tl;dr: There is literally no downside!
I participated in National Novel Writing Month for the first time in 2015. I had been writing on and off for *literally* my entire life, and even low-key flirted with the idea of actual, for real trying to make a go of this thing a couple of times. Unfortunately, there was always something else going on in my life that seemed to take precedence: college, grad school, figuring out my first (very stressful and time-consuming) first career out of school, job hunting when after five years I realized it wasn't working out, getting my feet under me as I re-booted my career...It's always something, amirite?
That said, I'm the type of person who *always* and has always had story ideas constantly whirling around in my head, and sometime in mid-2015, one popped into it almost fully-formed. (Er, I say "fully formed," but what I really mean is, I was able to madly fire off an outline, start to finish, with a believable beginning, middle, and end over the course of a few days.)
That was really the first time that had happened to me, and something about it was incredibly energizing. I'd known about NaNo for a while but never tried to participate because I felt too intimidated, too "stuck" with the story ideas I'd been working on for years without much progress and not excited or optimistic enough about any of the other random ideas floating around in my head. But with this new story idea feeling already somewhat "complete" (though I'd yet to write a single word!) and outline in hand, I felt confident that I could, at the very least, bust out ~1,700 words a day, which, hey! Would be ~50,000 more words than I had so far.
And friends, let me just mention the raging feelings of insecurity that buffeted me as I created that NaNo account, feeling like a complete and total imposter who did not not NOT belong there. After all, I had a great career already that paid the bills! Surely this was the height of self-indulgence, acting serious about something that had never been a serious pursuit? Was this something that grown ass adults really did when they weren't being paid for it?
And of course the answer is yes, they do, thousands of us, not necessarily because we have any designs on getting paid for our work but because, frankly, we can't not do it; that's just how compelling stories in writers' heads work.
And how was it? Easier than I thought it would be, I'm happy to say! Which does not necessarily mean easy. Time is always a factor, and certainly there are days when getting the words out--any words--is like pulling teeth. But I finished, and that manuscript is alive and well and somewhere in the 110K range at the time of this blog post, though badly in need of editing love. Perhaps one of these days it will finally see the light of day!
I am participating in NaNo again this November for the same reason: An idea came to me, virtually fully-formed (in the sense that I could summarize the beginning, middle, and end in a semi-coherent way), and I wanted the accountability of busting a bunch of words out over the course of the month. So far it's going well and I'm optimistic that that story just *might* have a real future in the world.
Are there things you can do to make NaNo a bit easier on yourself and perhaps increase your changes of success? IMHO (as the kids say), yes. Below are my top five tips for surviving (and thriving!) during NaNoWriMo. As always everyone is different and your mileage may vary, but here's my two cents.
Tip #1: Hold yourself accountable.
I know; 50,000 is a large number. A kind of frighteningly large number. But thousands of people do it successfully every year and so can you. So believe in yourself, and decide that this is A Thing That Is Happening. Create your account and tell the world so that no one wonders why you're hiding in the closet with your laptop at 11pm or gets passive aggressive with you for not doing the dishes because they think you're goofing off on social media when really you're slinging words like a mad person. Declare, I am doing this. This is a thing I will do. A thing that is getting done by me. 1700 words per day, behold my powers. I believe in you!
Tip #2: Make a plan.
Different plans work for different people, but I will tell you what does NOT work for almost ANYONE is, "Oh, I'll just write a few words here and there when the mood strikes, you can't rush art, I'll just write whenever good ideas come to me." Does that work for some people? Maybe, I guess? But they are the exceptions. I am not the exception. Probably you are not the exception, either.
So make a plan. My plan is "Write 2,000 words a day come hell or high water." 50,000 words in a month means averaging ~1,667 words per day, so this gives me a nice little buffer in case the time gets away from me or I fall short one day. But in general, both times I've done NaNo, that's what's worked for me.
Depending on your life you might also need a plan around where and/or when to write. Don't assume you'll just figure it out! Especially if your time is tight (and whose isn't?), plan ahead. Will you sit down at 9pm after the kids are in bed every night and just crank 'em out? Will you divide it up, 600 words before work, 600 words during your lunch break, 600 words after work? Will you hide at the library and write like a mad person on the weekends and bust out 4,000 words on Saturday and 8,000 on Sunday, so as not to feel pressured on week days? Do you already know that that one weekend is going to be a COMPLETE AND UTTER SHIT SHOW, so maybe you need to shoot for 2,300 words for the rest of that week? Only you can say. Do what works for you.
But have a plan.
Tip #3: Build a fence around your writing time and let no person defile it.
This is so hard. I know. I KNOW. You have people in your life. IRRITATING people. People who WANT THINGS FROM YOU. People who want you to, like, GO TO WORK/SCHOOL and FINISH THAT PROJECT and MAKE ME DINNER and FIND MY OTHER SOCK and TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DAY and whatever other soul-crushing trials they feel should be heaped upon you for some godforsaken reason.
I know.
But listen. For this month, just this one month, that hour or two a day (or however you work it out) is yours. Put up a 'do not disturb' sign. Turn off your phone. Leave and don't tell anyone where you went. Establish the ground rules ahead of time. "Hey, sweetums, can you handle soccer practice this month, Saturday 9am-1pm is my NaNo time." "Can we have a ground rule of no chitchat 6-7pm this month? I'm trying to knock out 1800 words a day for NaNo." Whatever. Put up the fence, and defend it. Whatever it is they want from you, 99% guaranteed it can wait.
Tip #4: Don't wait for the muse.
Here is something I learned in composer school, which is a thing I did in a past life: There's no such thing as the muse. You can't sit around waiting to be inspired. It doesn't work like that and anyone who's told you it does is a big fat liar. Feel like you don't know what to write more often than you do know what to write? Congratulations, you're normal! Wanna talk to me about writer's block? I've got some bad news, my dude; we ALL have writer's block most of the time. But again, the good news: You're normal!
(I mean, sure; a lot of people *do* occasionally have those glorious, Hallelujah-chorus periods where the words just flow, and we find ourselves vomiting pages upon pages out onto the screen. But, for myself and most writers I've met or heard speak or read interviews from in my life, it's the rare exception, not the norm. Enjoy it when it happens! But don't wait for or count on it.)
So what's a struggling WriMo to do? Well, I can tell you what's worked for me when I'm stuck.
DON'T edit as you go. DO keep moving forward, even if it feels awkward. If you've read anything about NaNo, you've probably heard that advice a hundred times.
DON'T agonize over the exact right word or turn of phrase. That's for rewriting/editing/revising/NOT NOW. DO just vomit out the general idea and keep going.
DON'T agonize over "Oh geez, what happens next, I don't know." DO just pick something and go with it. Might you realize later it totally doesn't work & delete it all? YOU MIGHT, but not until after NaNo. (Also, odds are good that you had to write the stuff to figure out it wasn't going to work and realize what needed to happen instead.)
DO remind yourself that all first drafts suck and that's part of the process; DON'T get hung up on negative self talk (ie, "This is so bad, I suck at this, this is a waste of time, why am I even bothering").
DO read from the beginning (or wherever, pick a spot) until you come to a point of discontinuity in the story, and go from there, even if you're not sure what you're writing is going to work. (I don't know about you but probably most things I write don't end up working and have to be revised, but I have to go through that process to find what IS going to work.)
Feeling brave? DO share part of your manuscript with someone else and explain, "Hey, I'm stuck on this part, help me brainstorm what happens next;" even if you don't love any of the ideas that come up, seize one and run with it (see above).
Tip #5: STAY OFF THE INTERNET.
I mean, other than to log your words, participate in NaNoSprints (if that's your thing), give & receive encouragement to/from other WriMos, etc. I don't know about you but I am the WORST about getting sucked into the N-PIT (non-productive internet time); I get stuck with writing or pause to research something quickly, and suddenly I've been scrolling through Twitter or Instagram for 45 minutes and STILL stuck at 1,200 words for the day. Not a good scene.
We all need breaks now and then, sure, but if you're not going to sit down and bust out your words all in one go, schedule your breaks and stick to them. I.e., "I am going to write for 30 minutes/500 words/whatever, and then I can fart around on the internet (or have a snack, or pet the dog, or whatever) for 15 minutes, then back to the word mines." If you're a fan of Unfuck Your Habitat, the same principle applies. 20/10 that shit! Or 30/15, or 45/15, or whatever works for you. When you're on a break, take a break. But when you're working, be working.
So, there you go--5 tips I made up off the top of my head for NaNoWriMo success. What are your top tips? Have you NaNo'd, successfully or unsuccessfully? What advice would you give first-time WriMos?
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