#NaNoWriMo: Prep Your Life

November 1, 2016

Note From Rochelle

Dear Writers,

Greetings writers!

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month

Ready, set, go! National Novel Writing Month started today. I’m writing a brand new book for you this month, which I hope to be able to share with you in the New Year.

Today’s tip provides some last minute practical advice for #NaNo.

Happy Writing!
Rochelle,

The Write Now! Coach

#NaNoWriMo: Prep Your Life!

by Write Now! Coach Rochelle Melander

Now that you have your plot planned, it’s time to get your life ready for the month of writing dangerously! Here are a few random tips to help you prepare for the month:

Say no.

Cancel everything you absolutely do not have to do. Do not add any extra events—no dinner parties, book group meetings, coffee dates, or shopping excursions. NaNoWriMo is your extra thing this month.

Pro Tip: I’m including this permission slip. Print or post and present it wherever you need it!

Schedule.

Schedule your writing time for the whole month right now. Don’t let anything interfere with this scheduled time. For the next month, consider yourself a novelist with a deadline of November 30. Don’t shirk your duties. Show up and write!

Get snacks.

Last summer, when I caught my teenaged son eating my dark chocolate, I realized that I needed my own stash of food. I’m not saying where I’ve hidden it. Just know that I have a nice little collection of tasty treats tucked away for NaNoWriMo. Do yourself a favor. Get to the grocery store and stock up on snacks and your favorite caffeinated beverage! I’d hate it if you had to write on an empty stomach.

Make a plan for emergencies.

No doubt you are already worrying about the “what ifs” in your head. What if I get sick? What if I run out of steam? What if I have to pull an extra shift at work? Instead of wondering, make a plan. What will you do if something happens mid-month to interrupt your writing time? Some writers load up on extra words during the first week so that they can take a few days off mid month. Others put in marathon days on weekends so that they can be available for work or family emergencies during the week. Do what works for you.

Leave the mess alone—it’s helping you!

Don’t sweat the piles of dirty clothes or those stacks of paper and books in your office—they may actually help you be more inventive. In a study led by Kathleen D. Vohs of the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management, researchers put participants in either a messy or a neat office space and asked them to imagine unique uses for Ping-Pong balls. Both groups of subjects came up with about the same number of answers, but the participants who worked in the messy room developed “almost five times the number of highly-creative responses” as the others. The takeaway? Don’t clean this month, the mess is making you more creative!