NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) HAS ARRIVED FOLKS. That means it’s time to roll up our sleeves, crack our knuckles and get to writing a 50,000-word novel in JUST 30 days.

Easy peasy lemon sneezy, amiright? Not really. Especially if you’re new to the NaNo game.

So is this NaNo thang new to you? If yes, then there are a plethora (God I love that word) of ideas out there claiming to help you succeed. But all you really need is three secret tips to make sure you reach your goal.

So what in the heck are they already?

1. Be a planner AND a pantser
2. Eat, sleep, breathe
3. Set goals (and treat yo self)

What’s the secret sauce stewing behind these three ideas? Let’s dissect them, friend!

According to the official NaNoWriMo guidelines, we can choose to be a planner or a pantser. What are these crazy nouns you ask?:

Planner: A writer who carpes the heck out of each diem by sticking to a pre-organized, well-outlined NaNoWriMo routine.

Panster: A writer who has fun, flies by the seat of his Spiderman pajama pants, and lets the unique NaNoWrimo experience namaste him to the finish line. 

See, you tackle NaNo as either a planner or a pantser- it all depends on your personality and mindset as a writer.

But here’s the secret no one’s telling you: YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHOOSE (and quite frankly you shouldn’t). Yes, don’t just be a duck or a beaver- be a platypus. (AKA be a li’l of both!)

From the planner’s perspective, you could benefit from just a smidge of preparation. It’s SUUUPER beneficial to have a small outline or plan set out ahead of time to help you stay on track. Why not take a look at your schedule and see what days will work best for you as a writer? What time periods during the day can you take advantage of or will you most likely be MORE creative?

If you divide 50,000 words out between a 30 day period, that’s roughly 1,700 words a day. But I’m sure you won’t be able to write every single day. So why not take a few minutes to see what days you could write more and what days you can give yourself a little break?

And from the pantser’s perspective, it’s a great idea to give your creative self the chance to let inspiration come to you on a whim. So make a plan- see where you can give yourself a couple days for creative brainstorming! (I know, I know, planner rearing its beautiful head again, but they work well together don’t they?!) Give yourself a couple days to be as creatively uninhibited and free-spirited as a fairy in a field!

An Extra Tip from a Five-Time NaNoWriMo Winner:

It’s easy to get SOOO wrapped up in this contest thing that you sometimes forget to take care of yourself.

You may skip breakfast just to hop to writing. Or you could be so deeply involved in your story that you forget to eat lunch (you monster). You might think you don’t NEED to eat because you’re on a daily word count roll anyway or you had a big dinner last night so like what’s “eating“, ya know? (YOU MONSTER).

But here’s the secret no one is telling you: it’s scientifically proven that eating small frequent meals helps you keep plugging along. So don’t deny yourself food or skip meals during your daily word count hustle. You will only rob yourself of the fuel you need to keep moving forward at a healthy pace.

Plan some meals ahead of time or get some healthy snacks stashed away for quick and easy hunger slayers!

Now, what if you decide to burn the midnight oil and get a hop on 3 days worth of word count goals? What’s writing past midnight?! You’ve done it before! You can do it now!

But see, you’d be wrong. Why? Because this here NaNo thang is a MONTH LONG commitment. So you need to write for the long haul, baby. You’re not doing 100-yard dashes here, you’re doing a marathon. So take care of your body so it will take you across the finish line.

Here are TWO more secrets no one is telling you: getting to bed at a healthy hour (like 10 pm) helps your body heal and take on the next day. Plus, ten-minute naps are scientifically proven to help you be more productive, more creative, and be an all-around better person.

So if you’re feeling tired, worn out, or burned out- listen to your body. Give it the rest it requires to keep moving! You wouldn’t get mad at your car if it didn’t make it to your destination because you didn’t fuel it up enough, right? So take pit stops. Eat. Sleep. Breath. Put your feet up in a relaxing place and be refreshed, beautiful!

An Extra Tip from a NaNoWriMo Expert:

Now you might be saying, “Rae, this is no secret, EVERYONE knows to set goals. That’s totes obvi, c’mon.”

And you’re totes right, it is obvi. But here’s the thing: peeps set daily word count goals. That is the main focus of NaNoWriMo is to slay daily word count goals and eventually meet 50,000 before day 30 hits.

But here’s the secret no one is telling you: if you want to stay motivated, set goals for things that have nothing to do with word count. Focusing on word count alone is not going to give you a compelling novel, after all. So set goals for plot and character development. Set goals for conflict and tension. Set goals that help you take on the deeper stuff.

For example, say that by November 5th you want your main character to have encountered the inciting incident already. Or by November 15th you’d like to start act two of your novel or reveal that juicy plot twist in your story.

What if that’s all a little too intimidating? Well, set smaller goals.

Yessiree! Here’s the best part of this secret tip: Break down your sizeable goals into bite-size goals. That way you feel you’ve accomplished more. And when you feel you’ve accomplished a lot, you’re more likely to keep slaying more goals!

So that means instead of saying “I will write 2,000 words today!” Set a smaller goal- something less intimidating, like: “I will write 200 words in 20 minutes.” Break. It. Down. And. Slay. It. Up.

And never forget: once you hit your goal (YES EVERY LITTLE GOAL) reward yourself with sweet bonuses like a handful of gummy bears, a quick game of Fort Nite, or a round of fetch with your doggo. You’ve earned it, so indulge!:

An Extra Tip from a NaNoWriMo Seasoned Pro:

In conclusion, beloveds: YOU CAN DO THIS. NaNoWriMo has been achieved by newbies just like you for years. As long as you take advantage of these three secrets and apply some extra advice from the pros, you can SLAM DUNK your NaNoWriMo goals.

But what if you still feel you could use a balanced schedule that’s already been tried and tested? What if you want a little more support and feel you could use a guiding hand through this month-long challenge? What if I told you there was a golden NaNoWriMo kit that contained:

• A pre-organized daily schedule set with ideal yet realistic writing goals and initiatives guaranteed to help you hit your 50k word count goal.
• NaNoWriMo fun facts and direct links for where to submit your story for the official contest
• Break periods so you can still go clubbin’ with your friends (AKA read a book in your bed with your doggo)?

I ain’t no liar, buddy. This amazing kit is real and it’s ON SALE NOW THROUGH THE WHOLE MONTH OF NOVEMBER! WOOT WOOT!

Grab your copy of the NaNoWriMo Kit for 30% off NOW:

In fact, EVERYTHING in the Barely Hare Books Shop will be 30% off through the whole month of November!