NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month. Creative writers around the world commit to writing 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November.
If you’re doing the math with me, that’s roughly 1,667 words per day. In the biz, this is called a writing sprint. There are only so many hours in the day, you likely have other responsibilities, Thanksgiving (if you’re an American), and family birthdays (if you’re me). This means you need to allocate certain hours of the day to hitting that word count – a.k.a., a writing sprint – and even work ahead on the days you know you won’t be able to write.
The thing that makes NaNoWriMo special, though, is the community aspect. Thousands of writers participate every year. You can form writing groups, meet up with other writers in your region, and support each other on the journey.
I’ve never participated in NaNoWriMo before and I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. Most of all, I’m excited for the writing sprints (I perform well under pressure and deadline) and the writing community (🎶we’re all in this together 🎶).
I’m also nervous. I anticipate some early mornings and/or late nights to make it work, which means I might be sleepy and irritable. I wrote my first book in about 3 months, and I devoted a lot of time to it. It was relatively comfortable but still fast paced. 1 month, though? I’m afraid that I’ll burn out. I’m also afraid to start my project. What if I don’t like it? What if the words don’t come? What if…
To help combat those nerves and make the experience more fun than scary, I’m planning ahead.
What Type of Planner Are You?
Every writer is different when it comes to planning. There are actually legit terms for different types of writers:
- Pantsers: a writer who works without an outline and “writes by the seat of their pants.”
- Plotters: a writer who works with an outline.
Personally, I think this labeling and divide is unnecessary and kind of exaggerated. On paper, I’m probably a plotter. But that was only after I pants-ed (?) my way into the idea in the first place.
Regardless of what bucket you tend to fall into, though, I think it’s important to go into NaNoWriMo with more than just a loose idea—if you want to have fun and hit your word count goals, at least.
As a newbie, here’s what I’m doing to get ready for NaNoWriMo: a mix of practical, logistical, and creative advice.
9 Steps to Get Ready for Writing Sprints
#1. Pick a writing software
I’ve never written in Reedsy before, but I read their blogs, take their quizzes, and explore their resources about publishing all the time. Reedsy is truly the best website for writers.
They have a great (free!) writing software where you can easily organize your planning materials, set goals, and track your progress, including session word count and other awesome insights you can’t get in a basic writing tool.
I normally write in Google Docs, and when I discovered Reedsy’s writing platform I was in too deep with my other WIPs to make the switch. For this new project I’m going to write in Reedsy so I can focus on the writing and let the platform handle all the word count calculations and other type setting/organizational things.
#2. Write your premise
At the very least, you should go into NaNoWriMo with an idea! You might have something in mind already. You might have a small part of it shaped, or an entire page or two of your vision. Either way, I recommend writing down your premise. Think of it as a boilerplate answer for when someone asks you what your book is about.
I see the premise as a 2-3 sentence blurb that answers two questions:
- What is life like now for the characters?
- What changes or sets the story into motion?
Here’s mine. I’m starting a new science fiction concept. 🚀
The Rig chugs through deep space, carrying a crew of convicts tasked with harvesting the helium-3-rich core of a distant planet in order to secure clean energy…and pay their debts. On the last leg of the trek, The Rig loses thrust at the edge of an unfamiliar world, strong gravity pulling the vessel—and crew—to certain death.
This idea (courtesy of a joke conversation with coworkers that I ended up taking seriously, of course) actually started with that last line. To write the premise, I had to answer that other question: why are they there in the first place? What is their current state that the loss of thrust disrupts?
#3. Get to know your characters
To write my first novel this year, I followed the philosophy of The Plottery. Specifically, I used her 12-week novel writing plan to help shape my idea into something writable.
The key: Put your characters first, and the rest of the plot will follow.
This approach really clicked for me. In fact, when you figure out the journey of each character, the plot basically creates itself.
So if you don’t do anything else to prepare for NaNoWriMo, do this!
For my idea, I have 3 main characters, and I listed out these things about each one:
- External goal (what they are doing physically in the story)
- Internal goal (what they are wrestling with emotionally, whether they know it or not)
- Journey within the story (how they achieve or don’t achieve their goals)
- Voice (what they sound like)
- Quirks (what they look like, but only if it’s important)
- Relationships (how they interact with other characters on or off screen)
I also have 4 side characters who I did the above for but at a smaller scale (less bullet points, basically), and I’m sure I’ll have more pop up while I write.
#4. Keep a "lore list"
I’m a big believer in only world building what you have to before you write and then letting your draft inform what other questions you need to answer with your world. That way, you’re not tempted to stuff your narrative with info-dumps.
Because honestly, there’s no limit to world building, especially if you’re writing a fantasy novel where literally everything is new. You could get so sucked into world building mode and never end up writing! Luckily, we have November 1st waiting for us 😉
To write in my new sci-fi, dystopian world, there are some things I need to get straight ahead of time. I have a “Lore List” that I will refer to and add to as I go. It answers basic questions like this:
- What is this mission for?
- How does it work/operate normally?
- What’s up with Earth?
- What is life like on The Rig?
- What does it look and feel like inside?
- What does the alien planet look like?
Of course, I ended up going down the rabbit hole of research for some of the scientific and space elements like:
- How does nuclear fusion propulsion work?
- How do you harvest helium-3 from a planet’s core?
- What happens to a spaceship when it loses thrust? (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t stop moving, it just stops accelerating. I had to solve for that in my plot, lol)
I’m sure there will be more questions I need to answer along the way, but this gives me a solid enough foundation to work with.
#5. Figure out major plot beats
After you figure out your characters and world a bit more, you probably have a good idea for how this story is going to unfold. This step is all about organizing it all into the most important moments.
There are many models for this out there. Three-act structure. Save the cat. The hero’s journey. This guide from Reedsy breaks down the most common structures—it’s a must read.
For me, I like the 7-point story structure.
Plotting a whole novel? Intimidating. Listing out 7 things? I can do a list of 7 things.
- Hook (current state/introduction to the story – that first line of your premise)
- Plot turn 1 (inciting incident that sets the story into motion – that last line of your premise)
- Pinch 1 (something bad happens, usually an antagonist or antagonistic force is introduced)
- Midpoint (turning point for your main character)
- Pinch 2 (something bad happens again, and it’s the lowest point for your character)
- Plot turn 2 (your character learns something that helps them move towards resolution)
- Resolution (the conflict is resolved)
Definitely check out this Reedsy article for more details and a walk through of how this structure works. This is the method that works for me, but use whatever clicks best for you!
#6. Outline scenes (optional)
If you’re super structured like me, you can fill in the gaps between your major plot beats with scenes. I use a spreadsheet for this, because I believe a spreadsheet can solve any problem. 😂
Here’s a sneak peak of what this looks like. (I’m working on templatizing it so I can share it with other writers, but I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’ll update this blog post when I do!)
Basically, for each scene I indicate who’s in it, the setting, and which journey or theme it relates to. This helps me stay focused with my story and keep the plot moving in the right direction. I also have a tab for each “act” of the story.
- ACT 1: includes the hook and plot turn 1
- ACT 2: includes pinch 1, the midpoint, and pinch 2
- ACT 3: includes plot turn 2 and the resolution
NOTE: None of this is set in stone. I’m a very imaginative person (and very structured, clearly) so I spend a lot of time daydreaming scenes, which makes it easy to fill this spreadsheet out. However, I know that as I write, I might think of new scenes or decide I need to go in a different direction. I just work better with a plan, but I give myself permission to stray from the plan if I need to.
When I wrote my first novel, I used this same scene planner. By the midpoint, I honestly didn’t need the planner as much. So, this time around, I didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about the scenes at the end. Trust the process. 😄
#7. Set your word count goal
As mentioned, NaNoWriMo challenges writers to hit 50,000 words by November 30.
If you’ve never written a novel before, this is probably a great goal. It’s okay if you need to shoot for lower, though. It’s not about winning the official challenge—it’s about proving to yourself that you can do it and cheering on other writers as you go. 🤗
If you have written a novel before, maybe you want to push yourself even more.
This is going to be my second novel. I’m no expert by any means, but I have two full length drafts under my belt (I completely rewrote my first one).
So, I’d love to get closer to a full length science fiction novel by the end of the month, and I’m targeting 75,000 total words—about 2,500 words per day.
Actually, I’m giving myself a range.
- Minimum goal: 1,667 words
- Stretch goal: 2,500 words
That’s fair, right? 🙂
#8. Plan when to write
You have your characters, outline to some extent, and writing goals.
Now to find the time to make it all happen.
NaNoWriMo is all about prioritizing your writing above other hobbies and maybe even chores. 😉 I still have to work a full-time job, and I still need to show up in my duty as a wife, and worshiping and serving God always comes first. This means I’m going to have to sacrifice some other things.
Like sleep.
Here’s my plan right now:
- Morning sprint: 6-7 AM
- Evening sprint: 7-9 PM
That’s not even that bad, but if I can’t hit my word count in those 3 hours, I’m going to have to work later. I’m really going to need to focus on writing and not editing as I go or second guessing the content!
#9. Join a writing group
Now to bring it all together. Besides the writing, this is what it’s all about, or so I hear 🙂
You might have to write at odd hours of the morning or night like me, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have buddies throughout the process! Find some writing friends you can cheer on and who will cheer you on. Join regional groups. Go to meet-ups on the weekends if you can. Do some virtual co-writing sessions.
I’m excited to support my writing friends and make even more through this challenge! So much so that I created a Discord server called Support Group—a place we can celebrate big wins, lift each other up, and coordinate writing sprints. Send me a DM on Instagram for the link to join!
Also, if you know me in real life, this is a PSA: I’m participating in NaNoWriMo so I’m sorry if I’m more distant than usual. 😂
Good luck to all the writers out there and happy writing!
