How to win NaNoWriMo 2020

NaNoWriMo, 50,000 words in 30 days is it possible? yes! i wrote all 50k words in 24 days last year and you can too

the biggest thing to remember is that in November you have 30 days to write 50k words that is just over 1,666 words a day. if you only wrote on weekdays that is 22 days of writing at around 2,272 a day.

i wrote 24 days last year and won so it isn't impossible but that is about 2,083 words a day, some days i only manged fifteen words and i had to make up for all the lost words the next day which was hard. but before you start freaking out here is my tips on how to achieve this amazing goal.

winning NaNoWriMo is almost exactly the same as winning camp NaNoWriMo except you have to reach 50k and cant set your own goal.

1. Pace yourself

while it may sound like a good idea to sit down and write for five hours each day you will drain yourself a lot faster, if you plan to write every day you're goal is to hit 1,666 a day. some days you are going to be over that and other days you will be under but if you know that you have to write a certain amount of words you will soon work out how long it takes you on average to write that amount of words each day. which will make the days you are under a lot easier to catch up in the future.

2. Outline

while i myself am more of a pantser i do a brief outline of my project that i will be working on {Check out my blog post on outlining} in the post linked i talk about how i outline briefly to help get everything done without it being a full outline which makes me feel restricted.

3. Get inspired

there are many ways to do this, you could go for a walk, listen to music, go and be with nature it really depends on you. i personally search up on google "writing prompts" and look at pictures or follow links and find one best fitted for the novel you are writing. i find this really helpful and i immediately find inspiration

4. Leave it unfinished

when you know you are going to be finishing writing, for the time being, if it is for a few hours or for the day that doesn't matter, the best thing to do so you don't come back and go well what to do now start the next sentence and don't finish it. for me, i finished writing for the day and knew i wouldn't know where to start again so i finished off with 'i walked into the kitchen and saw' while you wouldn't want to finish a chapter, paragraph or bookending like that it just means you can come back and it will be super easy to get back into it, meaning fewer writers block moments.

5. Sprint

for this, all you need to do is search up NaNoWordSprints on twitter and wait for the people to come on, or you can set your own timer up on your laptop or phone. a word sprint is when you have a timer for a certain amount of time and you just flat out write, then you take a break when you are done before going straight back into it. Video on sprints with information on them

6. Accept That Your Manuscript Will Not Be Perfect

don't try and make it perfect, that will only help you not make your word goal, realize that no matter what there is going to be major editing involved so there is no point in worrying about it all being perfect now when that is the least of your concerns, the faster you realize that the easier it will for the words to flow.

7. Write

sometimes the best thing to do is just write, even if it is never going to make it into the final copy of your project, every word counts when you start writing the words should just start to flow meaning while it most likely won't make sense it still counts towards your word goal and you may make something that you can use for your book

How to win Camp NaNoWriMo

if you prefer to watch rather then read How to win Camp NaNoWriMo

back in July 2019, i participated in my first every camp NaNoWriMo which was amazing, i set myself a goal of 50,000 words on my project which i was able to hit on day 25 in this post i am going to give you 10 tips on how to survive camp NaNoWriMo and win, all of which i did.

1. Pace yourself

while it may sound like a good idea to sit down and write for five hours each day you will drain yourself a lot faster, work out what you are working towards and then work out what the minimum you have to do each day to win nano. my goal was 50k words so the minimum i had to write was 1612.90 words a day (July has 31 camp days) some days you are going to be over that and other under but if you know that you have to write or spend a certain amount of time each day then the days you go over makes up for the days you are under and you won't be draining yourself

2. Set goals

while whatever number you set up on camp is your overall goal think of your weekly goals, my first week of Julys 2019 camp i set a goal of 10k words which i had already passed on day 6. if you know you have a goal and a deadline to get to that goal you are more likely to pass the goal, while the end goal is to win camp seeing that with the days ticking by you don't think about how close you really are so you are more likely to quit.

3. Outline

while i myself am more of a pantser like the famous author Stephen King, i did do a brief outline of my project, and when i mean this i mean i wrote the chapter numbers down and under each chapter wrote what i hoped would happen, as one of mine for chapter 4 was find out Clyde is a wolf, it left it to my imagination on everything with just knowing hey i need to find a way to write Clyde as a wolf, this was the first time i ever did any kind of outline.

4. Get inspired

there are many ways to do this, you could go for a walk, listen to music, go and be with nature it really depends on you. i personally search up on google "writing prompts" and look at pictures or follow links and find one best fitted for my novel i am writing. i find this really helpful and i immediately find inspiration

5. Leave it unfinished

when you know you are going to be finishing writing, for the time being, if it is for a few hours or for the day that doesn't matter, the best thing to do so you don't come back and go well what to do now start the next sentence and don't finish it. for me, i finished writing for the day and knew i wouldn't know where to start again so i finished off with 'i walked into the kitchen and saw' while you wouldn't want to finish a chapter, paragraph or bookending like that it just means you can come back and it will be super easy to get back into it, meaning fewer writers block moments.

6. Sprint

for this, all you need to do is search up NaNoWordSprints on twitter and wait for the people to come on, or you can set your own timer up on your laptop or phone. a word sprint is when you have a timer for a certain amount of time and you just flat out write, then you take a break when you are done before going straight back into it.

7. Accept That Your Manuscript Will Not Be Perfect
dont try and make it perfect, that will only help you not make your word goal, realize that no matter what there is going to be major editing involved so there is no point in worrying about it all being perfect now when that is the least of your concerns, the faster you realize that the more easier it will for the words to flow.

8. Network

sometimes having friends who are also writers help they know the struggle and can help you keep going even on tough days, there is nothing like not knowing what to do or not having anyone there who understand what you are going through.

9. Environment 

no matter if you like a clean desk or a messy one, work where you know you work best, for me i work best in my best with my curtain open. coffee beside me and my laptop on my black pillow on my lap. that is how i write best so make sure you have the space you will be writing in looking just the way you like it.

10. Write

sometimes the best thing to do is just write, even if it is never going to make it into the final copy of your project, every word counts when you start writing the words should just start to flow meaning while it most likely won't make sense it still counts towards your word goal and you may make something that you can use for your book