(Mostly) Free Resources to Help You Win National Novel Writing Month
I can’t believe I’ve never written directly about National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, as it’s commonly called, on this blog. The challenge to write a book in the month of November was the foundational reason that I cofounded a creative writing club at the University of Virginia, and as a result, NaNo has brought so many beautiful people and experiences into my life.
Why would you want to participate in NaNo? If you’ve been gearing up to draft a novel, this is a great way to light a fire under your bum. After all, you have an international community of writers cheering you along. How often can you say that?
The traditional NaNo challenge of 50,000 words in the month of November may not be a good fit if you’re already halfway into a draft. That said, you can always rebel and set a different challenge; for instance, you might divvy up your remaining chapters and try to complete one every few days in November. One year, I even attempted NaNoEdMo—self-editing my novel in the month of November. (This was a little more complicated than I anticipated, but that time constraint still moved my productivity needle in the right direction.)
Interested in getting started? The following tips and resources should help you on your way.
Visit the National Novel Writing Month Website.
This one’s a no-brainer. You can’t officially “win” NaNo if you don’t have an account. Get started here.
Tip #1: Isolate and Identify Your Writing Routine NOW.
Ask yourself the following: How long does a writing session have to be for you to deem it successful or productive? In other words, how long does it take you to write X number of words if you’re going full bore, without stopping?
Be sure to build in time for any activities that are part of your pre-writing ritual as well. Do you need to journal to clear your mind before you can write creatively? Do you have an elaborate tea ceremony before you get started?
Once you know about how long a successful writing session is for you, look at your schedule week by week. Identify when you are able to fit in writing sessions. Are mornings better for you? Late nights? Will you reach your word count all in one go, or will you scatter it throughout the day (e.g., with your morning coffee, on your lunch break)?
Don’t just half-ass these October writing sessions; act like they are the real deal. In fact, they are. NaNo shouldn’t just be about winning the Iron Man challenge of the literary world. It should be about building a writing practice that will be sustainable after the craziness of November dies down.
Bookmark “Write or Die.”
For a generative challenge like NaNo, you need to focus on getting a draft on the page, not on how perfect it is. This is why software like Write or Die is great for your first foray from outline to draft.
Write or Die allows you to put in your word count goal and your time limit, then choose from a menu of consequences that will happen if you stop writing. These consequences range from annoying noises (e.g., sheep bleating, Hanson singing “Mm Bop”) to kamikaze mode, for which not typing means your words start erasing themselves! (Trust me, you won’t be quibbling over the perfect adjective for long if that’s happening for you.)
There are both free and paid versions available. My favorite is the second edition, but you can find the most up-to-date edition here.
Subscribe to Hatch Editorial’s October Boot Camp.
To traditionally "win" NaNoWriMo, you need to write 50,000 words over the month of November. If you break that out evenly, that means writing at least 1,667 words each day for 30 days.
My October Boot Camp emails get you ready to face the challenge of NaNoWriMo. Writing prompts sent out each morning this month will ratchet you up to the point that you're writing 2,000 words a day without breaking a sweat.
It's free to subscribe, and no, it's not too late to join! If you join at any point in October, you’ll get a list of previous days' prompts emailed to you.
Install the Cold Turkey Site Blocker.
One of the most frustrating ways a writing session can go down the tubes is if it’s wasted scrolling through social media, news aggregators, or whatever your greatest internet-based distraction is.
Enter Cold Turkey. Cold Turkey is a site blocker that allows you to key in the sites you want to avoid. You can have one major list of blocked sites or build different ones for different purposes. You can also make the blockage continuous or schedule it for certain times of day. Free and paid versions are available.
Tip #2: Choose Your Rest Days Wisely.
If you follow my method outlined in October Boot Camp and aim for 2,000 words a day, you score up to five rest days in the month of November. Choose these now so that you’re not tempted to be lazy and/or front-load them to your detriment. For instance, I might choose my birthday and Thanksgiving for fun, relaxing days off, and Election Day and the day after because I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to focus on anything else.
Purchase the 30 Days of Writing Planner. (Optional, obviously.)
A couple of years ago, I teamed up with graphic designer Erin Bonham to create the 30 Days of Writing Planner, which is exactly what it sounds like. In addition to advice on how to create and stick to daily word count and time-based goals, the journal has 30 customizable planner pages to isolate your writing time, reflect on how your day went, and more. If you need extra support, there are “Cures for the Common Writer’s Block” as well as 40+ blank journal pages in the back for your use.
Follow @NaNoWordSprints and @WritingBright.
@NaNoWordSprints is a Twitter account that is active chiefly during NaNoWriMo events in November, April, and July. If you click over to it, you should get the gist, but essentially a moderator tells you and whoever else is following along that you’re about to do a “word sprint”—a condensed period of time in which you’re trying to just blast out your word count. Though you’re still technically alone at your writing desk, it feels cool to embark on these sprints with so many other folks around the world.
Meanwhile, @WritingBright is an account run by British playwright Diane Samuels—with whom I studied free writing back in 2007—that tweets out a new writing prompt every day of the year. For the most part, these are inspiring in a mysterious, metaphysical fashion, which is right up my alley. I hope it’s up your alley too.