How To Succeed At NaNoWriMo From Someone Who’s Done It

Congrats 🎉

You’re writing an entire novel this month, a solo activity requiring a daily commitment.

But how do you actually complete your novel by 12/1?

You Do It By Making Writing a Daily Habit

Duh. But you know who has a problem doing this?

Writers.

Writers love to do anything but write the damn thing. Fight this by sitting your butt in the chair each day and doing it. It’s that simple — yet that hard.

Eliminate Distractions In Order to Write Daily

Use an app, write in your closet away from your family, or schedule it into your iCal.

My rule was to write each morning before my coffee cooled.

I didn’t go to NaNoWriMo write-ins or social hours because I don’t write well with other people chattering at me. (I left newsroom work for a reason).

Make the Writing Your Star

Place the writing at the center at what you do. It’s not about you; it’s about the writing.

Put it first. Allow it to happen by not judging it.

Give it space to flow through you. You do this by ignoring the typos and imperfections. You’ll fix those later.

The number one reason I finished? I didn’t read what I wrote each day to second-guess the work. I moved forward and wrote new words each day.

Read this post and more on my Typeshare Social Blog