Nanowrimo Recap
I can’t believe that it’s October already… as bizarre as this year has been, it has still been racing past. And Nanowrimo 2020 is coming up!
It has been busy in my world on a number of fronts, but I’ve been working away on a handful of short stories for submission to a few publications. I’m looking forward to adding several more rejection letters to my collection! But, as October is upon us, it’s time to switch gears… hello, Preptober!
2019 was my first year committing to Nanowrimo, and it was a success on several fronts! I exceeded the 50,000-word goal (although not by much), and ended with a complete story, although haven’t done much in particular with that manuscript in terms of revision or editing. The key win for me in 2019 was actually completing the challenge. It was proof to myself that I could commit to and succeed in getting substantial daily progress on a long-form written project, and hold something complete, albeit rough, in my hands at the end. That win kickstarted my overall 2020 focus on consistency in writing, submitting, creating this website, and approaching writing as a professional.
If you are new to Nanowrimo (and you should totally do it!!!), read on for some tips and tricks that helped me to complete the challenge!
Set yourself up for success in Nanowrimo 2020.
Especially if this is your first attempt at a novel, or if you are taking up this challenge around an already densely-packed schedule, you need to set yourself up to succeed. For me in 2019, this meant choosing a project that I already knew exactly where it was going. My 2019 project was a retelling of one of my favorite classic stories, retold in a different setting and genre. This tactic guaranteed me two things:
- I would definitely not run out of story to tell before I reached 50,000 words
- I would definitely not get stuck on the plot and bog down wordcount progress midstream.
I’m planning a more original project for Nanowrimo 2020, but I am taking full advantage of the concept of Preptober. I will sit down on November 1st with:
- A complete skeleton of the plot, beginning, middle, and end.
- Complete character “sketches.”
- Worldbuilding nuts and bolts in place.
Knowing myself, having these three things in place will keep me from the pitfalls that I know I tend to fall into. I’ll know where my story is going, and I won’t get sidetracked or derailed into research and basic decision-making.
Consider the Logistics
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Nanowrimo 2020 isn’t the only thing on your calendar for the month of November. Compared to last year, I don’t have nearly the spare time that I did, so I’ll be tweaking my gameplan for 2020.
First, figure out how many days you actually have in November to write. Last year, I simply divided 50,000 by 30, for a minimum of 1,667 words per day to stay on track. I had some days higher, and a couple of days lower, but I had a daily benchmark and a cumulative words-by-x-date reminder.
A more realistic tactic, one that I will use this year, is to not assume that you will necessarily write every day. For example, in 2019, I realized about mid-month that I might not be able to cloister myself to write on Thanksgiving Day. So, it might be better practice for you to take stock of the days that you will actually be able to get words down, and then divide your wordcount goal by that number instead.
I will also be using calendar blocking for 2020 to help keep myself focused and on track. I don’t normally calendar block my writing, even though I do typically write at around the same times each day. But, I know myself, and I know my non-creative commitments. If I put writing in my calendar it is a lot less likely to be punted.
Get Creative
Another key for me in 2019 was the ability to shoehorn writing time into random places in the day.
My laptop left my desk more in November 2019 than it has since college; being able to take it along on weekend adventures was critical to my success. Also, taking advantage of cloud storage so that I could access my WIP from anywhere made thousands of words possible. Lunch breaks, waiting in line, early arrivals for meetings and appointments… all of these are fruitful writing time if you have access to your documents.
Being flexible in your process is imperative. My usual writing tools are Microsoft Word on my laptop and a bullet journal to track my progress. Being willing to jot a few lines on paper, or in the notes app on my phone, led to getting a few hundred words here and there. I’m also a fan of writing in my email and sending the text to myself when I’m out and about. From there, I can copy-paste into my manuscript document. The possibilities are endless for finding nuggets of time to get those words in!
What are you waiting for?
Have you ever participated in Nanowrimo? Do you plan to write your novel in Nanowrimo 2020?
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
Napoleon Hill
If you are still sitting on the idea for your story, Nanowrimo is the perfect time to put a deadline on your dream. If you are already a consistent writer, Nanowrimo is a fantastic way to shift focus, kickstart a new project, and find community in a traditionally solitary pursuit.
Look me up at nanowrimo.org, and good luck with your Preptober preparations!
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