5 Ways to Win Nano This November

So, you’ve decided to participate in NaNoWriMo this November. Maybe this is your first time and if so, welcome! If this isn’t your first time around the bend but you’re struggling to get that “win”, fear not, I’m here to help! I’ll be working under the assumption that your word goal will be the traditional 50,000, but if it’s more or less, these tips will work just as well with a little adjustment. Here's five tips to help you get that "win" this year:

#1 - Don't go it alone.

Writing a three-page paper for thirty days really takes a lot out of a person. Suddenly your days are consumed with writing and if you have other responsibilities such as school or work, not to mention family and friends, there's little to no time for yourself. Writing can be a lonely profession, but it doesn't have to be. Joining a group of fellow participants, either online or in-person, can be one of the most helpful things you can do to reach your goal and knock out those 50,000 words. They won't even know what hit 'em! Kachow!

The best way to find a group to join is to use the community tab on the NaNoWriMo website to find your region. Then you can join either an in-person write-in or join an online group on Discord or Facebook. I highly recommend doing both if your region has them. Having a group of people fighting through the same difficulties that you can talk to 24/7 is extremely helpful, but meeting some of those people in person can help you all grow closer. I've made lifelong friends with several people in my own regional group, and we talk throughout the year, not just during November.

Plus, chances are at least one person in that group is either already published or will be published someday and having that connection will undoubtedly help you with your own journey to publication, if that's your goal. They can give you tips and pointers for some of the more complicated and confusing aspects of writing, like querying an agent or booking an editor. Plus, if they have a substantial readership, they can plug your future book, helping you get off the ground faster. And, ya know, who doesn't like having friends?

You can also tell your friends and family, not just that you're participating, but what your daily word goal is or a weekly goal you want to reach, and they can help hold you accountable. I still tell my mom my weekly word count goals during NaNo, and I stick to them because who wants to tell their mother they didn't do the thing they said they'd do? (Hi Mom! Please don't give me the I'm-disappointed-in-you look.) But seriously, tell everyone you can pin down about your goals. One of the best motivators when the going gets tough is remembering that you have to tell someone that actually knows you about your progress. The sheer terror should be enough to get you to your goals.

#2 - Sprints! Sprints! Sprints! Sprints!

Sprinting is THE thing every NaNo group will do religiously during November. If you're not familiar with the term, sprinting is when one or more people try to write as many words as they can in a set amount of time. My group usually does fifteen-minute sprints, but you can do any amount of time. At in-person write-ins, we would sometimes add a more competitive element but adding a prize for first place. I mean, who wouldn't get a little bloodthirsty at the prospect of candy. I know I do.

Sprinting is an amazing way to get words on the page. Especially if you're someone who suffers from frequent writer's block. You can edit a messy manuscript; you can't edit a blank one. Even if you have to type "I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this!" through the entire first sprint, those words still count. Sometimes you have to pry the metaphorical tap open before creativity will flow out. Once you've started, soon enough you'll be in the zone and your fingers will be doing the tippy-tappies all on their own.

#3 - Make a game plan ahead of time.

Going into the start of November with absolutely no idea what you plan to do or how to rearrange your life is always an option, but if you want to "win", I very much do not recommend. Leave the pantsing for your manuscript, not your life. The you on December first will be very grateful. Life doesn't stop just because you decide to take on a monstrous challenge for an entire month. Boy, how I wish that was the case when I was in college... So, you're going to need to figure out what is and isn't a priority for the next thirty days and when or who will take care of those priorities.

Ask your friends, family, roommates, partner, or someone else in your life that at the very least can moderately tolerate your existence and ask them for support while NaNo is happening. While I was in college, my roommates and I would redivide the household chores. They would take on most of mine on the agreement that I would help with theirs once December rolled around. Between NaNo and classes I barely had time to sleep let alone fold laundry, yuck.

Also, it's important to reach out to the people in your life and let them know that you'll be dropping off the face of the earth for a while. Interpersonal relationships come second to writing, sorry, not sorry. That doesn't, however, mean that you can't find time to see the people you love and care about at all. In fact, penciling in time for friends and family can help you relax and destress from your arduous battle. Take some time to spend an hour kicking butt in Mario Kart (or losing horribly) or pause for a bit and help someone cook dinner. Taking the time to do a little recharge is important with a goal this big. Marathons can't be sprinted, after all. (I would know, I nearly died in one.)

#4 - Give yourself a cookie.

If you're anything like me, you can easily be bribed with the promise of sweets or shiny things. The brain needs dopamine, the happy, reward chemical, and this is even more true during stressful times. Giving yourself rewards, either big or small, can help propel you through tough spots. My advice is to create daily, weekly, halfway, and an overall goal, and then give yourself a reward when you meet any of these goals. The bigger the goal, the bigger the prize. I usually decide on the big reward I'll give myself if I smash my goals and hit my total word goal. Usually this will be a new video game or electronic. The newer and shinier the better. Then I'll set my halfway reward, decreasing in cost, then weekly, and finally daily. Daily rewards should be something small and easy to obtain because you're going to need at least thirty of them.

Then I write out all my goals and rewards on a piece of paper and slap that thing somewhere I'll see it every. single. day. I have the memory of a gnat, so if that list gets put away, I'll forget what my rewards even are, let alone remember to give them to myself.

#5 - Tell the whole world.

Declare your participation in NaNo on social media. There's nothing like telling a whole bunch of strangers your plans in life to really get you motivated to achieve them. Just like with telling your friends and family, peer pressure can be a great motivator. But I do advise some caution with this approach. This kind of pressure can be a double-edged sword. It's very easy to go from motivated to very much overwhelmed and wanting to curl up in a ball and cry. (Yes, I have done such a thing. Thank you for asking.) You know yourself better than anyone (or at least I hope you do or this just got real awkward) so you can decide whether announcing to the world that you're going to write a novel in thirty days will motivate you or give you crippling anxiety.

Now for the obligatory summary conclusion! The biggest take-away from this whole thing is don't go it alone for NaNo. Join a regional group, online group, or in person gathering. Tell your friends and family what you'll be doing, both so they can hold you accountable but also so they can help take on some of your responsibilities for a little while. Don't be afraid to try sprinting, it'll change your life. And if you feel it'll work for you, declare your participation on social media. Doing some or all of these things will greatly increase your chances of reaching your target word goal and "winning" NaNo. And then you get a neat looking Winner's Badge and Banner to slap all over every single social media platform so you can rub your win in everyone's face. Because why else would we put ourselves through such torture if not for the bragging rights, right?

Good luck fellow writer,

-G.E. McKnight