NaNoWriMo Checklist: How to Get Ready to Write a Novel in a Month.

If you don't know what NaNoWriMo is, click here.

If you're participating in NaNoWriMo, you've got 11 days and some odd hours before the madness begins. Until then, here are some things that will help you get ready to write your little heart out. 

Find a coffee or a tea that you like. Buy a lot of it.

Get a brand new notebook. Sometimes, writing on a blank page instead of staring at a computer screen is all it takes to get rid of writer's block. Plus, you want to have somewhere to jot all your ideas down when you're not actually sitting at your computer and writing.

Print out a calendar/to-do list. Write your word count goals on every day. This is terrifying, but do it anyway. Make Fridays your check-in day. That way you can up your word count over the weekend if you've fallen behind that week.

Look into what you want to write with. Do you like writing with a pen and notebook? Word? Ommwriter? Figure it out now so you don't waste your time testing out different programs.

Make sure you have a way to back up your work. Because you know what's not fun? Getting almost halfway to your goal and having your computer crash.

This can be as simple as emailing your work to yourself every few days--just make sure it exists somewhere other than on your desktop!

Establish a homebase. Yes, you will write snippets of your novel everywhere in November. Coffee shops, your couch, your desk at work, your bed, and random stoplights will all become a part of your book. But 50,000 words is a lot, and I'm guessing you'll be doing the majority of your writing where you live.

If you have a desk, awesome. Hang up your calendar and to-do list, get a pumpkin candle, and print out some writing quotes and tape them above your desk. If you don't have a desk, get a basket where you can keep your computer, your notebook, your calendar, and all other writing necessities together.

Make a writing playlist. If you're like me and can't write to songs (seriously, I just end up listening to the lyrics!), then make a writing playlist to inspire you before you write, or to inspire brainstorm sessions.

Get inspired! Thank you, pinterest. I have a writing inspiration board that I know will inspire me when I just need a little extra boost. What inspires you? Taking pictures? Painting? Running? Whatever it is, do it. It's time to get your creativity flowing!

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? What are you doing to get ready?

A Novel in a Month? Tips For a Successful NaNoWriMo.

Have you heard of NaNoWriMo? 

"National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel." 

-via nanowrimo.org

Anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel. Does that sound like you? If so, November is the perfect month to get started!

NaNoWriMo is great because it gives you a set goal to complete in a set amount of time. It helps you avoid burnout because you have an exact deadline for when writing like a crazy person will end. It's incredibly challenging, inspiring, and overall an experience that every writer should have at least once.

If you're thinking about joining in this year, here are some tips that I've found to be helpful.

Just because the technical goal of NaNoWriMo is 50,000, that doesn't mean you have to either do all that or nothing at all.

The point is to make yourself write way more than you normally do, no matter what that looks like. You can only write 5,000 words and still have an extremely successful NaNoWriMo. You have no idea what good ideas may come out of those words!

Some people decide to write 50,000 words by the end of November and just go with it. That's fantastic, but if I did that, I would land on November 29th with 39,000 words to write.

Decide on a schedule based on your goal. Do you want to write for a set amount of time each day? Or do you want to write a certain amount of words per day?

My goal is the big 50,000 this year. That translates to roughly 1,666 words per day. However, I know that I probably won't be able to write on most Saturdays, and there are five of those in November. So that brings my goal up to 2,000 words a day.

Look at your lifestyle and schedule, and then make a writing schedule. Be realistic, but also push yourself. It will be incredibly hard, but that's part of the fun.

Do not try to hit all 1,666 (or less, or more) words all at once. Yes, there will be days when you can sit down and pound out far more than your goal, and those days are magical. But on the not-so-magical days, trying to hit your goal all at once will make you want to cry forever.

So break it up! Have two daily goals instead of one. If your goal is 1,000 words, then have two goals of 500 words. Taking a break in between finishing the first goal and starting the second will give you a chance to reboot your creativity. Plus, being able to cross one of those off when you're halfway there feels awesome.

It would be really freaking fantastic for everyone to have a writing partner that lives in the same town as them. Then you could spend days together in a coffee shop, writing the next great American novel and keeping each other from burning out. But this is real life, and that's not always an option.

Still, tell someone. Get an email partner. Blog about it. Just make sure someone other than you knows that you're being a psychotic person and trying to write a novel in 30 days. Sometimes all it takes to keep writing is knowing that someone is going to ask how your book is coming, and wanting to be able to be proud of your answer.

So, are you in?!

Have you ever done NaNoWriMo before? Are you planning on doing it this year?