Pre NaNoWriMo: A Survival Guide

Hey Guys.

It is that time of month again! NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is approaching fast. I am so exited, this will be my second year attending. I thought I should probably do some sort of survival guide and intro to new comers of NaNoWriMo.

One: The Beginning

Create an Account: The first thing you should do if you are planning on attending this year is to create an account on the NaNoWriMo Website, and if you are a young writer on the NaNoWriMo young writers Website.

• Fill out your profile. (It's fun)
• Add Writing Buddies and connect with other writers. (I met some of the most amazing people through NaNoWriMo last year. One of them Being the Lovely Adriana Gabrielle.)
• Read the forums. (The forums have some of the best writing advice of all time. You can connect with other writers, ask questions, and get a better understanding on NaNo and writing. It is a great and safe community environment.)
• Create your novel. (Fill out your novel profile with; title, synopsis, excerpt, and genre.)
• Go to the store and check out the amazing merchandise!

Have an Idea: You are aloud to have an idea and plot out your novel before November. If it's your writing style; having a vague idea of what your story is going to be about is very helpful. And having a series of plot points are good for when you are writing. (Plot points such as: Setting, Characters, Genre, and a general idea of what your story is going to be about.) 

Something to Write on: Make sure before hand that you have a reliable: Laptop, PC, Tablet, IPad, or Notebook to write on before hand. I suggest using something digital, in order to track your word count accurately.

And make sure you have a word processor to use. There are many out there. If you own a Laptop or PC, there should be one on there already. Desk top word processors such as Microsoft Word, Open Office and Libre Office, etc. Their are other downloadable ones, as well. And online word processors. I use Google docs. I like it cause I just need to be logged into my google account on any device and be able to use it. It also saves my work ever 20 seconds, so I don't loose any work. If you like Microsoft word, you will like Google docs. 

Confidence: Take a deep breath of it. You are going to be able to do this. And if you don't succeed, at least you got something done. NaNoWriMo is all about getting something done, and having a good time about it. :)

Two: Getting it Done


Breaks: So you are going to have to sleep, and eat, go to the bathroom, and boil the jug for the one hundredth time that day. Those things you are not going to be able to get out of doing... But you have to earn your breaks. Getting to a word count goal with in 20-30 minutes.
Having a good break might be, reading a couple of chapters of a book, doing some oversize, using the internet, or going out with some friends after a hard day. But you have to earn these.

Distractions: These are the worse. And the stop you from getting to where you need to be. The internet, TV, Netflix, your pets, people. You need to blot that all out. Turn it off and shut the door. Those things can wait.  You have to be strong.

Word Sprints: Word sprints are some of the best ways to getting words down fast. NaNoWordSprints on twitter over the course of November (and camps) do regular word sprints. It is a good way to get motivated. Other ways of word sprinting are: Challenging a writing buddy to a word war, or setting a timer with a number of words you want to write in that time.

Reward System: Like I said before. You have to earn your breaks and pleasures. And these are going to come after you have hit a goal. There are many different ways to reward yourself: with internet, chocolate, sweet stuff, another episode of your show... It works.

Three: The Survival/Not Dying Part

Caffeine and Sugar: Coffee is going to be your best friend. And seeing this it is going to be hot for me in November, Energy drinks will be happening too. Ohhh and Ice Coffee is a dream. Any way. You will probably need something that will keep you awake, and keep you alive.

Food: I am one of those people...just ask my friends. That when I am deep in a project, I will skip meals... Cause I don't have time for food, food can wait. But food can't wait. Make sure you eat something over the month. Snacking is good for when you are writing. Just don't let it distract you.

Sleep: This is going to be something you are not going to be getting to much of. Make sure you sleep... Just sleep.

Four: Writers Block

Music: I like to create playlists for my stories. Songs that inspire me, and my novel. I also work better with music.

Pinterest: For me, looking at pictures on my story board helps me when I start to get stuck while writing. I have to be careful when it comes to pinterest though... I get very distracted for long periods of time.

Movies and Books: There are times when I am lacking a good scene. So I will go and watch a  movie in my novel genre. This will inspire me for more ideas. Sometimes you can just look at movie clips. And books: Sometimes when you have been writing so long you start to loose voice. And what helps me, is going to an old book that I love, and that gives me back my characters voice.
Another thing that I do. I don't know if anyone else does this. But I watch Vlog Brother videos. I just like the narration of their videos... It gets me back into the writing mode.


So that is all I have for you guys. Hope some of this helped. I will be sharing info on my novel... It's a secret at the moment.... I'm exited and nervous. It's going to be a bit of a busy month for me. I have a lot of work to finish up with course. And other things to do. But I can get this done. Anyone who is attending and have school. This is doable. Let me know if you are doing NaNo this year.

Add me as a writing buddy! My user name is Iris Rachelle :)

-Rachel