It’s National Novel Writing Month a.k.a. NaNoWriMo. Have you set a your goal yet? If not, stop whatever it is you’re doing right now and create your goal. Here are some tips:
- Set a goal that you know that you can hit. That way, you can revel in your accomplishment (see Tip #5!). Example: Writing 5,000 words (let alone the NaNo 50K words) can be overly ambitious if you haven’t been writing regularly. So instead, scale it back or even switch to a timed goal, such as “I write for 15 minutes 6 times during November.”
- Set a SMART goal. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Example: “I write 2 chapters of my novel by November 30”
- Use present tense. That might sound weird, but present tense signals your brain that you are already doing whatever your goal is. Future tense opens the door to putting your goal off.
- Write out your goal and review it or read it aloud before each writing session. Feel free to post it wherever you can see it or write it on a white board or make a vision board for your goal.
- Decide what you’ll do to celebrate hitting your goal. Make it something special and enticing! (Do NOT skip this step!)
- Around November 15, gauge your progress. If you’re not even close to meeting your goal, go ahead and set a different goal. That’s allowed!
What’s your NaNoWriMo goal? Share it in the comments!
