NaNoWriMo Survival Tips

I am so grateful that I participated in the Spring and Summer Camps now the eve of NaNo has arrived!

During the camps I posted many helpful articles, which still prove to be popular posts to read nowadays. I have used the memory of those experiences and the anxiety of this new one to compile this list of Survival strategies.

Read them, pray and hope! (For those of you with NaNo experience)

Read them, feel the passion, get excited (For all first timers)

Things you need to have BEFORE NaNoWriMo

The obvious

• Notebook and pens
• Laptop/ ipad etc
• Some ideas
• Possibly even a story map/ plan

• Snacks – you will need them to hand – some people choose to use them as a reward /incentive
• Time (scheduled is better if you want to stay on it!)

The less obvious

• Understanding partner/ family – unless you live alone – understanding neighbours or a cushion to scream into
• Prepared meals (frozen), cooking takes up so much writing time
• An open calendar
• Lifelines (virtual or otherwise)
• There are regional REAL LIFE groups you may be able to join in your area – we have a great one that I managed to attend during my 2nd camp – I didn’t get much writing done though. I have looked at the meetings scheduled already and as October has been so busy missed out on some great run-up-to- NaNo ideas. I do plan to visit the group again this month at some point, I will at the very least join in with them virtually via the facebook group.
• Check out www.nanowrimo.org and search for your local groups, most have already posted meeting schedules and events up.
• The other discovery I made during the camps were the amount of bloggers blogging about and doing Nano, these posts can be a great source of inspiration. I will reblog any gems I find, maybe you could post links to resources, blogs and articles you find helpful too. Some people even produce a NaNo Specific Blog that has the shelf life of a month every year.

So what do I do now?

Well this is what I am going to do/ have done.

• Written a story plan (2 pages A4)
• Broken the first scene down and already have a vision of the 1st chapter in my mind.
• Chosen character names, although these may change
• Shared my idea with 1 person for some honest feedback (best before I launch into 50,000 words)
• The next step is to check my calendar… unlike the girl in the NaNoWriMo Song You Tube video I cant just strike through the entire month.
• I have a very busy mid month weekend where in the space of 3 days I have a Spoken Word that I am performing a set at, a stanza meeting which I need to produce a new poem for, and a weekend trip away for a workshop and to watch a performance. Apart from that I have tried to keep the schedule clear.
• So now I check the 1667 words (daily target) and see where I can fit them in.

The Lessons

During the camps I learnt some important things about the psychology of being a Wrimo.

One of my tips back then was

• DO NOT FALL BEHIND

After attempting *and winning 2 camps, I know that this is not always possible.

So next came the advice

• FORGIVE YOURSELF if you do fall behind

(which at some point most of us do.)

So my attitude going into November is to write everyday, to attempt at least 1667 words, to try to over write (do more) in the 1st few weeks to accommodate that busy mid-month weekend and other days when I have poetry bookings.

KEEP ON GOING

NO MATTER WHAT

that’s my current advice.

Good Luck!

Let us know how your first day goes.

Nano Song

My 1st NaNo

Nano The Real Reason Writers Keep Notebooks

Nano Posts Begin