What do you need to know in order to make the most of National Novel Writing Month‘s month of writing madness? In easily digestible bullet-point form:
-Know when you’re going to write.
Are you going to start every morning with your 1.67k words and cruise into the afternoon with a day’s writing in the bank? Are you going to write 2k words every day and take weekends off? Are you going to spend the first week in a coffee haze, having fever dreams of Justin Bieber singing motivational songs to you, but come out at the end of the week with a 50k word disasterpiece? Have a plan of attack.
-Know how you’re going to write.
Are you going to write on your computer? Create the document now. Give it a place of honor on your desktop. Are you hand-writing it? Buy the notebook. Buy the pens. Maybe get some stickers on that, G. Are you writing it on Figment? Make the cover first. Cause you know you’re going to get all distracted and be like, “Oh! Spending three hours working on the color of the title font is working on my book!” DOES NOT COUNT. Are you dictating to your StenoBot 6000? Well then, uh, make sure you have plenty of oil and nuts for it to nom on?
-Know that you’re not alone.
One of the best parts of NaNo is the community of people all dragging their ton-heavy writer’s blocks toward a finish line. So make friends! Head to the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program and commiserate. If you want to rant, rant! The Figment group will support you. Over 200,000 writers participated in NaNoWriMo last year, so you are in large and talented company.
-Know that however far you get, you’ve gotten somewhere.
Any writing is more than no writing. If you don’t get to 50k words, you don’t get there. But try. Get somewhere. You know the nifty badge going up on Figment for everyone participating in NaNo? You heard us: It’s for everyone who participates. Give it your best shot. When November first rolls around, tag your story NaNoWriMo11. But not until November, guys! Head-starters, you know who you are. *glare*
-Know that sleep is overrated.
What is this– sleep– anyways? is it some sort of french pastry?
I do not know. But it sounds peculiar. Maybe they just said it to confound us. Hmm…. Whatever it is, I surely don’t need it for NaNoWriMo.
Lol, I don’t have a stenobot6000, but I do plan on writing it on figment!
To the cover!
STILL NO IDEAS. I have no clue what to write about, and I have… 22.75 hours left to decide!! AAHHHHH!!
I. An. Freaking. Out. Lovin it!
I laughed for a really long time.
Lol.
Oh. My. God.
It is time to WRITE!
I have an idea, and I’ve got 1731 words to show for it!
I’ve got 3,411 words down, and 46,589 to go! Who needs sleep?
WOW 200,000 other people doing just what I am! That is a lot of writers in the world. Way to go world!
I think I’m going to wind up with about three versions of the same story – typed, written on paper, and written in my crazy mind. Some merging of the three will probably show up on Figment… And yes, I definitely know sleep is overrated. (As is Justin Beiber ((sorry, fans.))) Anyways… hopefully my story will wind up here soon. If not… oh well… (I just realized how many of these ‘…’ I have in here… too bad… ((there I go again…)))
Ahhhh!!! I am BRAIN DEAD. I can’t think of anything! Help meeee!
I just started mine, hand written in a notebook. (Laptop died [sniff]) so it’s pen-in-hand on paper, which is a lot lighter than the laptop that never followed me anywhere. Oh well, a few pages done & a gazillion to go. Then the REAL ‘work’ begins, translating it onto the magic screen, and editing, editing, editing … etc. ad infinitum. i just hope the characters behave themselves! Really! They can get quite ‘naughty’ sometimes!
well – back to tgrindstone. 
I just started today. I am slightly behind… Oh well. I GOT THE POWER!