Preparing for Nanowrimo (Part1)

They say there's a book in all of us.  Nanowrimo gives us an opportunity to prove that. However, if you've decided to give it a go, this year, there are some things to consider.

Having undertaken Nanowrimo for the past two years, the first year successfully and the second not, there are some things that I have learnt along the way that I thought I'd share with you. And of course if you've done Nano yourself I'd love to hear from you. It would be great if you'd share what worked for you and what didn't. Plus of course I'd love to engage with you generally on this Blog.  So far I've received zero comments.  It's pretty lonely here - come on someone, let me know you're out there and reading this!

Anyway back to the original subject - firstly, remember that committing to writing 1667 words every day for 30 days is manageable. However, you might want to think about what other things you'll  need to sacrifice in order to achieve it, particularly if you are working full-time, running a family, have a life etc. It's a pretty easy equation to work out. In order to say yes to Nano, you may well have to say no to dinner out with a friend one evening.  In order to say yes to a walk on a sunny November afternoon, you may well have to say no to Nano.  See simples!

You might also wish to consider what's the best time of day for you to write. Perhaps getting up an hour earlier each day during the dark mornings of November works for you (it sounds crazy to me but hey everyone's different). Or perhaps you're a night hawk and choose to stay up at night once the rest of the household is in bed.  Give some consideration to when you believe is a good time for you to write. If you can get into a routine, this will help. After all most writers will tell you, the best way to become a prolific writer is to write every day. If you read Stephen King's book 'On Writing', he states:

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut."

Undertaking Nanowrimo at least gets you half way there - well for 30 days anyway.

So that's it for today. To summarise, I think undertaking Nanowrimo is like starting lots of new projects in life. Are you committed fully to it or is it something you hope to slot into your life? Have a think about what's going on for you in November and consider what sacrifices you might need to make whether that be not doing some of the things you usually do or sacrificing an hour in bed each morning to ensure you get up and write.

If you're in, I wish you well and hope to see you here again.