How I'm gearing up for my first NaNoWriMo

This is my first post on Steemit, and the main reason I'm writing it is: I want to start flexing my writing muscles.

This year, I decided to take part in NaNoWriMo for the first time. I've been working in the publishing industry for several years now — I co-founded Reedsy in 2014 for those who know about us — and have written probably over 100 blog posts on writing, publishing and book marketing… 

So I'm in this position where I talk to authors every day, I coach them on Amazon and email marketing, and yet I've never even written, let alone published, a book myself.

So, this year, I thought "it's time to change that". And what better opportunity than NaNoWriMo for that? 

If you're reading this and have never heard of NaNoWriMo, it's basically a huge worldwide event where people commit to writing a novel (>50,000 words) during the month of November.

That means an average of 1,667 words per day. And while I often write that much in a day when working on a blog post, I am absolutely and utterly terrified at the idea of writing a novel.

How do you "prep" for NaNoWriMo?

That's basically the question I've been asking myself for the past few weeks. And I haven't found a good answer yet. 

Well, that's not entirely true. I know how you can prep for NaNoWriMo. I've given that sort of advice myself to other aspiring writers. I just can't get around to following that advice!

1. "Plot your novel"

NaNoWriMo isn't just freewriting. You're supposed to write an actual novel. Something with a beginning, a climax, and an end. Something with characters (hopefully complex ones, who change through the story). Something that would keep readers turning the pages to know what happens next.

So conventional wisdom dictates you should first plot your novel. I started doing that this week and… I stopped. I came up with a pretty nice premise, a well-rounded, interesting character, and the most beautiful, mysterious setting I could think of. 

I immediately knew what would go into chapters one, two and three. And I have an idea of how I want the story to end. 

But the rest? I have no idea. And I found out: I don't want to know right now. One thing authors constantly tell me is: "I never know what my characters are going to do next." I want to experience that, so my plan is: start the story, know where I want to finish it, and hope that by chapter 4 my characters will have taken a life of their own. If they haven't, I'll be screwed.

2. "Build a solid writing routine"

You know all these "how to be more productive" posts on the internet? I hate them. I don't think productivity is something that we, human beings, should put so much emphasis on that we start reading about it…

To me, being productive means "just stop paying attention to other stuff and do your fucking work."

Anyhow, when people ask me for advice for doing NaNoWriMo I usually tell them to start developing some sort of writing routine before the start of the month. Otherwise, going from "I don't write anything" to "I need to write 1,667 words every day for a month" is going to be an atrocious experience. Think about your friend who's never touched alcohol in their life, and imagine them suddenly downing a bottle of bourbon. That's what will happen on the first day of NaNo to someone who isn't used to writing.

Now, I'm used to writing, but not fiction. So how is it going to go for me? I have no idea, I'll tell you on day 1 ;)

3. "Plan writing time into your schedule"

That one's where I really, really havent followed the advice I usually give to writers.

If you have a full-time job, and hobbies on the side, and suddenly want to be writing 1,667 words every day on top of that, you better have a clear idea of when you're going to be doing that. 

Many writers with a day job set out specific hours every day where they hunker down in their writing cave and can't be disturbed. 

On my end, I have no idea when that will be. I work 10-12 hours a day, and have a number of other activities I'm not prepared to give up (even for a month). And my schedule changes every day. 

So when I told my parents I was going to do NaNoWriMo and they asked me: "ah, and when exactly are you going to find the time for that?", I had no clever answer for them…

Clearly, I haven't planned this all out very well. But you know what, that's probably how everyone approaches their first NaNoWriMo. And some still manage to win. 

So, the bets are open: do you think I'll make it?

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I'm new to the writing community on Steemit, so if any of you guys are doing NaNoWriMo and have any tips for me, please let me know in the comments!