NaNoWriMo is nigh!

Maybe it should say ‘Write or Die! WRITE or DIE!!!’

Seriously, are you ready for NaNoWriMo? If not, there is still hope. Here’s what you need:

Log-in or Register (if you haven’t already) to NaNoWriMo.org – Get yourself set up for success. There are valuable tools and inspiration for the newbie and the experienced writer. DO IT!!

An Idea – you know what I mean. You’ve had them swirling around your brain for ages with the mental hashtag #Ineedtorememberthat. Catch that flighty bastard and write it down.

A Plan – Here is where it gets serious. Are you a Planner or a Panster or Planster? What? You don’t know? Here are some basic things to help you decide.

•  Planner - You are a Planner when you must have every detail from start to finish documented in outline form. EVERY DETAIL!  This is not a bad thing. There are no surprises and lets you charge a head in your writing. If you are a Planner, you most likely have character profiles already figured out too. In the end you will have a first draft of a novel. Brava!
•  Panster - A Panster tends to throw words at a page and sees what works. They write until it works. Once more, this is not a bad thing if it is how your brain works. You take the idea and you write until you can’t write anymore. With persistence and the understanding that you will have a hell of a lot of editing to do, you will have a messy but workable first draft. Brava!
• Planster (or a hybrid) – A Planster is this amazing hybrid of a Planner and Panster. You have a basic idea of how your story will begin and end with milestones that will be your basic plot points. There is a lot of latitude with method. It’s easy to chase plot bunnies down their holes. BUT, if you keep an eye to the goals you’ve set, you’ll come out with a solid first draft. Brava! (I’m a Planster)

A Timer – Why? Because it helps you break this 50,000 word goal into reasonable chunks of time. I know people who sit for hours at the computer pounding away, only to burn out. For every 60 mins you sit at the computer writing, you need to take 15 minutes to walk around, do some chores, chat with a friend – do something to clear your mind.  Then you can go back to the keyboard refreshed. Check out the Pomodoro Technique.

A Support System - When you take on the challenge of NaNoWriMo, you need people who can talk you down from the literary ledge when you can’t seem to make your daily goal, you think your story is crap, or you can’t type another word. Your fellow Na-nites will help you through the tough times and celebrate the triumphs. Check out the NaNoWriMo.org > My Regions. There you will find write-ins, events, and people who are doing the same thing you are. While the act of writing is solitary, the writing community is what gets you over the hump and back on track.

Permission to Create and Gag your Inner Critic – Only you can give yourself permission to create. November 1st – 30th allows you to follow your muse. In the US, we have Thanksgiving and all the family stuff that goes with it. Don’t let that stress you out. Just plan ahead to allow yourself to bank words prior too.

Write like no one is reading your story.

Don’t get hung up on being perfect (no first draft is), you’ll edit in December.

1,667 words a day will get you to the goal. 

Wise words Doctor!