I’m getting ready to participate in NaNoWriMo next month, and I hope you are, too. If you’re not familiar with this annual event for writers, here’s a great article that will help you decide to go for it!

This article was first published in the October, 2008, THE HEART MONITOR, a
newsletter from the RWA Heart of Dixie Romance Writer’s Chapter.

Gearing Up For NaNoWriMo
By Danniele Worsham

Last year, over 100,000 people chose to spend the month of November writing
50,000 words during National Novel Writing Month. This phenomenon, now in its
10th annual event, has grown from a few like-minded friends, to a non-profit
organization that promotes literary endeavors for both adults and young people.

What is NaNoWriMo?

This is the 10th annual National Novel Writing Month event. It started out with
21 people doing this for fun. But 2 years ago they established a non-profit
called the Office of Letters and Light that runs NaNoWriMo and the NaNoWriMo
Young Writers Program through sponsorships and donations. From previous
donations, they’ve established 22 libraries in countries including Cambodia,
Laos, and Vietnam. NaNoWriMo had 101,510 individual participants in 2007,
including 366 schools, and university courses at UCLA, Phoenix College, and
George Mason University.

If you choose to participate, you’re in good company. Previous winners include
Lani Diane Rich (www.lanidianerich.com) (Maybe Baby, Time Off for Good
Behavior); Sara Gruen (www.saragruen.com) (Flying Changes, Water for
Elephants); Lisa Daily (http://stopgettingdumped.com) (The Dreamgirl Academy);
Jenna Bayley-Burke (www.jennabayleyburke.com) (Just One Spark).Â

What are the Benefits?

Hopefully, one obvious benefit is that you’ll be that much closer to finishing
your novel. Whether you hit the goal of 50,000 or lag behind with 25,000,
that’s 25,000 words you didn’t have before November 1st. Compressing the time
spent with your novel and characters into this intense time frame completely
immerses the author in the story. There is no break in the connection because
you will eat, drink, and sleep this project. For many of the NaNoWriMo’s I
corresponded with, the greatest benefit was discovering more about yourself as
a writer. One author summed it up best: “You really learn what you’re capable
of when you truly focus on your passion.”

You’ll learn exactly how many pages you could produce if you were under a tight
deadline. Whether you have the stamina, patience, and mental focus to succeed
at BICHOK (butt in chair, hands on keyboard). The experience might reveal to
you whether you need more preparation before you start on a work. Or help
you reach that momentous occasion of finally typing your first The End.

Steps to Success

So you want to write the equivalent of a category romance length book in a
month? Here are some steps to help you achieve your goal:

Sign up on the website at www.nanowrimo.org . This will provide you with the
accountability of listing your word count and encouragement from the forums,
including some forums specific to the romance genre or certain areas. For
instance, there is once for northern Alabama, as well as one specifically for
the Birmingham area. The staff also offers weekly pep talks and podcasts for
encouragement.The website also offers meters and electronic banners to add to
your website so your readers can help encourage you in your quest.

Remember, quantity is what counts here, not quality. According to the website,
“This is a fun, seat of your pants approach to novel writing.” And believe it or
not, that’s a good thing. Perfection is not required!

First drafts are called drafts for a reason. They are designed to be rewritten,
and rewrite them you should, just not in November. Having to get this number of
words out this fast will help you to turn off that pesky internal editor that
so often hinders our progress.

Prepare ahead of time, whether you are a plotter or pantser. Sorry, pantsers!
If you are going to crank out 50,000 words in 30 days, you don’t have time to
stop and figure out where you are going. At the very least, you need a clear
idea of your characters, the beginning and end of your book, and a few key
points in between. This will give you a general map of where your story is
heading, the target each scene should aim for. If you are a plotter, do
everything you would normally do before you start writing before November 1st.
For me, that includes comprehensive plot points, Story Magic plotting, and
a character collage. Unsure how to prepare? Check out No Plot? No Problem! By
NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty.

Let’s talk about numbers. To write 50,000 words in 30 days, you’d have to write
1665 words each day. But, if you write 2000 words each day, you can compensate
for a few off days, like Thanksgiving. Plan how many off days you might need
and factor them in when calculating your word goals. Trust me, if you think you
can slack off during the month and then race to the finish, odds are against
you. But be ready to give up all the spare time you have to achieve this goal.
If you are a fast writer and hit your goal really quick, great! For the
rest of us, be prepared to sacrifice!

Success Strategies

Here are a few strategies I received from fellow writers and former NaNoWriMo’s
to help you crank out the pages during November.

Use a timer: Try writing in timed sprints. Some examples I ran across included
45 minutes on/15 minutes off, 2 hours on/1 hour off, 30/30, or whatever works
for you. But when it is time to start, do nothing but write. No email. No
internet. No television. No children.

The Buddy System: Accountability can go a long way toward helping you achieve
your goals each day. It’s easier to fail when no one is watching. Try the timed
sprints in conjunction with your friends, exchanging emails at each break time
with a progress report via email. I’ve recently enjoyed success with challenge
days: days devoted to writing as much as possible throughout the day,
reporting in with page counts via email. My lowest accomplishment was 6
pages. My highest was 28.

Create a Writing Challenge with a prize. Everyone throw in $10 and the person
to write the most words by the end of the month gets the cash or the equivalent
in an Amazon gift certificate.

Don’t stress! This is supposed to be fun. Okay, I’ll admit I can’t imagine this
being fun, because I don’t enjoy writing my first drafts. I enjoy REwriting
them. But the chance to immerse myself in my story with the encouragement of
other writers who are traversing this same journey with me sounds invigorating.

Reward Yourself. All work and no play makes Jane an awfully dull girl. Don’t
forget to reward yourself for all that hard work. If you need the carrot, plan
smaller, weekly rewards for meeting or exceeding your word count goals. Some
ideas include: a new book or magazine, some tv time or a movie, dinner out, or
chocolate (always a good choice). If you can hold out, treat yourself at the
end of the month with a big reward, like a manicure/pedicure or massage, a
new outfit, or a night at a B&B. Why not plan an ending party with
fellow NaNoWriMo participants? On the website, they call these “Thank God it’s
over” parties. Meet at your favorite restaurant or get together for a potluck
and night of rock band.

And don’t forget the most important reward of all. If you meet the 50,000 word
count, upload your manuscript to the NaNoWriMo counter, so your hard work can
be verified and your name added to the list of NaNoWriMo winners! Don’t worry,
all manuscripts are deleted as soon as they are counted.

Whether or not you actually hit the 50,000 word goal, the important part is
that you invested time and hard work into your goal of finishing a book. Out of
all the NaNoWriMo’s I talked to about their experiences, whether they finished
or not, they all agreed that it was worth it. You’re that much closer to
writing The End on your romance. That is definitely something to be proud of!

Danniele Worsham writes contemporary romance and runs a resume writing business from her home in northern Alabama. She’s a founding member of The Writing Playground and can be found on their blog every Monday.
www.writingplayground.com

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