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If you’re wondering how to win NaNoWriMo (or what the heck it even is), I got your back. NaNoWriMo, or “National Novel Writing Month” is a nonprofit organization that hosts a challenge every November— write 50,000 words in 30 days. Sounds easy, right? I discovered it in September and decided to commit myself to the task, and I actually won. In 14 days, as a matter of fact.
There is still time for you to win the challenge as well. This post will explain my theory on how to win NaNoWriMo and knock that first draft out of the park.
Step One: Are you a plotter or a panster?
Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to fit into one or the other.
Plotters are writers who need to have their whole story outlined in order to begin writing, whereas pansters, you might have guessed, write by the seat of their pants.
Going into this challenge, I really didn’t know which one I was. I thought I was a born panster, but I tried to plot anyway in order to keep my brain more organized. I wrote out loads of scene cards, and spent hours writing out a possible plot, only to throw it all out the window two days before November began.
Turns out, I’m a “planster” and I’m content in my theory that it’s the best of both worlds.
Despite all the research I’d done into how to prepare your plot, I couldn’t resist the temptation to check out Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. I picked it up with just two days to go before NaNo began, and it changed my whole plan. My scene cards weren’t touched after that.
I started to plot my story per Brody’s ‘beat sheet’ but after the first few scenes I just kept free-writing, and I hit my 50k target on November 14th. Plantsing at its finest.
Step Two: Plan your word count goals and rewards.
We all love a bit of motivation, right? The ‘ideal’ word count per day for NaNoWriMo is 1667 words— if you hit that target daily, you’ll have your 50,000 words in 30 days. Hitting that minimum is the most basic answer to how to win at NaNoWriMo, but there’s just so much more to it.
I planned a word count of 2000 words per day. There’s a chance I tripled and quadrupled that a few times, but I digress…
I also planned rewards ahead of time:
- 10,000 words: going for a sensory deprivation float.
- 20,000 words: board game night and take out.
- 30,000 words: movie date.
- 40,000 words: dinner date.
- 50,000 words: getting my nails done.
These rewards kept me motivated to keep going, which is funny because the last three haven’t even been done yet… but I earned them!
Step Three: Schedule your writing time.
I work full time, and between that and spending time with my family and friends, I had no idea how I was going to manage to pull this off.
In fact, I encouraged my partner to watch this video about how to take care of your Wrimo, because I fully expected to be a hot mess for the entire month.
What saved me from being a hot mess was sprinting.
Instead of going to work, coming home in my perpetually exhausted state, and writing for hours, my writing schedule was more akin to the following:
- 6:15am: write my morning pages, followed by a 30 minute writing sprint.
- 1pm: 30-45 minute writing sprint during my lunch hour.
- 5:30/6ish: 30-60 minute writing sprint after dinner.
Following a sprinting schedule that wasn’t set in stone helped keep me sane, and to blow my word count goals out of the water.
Step Four: Don’t re-read or edit your work.
Editing your own work is a recipe for disaster. Your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be written. There will be time to edit in the second draft. Just remember that the only thing you need to do this month is write the content.
This also means no going back and changing things because after 10,000 words you decided that your male protagonist should be Irish instead of British. You can fix that later.
Just keep barreling forward. If you get stuck because you don’t know what to write next, just write a scene that you think can happen later on! This can be difficult if you’re a linear writer like me, but seeing your word count climb will keep you motivated.
Step Five: Order your Winner shirt. *optional
The timing on this one for me was pretty perfect. When I had 30,000 ish words written barely a week in, I decided to double down on my commitment to myself and order my winner shirt from the NaNo website. I finished my 50,000 words on Sunday, November 14th, and the shirt was waiting for me in my mailbox the next day.
There is a ton of other merch on the website as well if that might inspire you to keep going!
Final Thoughts
When I was trying to get my head around how to win NaNoWriMo before it even started, I’ll admit I had very little faith in my own abilities. If you’re feeling unmotivated at the moment, it’s possible you might be feeling the same way. My best advice isn’t just to plan your month or to shop for motivation (literally). The key is to believe in yourself and the badass writer you’re meant to be.
If you have loved ones around you who will support your endeavours, and bring you snacks or coffee before they quietly tiptoe out of the room, then that’s great— but even if you don’t, keep in mind that there are thousands of other Wrimos out there doing what you’re doing, and support is available.
Feel free to message me through my contact form, or check out my social media to reach out if you’re struggling. If I can do this, you can too.
Happy writing!