idea, don’t worry, you can ALWAYS start over. It’s better to start with a new idea if you’re halfway through than to keep writing something you don’t like or quit altogether.
Read My Novel The Lost Pleiad!
My novel, The Lost Pleiad, is coming out in 2021, thanks to help from NaNoWriMo. Sign Up to Reserve a copy below.
