Scott Oldford Site

Tag: National Novel Writing Month

NaNoWriMo Rules You Need to Know
As soon as the seasons start to shift from summer to fall, it seems like every writerly corner of the Internet becomes consumed with one question and one question only:

Are you going to do NaNoWriMo this year?

If you’re asking yourself that question, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll talk about what NaNoWriMo is, the NaNoWriMo rules (official and unofficial), and some tips I’ve personally compiled to help you make the most of your NaNoWriMo experience.

What is NaNoWriMo?

Let’s consult the 2009 vlogbrothers video titled “NaNoWriMo!!!” In it, John Green defines NaNoWriMo like this: “In case you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it’s National Novel Writing Month, an annual event in which people try to write a fifty-thousand word novel in a single month.”

That sums it up nicely! NaNoWriMo takes place during the month of November, and its goal is to get its participants to write a novel of fifty-thousand words by the end of the month. Participants make accounts on the contest’s site and enter their daily word counts there. The site also uses daily word counts to project how long it will take the participant to finish their novel (even if they don’t win NaNoWriMo), how a participant’s word count compares to others in the area, and, of course, how close they are to completing their goal.

Often, online communities sort of drop everything to focus on NaNoWriMo. It’s nearly inescapable, and it’s not hard to understand why. Writing is often an intensely solitary activity, and while some writers might have in-person writer friends, a lot don’t. Events like NaNoWriMo give writers a real sense of community as they work towards their common goal, and this is the real magic of NaNoWriMo.

The First Three Rules for NaNoWriMo

We’ve talked about how to formally enter NaNoWriMo (setting up an account on the site linked above), but what are the rules? Surely it can’t be as simple as ‘write fifty-thousand words in a month.’

When NaNoWriMo was first founded, there was a set of rules governing how the contest would play out and what participation counted towards the end goal. Kelsey McKinney, writing for Vox, outlines these foundational rules, which were put in place by Chris Baty in 2000:
1. The writing project must be new
2. It must be written by a single person
3. It has to be finished by midnight on November 30th
This is all straightforward, and the rules for NaNo haven’t changed much in the years since. Now, if you look on the Wikipedia page for current rules, they’re mostly just an expansion on the existing criteria. The contest begins at the start of the month and ends at the end of the month, the goal is fifty-thousand words, et cetera.

Do I have to follow these rules to participate?

What if you’re working with another writer or with a group of writers on a novel, or what if you’re working on a novel that’s going to exceed fifty-thousand words (almost all of them do)? What if you’ve got a project you’ve started, and you want to use NaNoWriMo to really focus on it?

That’s fine!

As the Wikipedia page points out, NaNoWriMo is a “self-challenge,” which means it’s mostly set up for participants to push themselves toward the goal. There’s not someone from the NaNoWriMo organization standing over your shoulder and going “uh, that’s not a brand-new idea. You already had that file on your computer. Pack up your pens and go!”

As long as you have put fifty-thousand words in, you’ve won the contest.

Does this cheapen the deal? Not really. The biggest reward participants get for completing NaNo is the achievement itself: writing fifty-thousand words in a month. Sometimes NaNo will offer to print a copy of the participant’s draft or something like that, but usually, you get a certificate and a pat on the back. Most of the reward is in the work itself.

So if you want to follow the rules, follow them! If not, cool! It’s your life.

My (very unofficial) NaNoWriMo Rules: Tips for Having a Good Time

The existing rules for NaNoWriMo are just fine, but as someone who’s been a participant every year for a while, here are a few tips to making the most of your NaNoWriMo experience.

1. Don’t set out to write a novel

I know, I know, this is kind of the whole point of NaNoWriMo, but hear me out.

You’re almost definitely not going to write a great novel in a month. First drafts are rarely any good, and the first draft of something you manically typed over the course of a month is probably also not going to be very good.

John Green points this out in “NaNoWriMo!!!,” saying “as a rule, no great book can be written in a month.”

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t try to do your best or you shouldn’t try to write a book. It’s just to say that you should keep your expectations reasonable. What you’re going to end up with is fifty-thousand words—that’s all you can be sure of. It probably will not be a complete draft, since most novels are much more than fifty thousand words, and it will definitely be rough.

I like to approach NaNoWriMo as a giant word sprint. For anyone who doesn’t know: a word sprint is where you set a timer for a short amount of time, usually five to twenty minutes, and write as much as you can without stopping until the timer goes off. The objective of a word sprint is just to get something on the page—you can work with something, but not with nothing.

And as someone who has a really difficult time getting an imperfect something on the page (preferring the always-perfect-but-not-actually-real-and-therefore-unsellable-nothing), this makes NaNoWriMo a great opportunity for some actual trying. You’re going to have to revise your first draft no matter what you do.

As John Green goes on to say in the video, “No great book can be written in a first draft no matter how long it takes you to write it…NaNoWriMo gives us discipline and it gives us permission to suck, which are the two things you most need if you’re going to be a novelist.”

2. Use NaNoWriMo for stuck projects

Speaking of getting an imperfect something on the page: I like to use NaNoWriMo strategically as a way to work on existing projects. This is in direct violation of the rules, but it works out nicely for me.

Like I said before, NaNoWriMo is a self-challenge. There’s not a NaNoWriMo police and there’s not a NaNoWriMo judge coming to live with you for the next month to keep you in line. You can pretty much use this contest for whatever project you’ve got that needs to be worked on. I personally like to use it to get lots of words written—sometimes these words go towards one draft, but sometimes they go towards work, short stories, poems, or whatever I need to do that month.

This might sound kind of antithetical to the spirit of the challenge. Couldn’t I do that any other month? Why use NaNoWriMo just to knock out my to-do list?

Glad you asked!

3. Get involved with the NaNoWriMo community

Again, in my opinion, the biggest appeal to NaNoWriMo is in the community that comes up around it. People post their word count goals and share their works-in-progress (#wip) on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, probably also TikTok (somehow, I’m not on WriterTok, but I assume it exists since BookTok does), probably also everywhere else. It’s free to join and it invites writers to try and do an impossible task, which is something that just kind of appeals to most writers.

NaNoWriMo also offers the ability to add friends on their website. This allows you to check on your friends’ progress, take a look at their projects, and generally connect with other people participating in the contest.

When I look back on the years that I’ve done NaNoWriMo, I remember a little of the projects I worked on—the Pinterest boards, the character templates, PrepTober events, stuff like that.

But mostly I remember the glow of my computer screen at one o’clock in the morning, my heavy eyelids and tired retinas, my hands steadily developing a cramp which would go on to haunt my mid-twenties with a passion (seriously, take care of your wrists, fellow typists). I remember telling my friends the moment I hit my word count goal and the moments my friends hit theirs.

Like I said before, writing is often lonely. There aren’t a ton of opportunities to connect with other authors working on their own projects with a ferocity like people bring to NaNoWriMo. Take advantage of the community, and some of the friendships you find might last well past NaNoWriMo.

Now, to my last unofficial rule…

4. Use NaNoWriMo to develop some writerly discipline

Before you get mad at me: I definitely am not saying that you should be writing fifty-thousand words every month. In fact, I would argue that you definitely shouldn’t be. Drafting is only one small part of the writing process, and not every day is going to be a drafting day. Fifty-thousand words is, respectfully, a crap-ton of words, and if you’re writing that many that often, they’re probably not great words (and I say this as a once-ghostwriter who used to crank out thirty-thousand words a week on the regular).

That being said, writing does require a ton of work, mostly in revision. Being a capital N Novelist is going to involve writing when you do not feel like it and making writing a regular, structured part of your life. It might not be every day, but it’s going to have to be regular.

So, use NaNoWriMo to develop habits that work for you. Take note of what time of day you prefer to write, or what sorts of drinks you like to sip while you work, or whether you like to write outdoors or inside.

Does freewriting suit you best? What about typing? Maybe you love Microsoft Word, or maybe you’re really into Scrivener. Keep track of these kinds of things and make an effort to form some kind of schedule or regiment—this can be edited or changed as your needs fluctuate, but just as you can’t write a perfect first draft, you can’t become a disciplined author without at least a little effort.
- Related: How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo
- Related: Preptober: How to Prep for NaNoWriMo and Make the Most of It
Bottom Line

Use NaNoWriMo to ask yourself what it takes to get you to sit down and work on your novel regularly. Set monthly writing goals. Then, take these habits you built during NaNoWriMo into your future writing projects, and you’ll be well on your way to success.
October 12, 2022
How to Prepare for NaNoWriMo: 7 Ways to Make Sure You Crush Your Goals
Every November, writers from around the world get together and work on cranking out an entire novel in a month. Originally founded in 1999 by Chris Baty, the goal of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is to write 50,000 words over the course of the month since that is roughly the length of an average novel. Over 400,000 (and growing) people buckle down every year to attempt the challenge.

While it’s hard to write a fully polished novel in that amount of time, most of the focus is on simply sitting down and putting words to paper as fast as possible. For people with writer’s block, it can help them smash through the internal barriers that prevent them from getting their story on paper.

A ton of writers also enjoy the camaraderie and the community that comes with joining NaNoWriMo, since everyone is in the same boat of working on hitting their word and page goals every day.

Writing a novel is a serious undertaking, let alone trying to do it in a single month, so let’s break down everything you can do to prepare for what’s ahead. Here’s your guide on how to prepare for NaNoWriMo.

1. Set your writing schedule

If you want to hit your 50,000 word goal, that comes out to about 1,667 words per day. It can be hard to say how long that will take since everyone has a different writing pace, but the average is about 2 to 3 hours per day.

Keeping all of this in mind, you need to take a hard look at your calendar and figure out how you can fit in the required time to get your writing done.

Some people say it’s much easier to start with a higher goal, such as 2,000 words per day. That way, you’re ahead so when you have a bad day you don’t have to catch up with hundreds or thousands of words.

You might be able to get up earlier or stay up later and fit in a whole chunk of uninterrupted writing time. However, if you have kids or other responsibilities on your plate, you might want to break your writing up throughout the day into 30-minute or hourly chunks.

On top of that, you should schedule your writing sessions at your peak writing times. Some people have much more clarity when they first wake up or they love to burn the midnight oil and write while everyone else is sleeping.

Planning your writing blocks during a time you know you’re always tired is just setting yourself up for a losing battle.

2. Let the people around you know about NaNoWriMo

No, this doesn’t mean you need to recruit people to join you (although you can), this simply means you should let people know that you’re going to be taking your writing seriously.

This can mean they shouldn’t interrupt you during certain hours or maybe you set up a babysitter for your kids. What you don’t want to happen is to take on this huge writing commitment and then get mad at everyone around you when they interrupt you but you never let them know about your new writing journey in the first place.

Make sure all of the people in your life know what you’re doing and why you need certain quiet, focused hours.

3. Account for off days

No matter how motivated you are, there will be days when the words refuse to pour out of your fingers and no amount of coffee helps.

On the days you feel good, sometimes it’s worth it to go the extra mile and crank out a few extra words here and there to get ahead and account for the off days. While it would be nice to imagine that we’re all robots and can crank out pages of work every single day without a problem. Instead, you should plan for a few bad days throughout the month and plan accordingly.

4. Have your writing easily accessible

One key to succeeding at NaNoWriMo is to have your writing easily accessible. Whether you carry a notebook around or have a writing app, you’ll want it nearby and easy to write in.

That way, when you have things such as missed appointments, are stuck in a long train commute, or have some spare time while your kids nap, you can crank out a few hundred words.

You’d be surprised at how many small pockets you can find in a day to put in a little writing here and there. It might not seem like much at first, but you would be surprised at how fast it can add up.

Ideally, you want it to also be quickly accessible because you don’t want to spend half that time just trying to open your app or find the notebook you’re using. Ideas will also come to you throughout your days so you will need somewhere to quickly capture them on the go.

5. Track your progress

Whether you choose to use software with built-in word counters or you choose to make something like a NaNoWriMo bullet journal spread, it’s a good idea to know where you are in your overall progress. Seeing the word counter continuing to grow can help keep your motivation going, even on your bad days.

6. Outline your story

If you want to go the extra mile, having a thorough outline and your ideas all in one place can help you write faster when the month begins. Unless you have a free and open schedule all month, you’re going to be writing in focused chunks of time and need all of your ideas ready to go, even if they change as you write during the month.

You don’t want to sit down and forget your storyline or what you wanted to happen next in your novel. Then, you’re wasting 20 or more minutes searching for that note somewhere in one of your notebooks and poof, there goes time that could have been used for writing.

If you prefer visuals, some people put storyboards on a whiteboard or other physical sheet in front of them so they can see where they are in their plot. Janice Hardy, a fiction writer and teacher, has suggested using Preptober in this way:

Week 1: Focus on the novel’s setup

Beginnings introduce the characters, story problem, and story world or setting to readers, and they set the stage for the rest of the novel.

A strong start will provide you with solid scene goals, giving you something to write about every day.

Things to determine:
- How the protagonist is introduced
What traits do you want readers to know right away? How might you show those traits in action? What likable qualities does your protagonist have? How can you show those qualities in your opening scene or first chapter?
- The problem the opening scene deals with
An opening with an interesting problem to solve gives the story drive and the characters reasons to act. What problem might your protagonist face when the novel opens?

Remember, the goal of an opening is to a.) hook readers and b.) lead the plot to the core conflict of the novel.
- The inciting event
If this event did not happen, there would be no novel. It either drives your opening, or is the bridge between your opening scene and the beginning of the middle (act two).

Week 2: Focus on how problems get solved in the middle

This middle is where the bulk of the novel unfolds as your characters work to resolve their problems and fail a lot. The number of attempts and failures will vary by the type of story, as thrillers have different expectations than romances.

Things to consider:
- How the setup transitions to the middle
Everything in your beginning will lead to the middle, where the protagonist will make that all-important choice to accept responsibility for resolving the plot, and move into act two. The opening scene leads to the inciting event, which leads to this decision.
- The major problem or event revealed in the middle
Adding a big shake-up, problem, or reveal at the novel’s center can prevent the all-too-common boggy middle. The mid-point event creates the goal and problem the second half of the middle will have to resolve, and set up what will happen in the ending.
- How the middle transitions to the ending
The protagonist has failed, feels utterly lost and hopeless, and things are at their worst. What the protagonist does here will launch the ending and lead to the climax of the novel.

Week 3: Focus on how the novel ends

The ending is how the novel’s core conflict problem is resolved. It starts with the protagonist at her lowest point and drives her to the ultimate showdown with the antagonist.

Things to determine:
- How the protagonist plans to defeat the antagonist
Although the plan may (and often does) fail, this is the goal that launches the ending and propels the protagonist to the climax. What are some of the steps that will take the protagonist from hopeless to victorious (or hopeless to defeated, if that’s how it ends)?
- How the novel ends
You might not know the details at this stage, but it helps to have at least a general idea of how the core conflict of the novel is resolved.
- How the protagonist is changed by the experience
In most novels, the protagonist grows and becomes a better person by the end of the novel. What changes for your protagonist? How is she better off? How is she worse off? What did she learn?

Week 4: Focus on major turning points of the story

Flesh out whatever you need to write your novel.

If your story is character-driven, you might plan the character arc and focus more on the internal journey of your protagonist and discover the plot as you write.

If you’re a plot-driven writer, you might prefer to map out the major plot points and figure out who your characters are by how they solve those plot problems.

Whatever your process, look at the key turning points and elements you need to keep your story moving forward. I suggest aiming for three major points per act (beginning, middle and ending), but develop as many as you like to keep your plot on target.

Final Days: Write a book proposal

It might sound crazy, but I recommend writing a rough query pitch to make sure you have enough figured out to write your novel.

The book proposal is a fantastic way to verify the necessary elements of your plot and characters, and find holes before you fall into them.

7. Prepare your space and tools

If you love to write in the same place so you can build the habit, setting up a dedicated space can help. Put your favorite plant on your desk, a good notebook nearby, and keep it clean so you’re ready to dive in and work.

You want your space locked and loaded to dive in completely on November 1st so you can get right to writing without anything getting in your way.

This might be the time you need to invest in some better tools to support your writing. If your keyboard is missing some keys or your pens always leak, you’ll want the best tools so writing is as easy as possible.

Set up rewards for yourself

Don’t forget to reward yourself along the way. Whether or not you hit your goal of 50,000 words, you should set benchmarks along the way to celebrate. Any words you can get on the page is a celebration, even if it’s not a full novel.

As writers, it’s easy to overlook progress. When it comes to something like writing and publishing a novel, you have to understand how long it can take to make it happen. Novels are marathons, not sprints. That’s why it’s essential to celebrate every little benchmark.
October 3, 2022
5 Ways This First-Timer Prepared for National Novel Writing Month
Editor’s Note: Each year, nearly 500,000 writers all over the world dedicate themselves to completing NaNoWriMo, a month-long sprint to write 50,000 words. This year, author and first-time participant Lou Paduano will document his experience. This is the first installment of his journey.

National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo, around since 1999, now hosts millions of projects in a month-long sprint to reach a target word count of 50,000.

As many of you know…that’s a lot of words.

Despite NaNoWriMo popping up on my radar each year, this is my first time taking on the challenge.

I’ve never considered NaNoWriMo as an opportunity — and I don’t say that to sound dismissive. For me, writing was always something I did anyway. Write a book in a month? How about write a book EVERY month!

NaNoWriMo: More than just a challenge

Despite having the drive to write each and every day, though, this time, I took the leap when NaNoWriMo came around. For me it was more than just the challenge set by the site; it was a challenge to hit a difficult deadline and put writing first for one month.

Taking on a project of this magnitude always goes a little (okay, a lot) smoother with solid preparation.

How to prepare yourself to reach your NaNoWriMo goals

In order to make the most out of the experience, I wanted to hit the ground running.

To make that happen, here are five things I did to make NaNoWriMo a less stressful and (hopefully) more rewarding experience right from the start:

1. Outline

The “pantsers” in the audience are cringing right now. The plotters are cheering my name.

Each side has merit. But I’m on the side of the plotters, because there is no way to tackle a project this size without some direction.

Whether your plot notes are single sentenes or whole pages, break down chapters and sketch out dialogue to help stage each scene. Having that spine prior to sitting down to write each piece gives you something to fill in rather than having to pull every detail from the ether.

Outlining and organizing, of course, isn’t easy — but it’s safe to say it’ll help you stay sane later.

2. Draw out your character arcs

Alright, you caught me — this is more outlining.

But instead of plot, let’s get character centric. After all, focusing on the development of your characters is incredibly important to the overall narrative being told.

Figuring out the arc of each of the principal and secondary players on both sides of the field is crucial to making this draft a success. Not only does it help you become aware of your characters’ overall motivations throughout the work, but each arc provides an entry point into every scene either as a tension builder, background information or a direct action.

You can find a more advanced breakdown of developing character arcs in Janice Hardy’s NaNoWriMo prep article.

3. Make space in your day-to-day

I am a stay-at -home dad with two beautifully time consuming toddlers…not exactly conducive to my month-long sprint toward draft completion. I have one word for this: BABYSITTERS.

For me, it’s toddlers. For you, it might be your day job. Or your freelance clients. Or other family obligations. No matter the personal responsibilities, NaNoWriMo will be a heck of a lot harder if you don’t plan to make space around them.

I spent October planning for what I’d do with said toddlers during November. For each week, I pulled in family for babysitting duties to free up an extra four to six hours of work time (instead of my standard nap-time sprints and late-night adventures).

Ask for help. Switch up your writing space. Accept that your routine might be disrupted.

There are a million distractions in our lives. We all need exactly one million less for November, so it’s up to us to do what we can to prepare for them.

4. Prepare your research

There are always questions lingering after the outline phase.

The science or the rationale for certain actions needs to be clarified. Simple facts need to be double checked.

Setting up a system to track your questions, then figuring out some, if not all, of the answers leads to less time spent bombing around the Google machine when it comes time for drafting.

5. Choose your entry point

Do a final read-through of everything you have so far: Outline. Character arcs. Research.

Then, figure out where to start.

Getting started tends to be the hardest part — so take the path of least resistance. For me, that’s never chapter one. Look for a chapter that is screaming to get written. It could be the last chapter.

Whatever chapter has been hiding behind your eyelids every night for weeks, that is where you want to start first thing November 1.

Snag a quick victory amid a mountain of challenges for yourself. It’s what will keep you going.

What I’m working on for NaNoWriMo

During this particular NaNoWriMo challenge, I’ll be drafting The Medusa Coin, the sequel to my first novel, Signs of Portents. 50,000 words won’t be enough to cover the tale being told so I’m shooting for 85,000 as my goal for NaNoWriMo.

Go big or go home, right?

You’ll be able to follow along with my progress here (week one is below), as I chronicle my word counts, the mid-month challenges, the bribery I’m using (yeah, I said it) and more.

Week one results

Thanks to preparation based on the steps above, here’s what I was able to accomplish in week one of my first NaNoWriMo challenge.

November 1
- Word Count – 4,154
- Notes – Hit the ground running ACHIEVED. Definitely a smart idea to have a babysitter in place for opening day.
November 2
- Word Count – 2,021
- Notes – Really thought I could squeeze an extra chapter in during nap time. It’s like the kids know I have work to do!
November 3
- Word Count – 2,067
- Notes – Figured out a character’s motivation halfway through the day. Thought I had this all mapped and plotted but definitely like a surprise every now and then, especially if it makes the rest of the draft easier.
November 4
- Word Count – 4,701
- Notes – BABYSITTER DAY. Cranked out an extra chapter and planned out the weekend so I have a starting point first thing Saturday morning. Also achieved my first reward for the month – a NIGHT OFF.
November 5
- Word Count – 6,218
- Notes – It was Double-Up Day at NaNoWriMo where authors are encouraged to double their word count. I wasn’t looking to participate, but I opened the day with a much longer than expected chapter and the day rolled on from there. I doubt I’ll be seeing this number again this month but, man, it felt GREAT.
November 6
- Word Count – 5,306
- Notes – Big day today. Not the word count, but a chapter I decided to draft. One of my cast didn’t make it out alive. There were tears involved. Mostly mine. Always rough to lose a friend, even if only imaginary.
November 7
- Word Count – 2,038
- Notes – The work week returns! I knew I’d lose some momentum but, holy hell, is it difficult to crank out a chapter during nap time. Especially now that the lighter side of things are out of the way and I’m into the more involved, more detailed chapters of the draft. Work days are going to be rough.
Are you climbing this mountain with me? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll see you at the top.
November 14, 2016
NaNoWriMo is Coming: 5 Tips for Preparing to Write Your Novel

November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo: a frantic month of writing with the goal of drafting a 50,000 word novel.

Want to give it a shot? NaNoWriMo season will be here before you know it. But here is a little-known fact that you may not know: most writers who actually accomplish their goals during NaNoWriMo don’t start with a blank page on November 1.

Does this mean writers cheat and start halfway into their book? No. But an experienced novel writer knows that it takes time to flesh out a story.

In addition to having a general idea of what your novel will be all about, you should follow these five tips to get your novel done before the end of the month.

1. Set up your work area

You need a quiet place to write. Having your writing desk in the middle of the kids’ playroom is obviously not a good idea. However, if you need to keep an eye on a toddler while you’re writing, it’s fine to move your laptop or tablet around the house with you as needed.

Your work area doesn’t have to be anything fancy. In fact, some writers work inside a closet. It’s a good idea to have a decent chair to sit on, a big-enough computer screen to read the words you type, and a safe place to put your choice cup of caffeinated beverage.

2. Start writing now

Have you thought about how many words you’re going to have to write every day in order to write more than 50,000 words in one month? If you don’t take a single day off, then you “only” have to write 1667 words every day.

*Gasp*

Does that sound like an incredibly large number? It’s really not. In fact, this article is almost half that amount. Unfortunately, if you’re not used to writing a lot, then chances are, you’re not going to write enough during November, either.

In order to work your way up to 1667 words a day, you might need to start slowly. Start writing something every day now so you’ll be ready to write a novel in November.

3. Take advantage of progress-tracking tools

There are a lot of different tools available for novel writing. Many of them allow you to keep track of your progress and will even send you encouragements and reminders. It doesn’t really matter which of these tools you use as long as you keep track.

Fortunately, keeping track of word count is easy. Almost every writing program will do it for you, and you can even track your word count through the official NaNoWriMo website.

If all else fails, you can put the number of words you write each day on a sticky note on your fridge. You can also share it through social media — maybe you can get your friends to cheer you on!

4. Write while you wait

Writing doesn’t have to take up all your spare time, although that wouldn’t be a bad thing for many authors. When you’re in a time crunch where you really have to get a project done, it’s a good idea to work on your novel every spare minute of your time.

Do you spend a lot of time waiting? Whether you’re on the bus, riding the subway, in line to eat at a restaurant, waiting for a date, or waiting for your turn at the doctor’s office, you should be working on your novel instead of staring off into space.

Fortunately, there are online novel-writing programs that allow you to write on any device as long as you have internet access. Yes, you could even write your entire novel on your cell phone. But even if you don’t currently own a smartphone or iPad, you can bring along an old-fashioned notebook and type your notes up later.

5. Finish the novel before you edit

National Novel Writing Month is not about getting a novel ready to publish. Instead, you’re only expected to write the first draft of your novel. As much as many authors really hate the editing process, it can be tempting to stop writing and start editing too soon.

Does that mean you don’t have to edit your novel? No. But it means you should wait until you’ve finished it to edit. That’ll give you something to do in December.

Are you ready for NaNoWriMo? What are you going to do to ensure that you finish your novel on time?

October 6, 2015