You may have excuses not to try NaNoWriMo. Maybe November is a busy work month, being close to the holidays. Maybe you have year-end projects in a different arena of your life you need to finish. Maybe you don’t think you have the time to ‘waste’ on writing.

Whatever your excuse, I urge you to give it a try. You only have a few days to get registered (sign up, choose a user name, etc) before the first of November. You can do that here: http://nanowrimo.org/

If you truly want to write a novel, then it is going to take time no matter what time of year it is or whatever is going on in your life. But during NaNoWriMo, you can get a lot of encouragement, enthusiasm and support to reach your goal. Why not now?

Several years ago I sat down that first of November with no ideas, no characters, nothing. Somehow the words came, and somehow they began to connect and became a rough draft of a cohesive story.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any ideas. Somehow, they just come when you sit down and start to write. There’s even a book to help, titled No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty, the founder of NaNo.

For those who want to give it a try, here are several plans you can try to get it done:

1. In thirds. If you write for three short sessions a day, say before work, at noon and after dinner, you only have to write 555 words each time. That is certainly doable. And sometimes, the very act of sitting down to write can keep you going.
2. In half. Say you only have two times a day to write, so that’s 833 words each session. That’s under a thousand, so that doesn’t take too long, either.
3. Once daily. That’s the whole 1667 at once. Maybe you have a break between work and dinner or after the kids go to bed. Or before breakfast. Find a time that works and stick to it. November is only 30 days long. They say you can sleep in December.
4. A mix. Perhaps on weekends, you will have longer sessions at the local coffee shop or library. Get the most of this time and keep short sessions during the week.

No matter which way you go about it, there is a way for you. How have you done NaNo? How did you get it done?

Happy Writing!

~~Michelle