It’s NaNoWriMo season! How many GTW NaNoWrimers do we have? (Please leave us a comment and tell us!)
I’ve done NaNoWrimo twice and really enjoyed it. I love the energy of the writing community this time of year. Even when I’m not participating in NaNo (like I’m not this year), the community mojo can still feel contagious and make me want to write more.
Unless you habitually write 50k every month (and if you do, we’d like a guest post from you!) participating in NaNoWriMo means managing your time differently, so I thought it could be a good time to talk about ideas for how to think about your time. I promise zero of my tips are “get up earlier” or “stop watching so much TV.” I loathe time management advice like that!
Tip #1 Be specific
Something special about NaNoWrimo is how specific the challenge is. Because it’s a short season (30 days) it feels more manageable to say, “I’m going to prioritize writing for this month.” Also, I think having the specific goal of 50k makes it easier to visualize and carve out time.
If you want to manage your writing time well, I think the place to start is by examine what “well managed writing time” looks like for you. What are you trying to accomplish? When are you trying to accomplish it by?
I do so much better when I know, “Finishing the first draft of my contemporary YA novel,” is my goal rather than, “Write.” And, “Finish my first draft by the end of the month,” is way better than, “Write more.”
What makes November a magical time to write a novel is that someone else defined a specific goal for you, but you can do that for yourself too. Once you’ve become specific about how writing time will be used, then you’ll spend less writing time trying to figure out what you should be doing.
So, what writing project do you want to work on? What do you want to accomplish? By when?
Tip #2 Think about time in weeks
I don’t know what your calendar looks like, but because I live with other people and have multiple roles, i don’t have a one-size-fits-all daily schedule. Mondays look different than Tuesdays. Fridays are different than Saturdays. There might be similarities between a few days (e.g. Eli goes to preschool Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) but daily habits are very hard to establish. I brush my teeth every day, but I have very few habits that are truly daily.
Because of this, I find it useful to instead think about my time as a week. How many words do I want to write THIS WEEK? How many times do I want to exercise THIS WEEK? I know there are popular ideals in the writing community about writing every day, and maybe that’s helpful to you, but I find it more useful to consider a whole week versus a day.
If you’ve figured out what you want to write and when you want to have it done by, now look at how many words you need to write (or chapters you need to edit, etc.) to meet your deadline. So if you want to write 50k by November 30th, you need to write 12,500 words a week.
Tip #3 Put writing on your calendar or to-do list
One of the other things I love about NaNoWriMo is how it reminds us that we can write while not feeling 100% inspired.
I know a lot of creatives feel a resistance to scheduling their art time. I understand wanting to feel inspired when you write. I want that too! Sometimes it happens before I start writing for the day, but most of the time it happens after I’ve started writing.
You might find it really helpful to have a set day that you plan your week ahead. Time management expert, Laura Vanderkam, plans her weeks on Fridays so that she remembers to plan fun things on the weekends.
Just like there’s a benefit to being specific about what you’re working on and when it needs to be done by, being specific about WHEN you will do this thing is also helpful. If you live with other people or share a device, this is also a good chance to think through if you need to schedule anything with them. Do you need to make sure you have access to the family computer every Saturday morning? Or do you need a shared living space to belong to just you for an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays?
When will you write this next week? Block it off on your calendar or make a note on your to-do list.
Tip #4 Don’t rely on willpower
One of my biggest takeaways from the book Atomic Habits is when we’re trying to change our behavior, we should make it as easy on ourselves as possible. If you tend to turn on Disney+ instead of opening your Word Doc, don’t plan to write in the same room as a TV. If your buzzing phone distracts you while you’re writing, leave it in a different part of the house or turn it off while you’re writing. Don’t make yourself a goal of writing 5k on day one if you’ve never written more than 500 words in a sitting.
Having discipline and being strong in your mind is fantastic. But you’re already asking your brain to do deep, creative work. Don’t also ask it to ignore your buzzing phone and the fact that you can watch Hamilton any time you want.
What’s one distraction you struggle with that you could eliminate?
Tip #5 Put your storytelling powers to work on your own life
This mental exercise has been helpful for me, and maybe it will be for you too. I will ask myself, “What story do I want to tell about this time?” Or another way to think of it is, “If I were the main character in a story, what would I hope I chose to do?”
Do I want the story of my writing time to be, “I saw an email that Old Navy was having a sale, so I shopped instead of writing”? Or, “My phone was buzzing every ten minutes so I barely got anything done”? Nope. I don’t want either of those stories.
There are definitely things out of our control when it comes to our stories as authors. You can’t control if you’ll be traditionally published or if an agent will love your book. You can’t control if something came up and you had to babysit for your brother during time you intended to write. But just because we can’t control everything doesn’t give us an excuse to not control what we can.
What story do you want to tell about your writing time today? I want my story to be that I put my phone and my watch on DND, and I stayed focused on my manuscript for the entire allotted time.
Tip #6 Write yourself notes about what’s going to happen next
One of the kindest things you can do to use your writing session well is, when you’re done for the day, leave yourself a few notes about what’s going to happen next. Even vague ideas like “Maybe my character should go for a walk?” might be all you need to jumpstart your next session. This simple practice will help you make use of tomorrow’s writing time.
Tip #7 Give yourself an assignment between writing sessions
In a similar vein, consider giving yourself an assignment. This might be super practical, like “Gather up laptop and writing supplies so they’re ready for my early morning writing session.” Then you don’t have to start writing time by finding all your things.
Or it could be something having to do with the story, Maybe you have a character whose motivation you haven’t figured out quite yet. In those situations, I’ll literally say out loud to myself, “I really need to figure out why Karen responded that way.” And I’ll go about my day while my subconscious works on the problem. I’m sure you’ve had the experience where you’re putting away laundry/making your bed/brushing your teeth and BOOM there’s the answer. You increase the chances of this happening if you intentionally assign yourself something to think about.
Tip #8 Give yourself carrots
Once upon a time, I was unpublished but working full time as a writer. I had no kids and my husband worked a full time job and was in grad school. Other than keeping our apartment picked up and keeping us fed, my only other “job” was to write books that would hopefully be published some day. There’s no way to know, but I’m really curious; did I get more done then–when I had all day, 5 days a week–or do I get more done now? Because in this season of life, I know that my work time is over at a specific time. That can be a real motivator.
Shannon talked multiple times in Go Teen Writers: Write Your Novel (just one month away from release date! Eek!) about how she writes a lot of her book using 15 minute word sprints. She needs the mini-deadlines to help her through the story.
When Roseanna and I are on writing retreats, we sometimes do the, “Once I hit the next chapter, I’m getting a snack,” or, “Let’s go for a walk after we’ve hit two thousand words.”
Or currently, I’m thinking, “Once I get this blog post finished, I’m going to get myself a Coke.”
Little rewards can help boost your happiness and enjoyment. And you’re more likely to choose to write during writing time if you remember that last time you felt so happy and joyful.
What rewards could you add to your writing routine?
Tip #9 Enjoy your time off
Any serious athlete will tell you that how they spend their time off matters. Rare is the athlete who can skimp on sleep, eat whatever he or she wants, and still perform their very best.
Yes, writing a story is fun. Writing a story is also hard work. I take one day a week off from chores and writing so that I can have more energy for the week and not burn myself out. I keep my writing hours confined to specific times of day so that I don’t have to feel guilty at other hours for not writing. One great joy of scheduling my writing time is that I don’t feel guilty for watching Netflix or reading in the evenings. I don’t feel that sense of, “I should really be writing.” Because I know it’s my off time and that I’m resting up for tomorrow’s writing session.
Lastly, you will not always use your writing time well. You’ll get distracted on Instagram. You’ll choose to take a nap instead. You’ll mean to write words in your manuscript, but instead you’ll spend most your time complaining to your best friend about how little writing time you have. I have done all these things. I will do all these things again at some point. Time management falls into one of these categories of life where you have to learn how to push yourself to make wise decisions, but also how to have grace for yourself when you come up short.
Do you have any time management thoughts you want to share with our community? And, remember, if you’re participating in NaNo, we’d like to know!
Time management thoughts? Hmmm… I don’t think I have any. I’m the worst at time management. I Always find a thousand reasons NOT to write. So, definitely gonna use these tips. I’m not doing NaNo, but I do have a writing goal to make it to sixty thousand words in my second draft, and I’m at about 25 so that’s like 35 thousand words I wanna write. Now I just gotta actually go do it….
First comment!!!!! I literally tried to get up super early to read it as soon as the post was up.
Congrats, Issabelle!
Thank you, Macey!!!
Yeah… I’m hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have stayed up ‘til 1:45 watching politics. Good job, Issabelle, you beat me, and now I am going back to bed because I am REALLY tired.
XD Maybe we shouldn’t have picked to do it on the day after voting and stuff. *shrugs* Anyway, thanks and yeah, I’m a little tired to. I don’t think I wanna get up that early again.
Buuuuuut. Maybe we should go again. How about it? Round two?
Sure, why not?
You’re on!
I think the whole country is feeling a bit groggy today!
First comment! Yay ?
I love your goal. Hopefully we can help motivate and encourage you.
Oh, YES. That’s what I LOVE about Go Teen Writers the most. There is soooo much motivation and encouragement going on around here. If I ever publish a book, I owe all of you A TON! Really, I think I LOVE writing more because of this site. (And I wasn’t sure that was possible.)
I agree! I haven’t been in here that long, but I can tell you, I’ve never, not even once, heard one negative word, ever. Everyone is always so nice and encouraging, and I honestly just love this community.
So true! You all are awesome.
Same! Go Teen Writers will get a huge shoutout in my eventual acknowledgement section. It’s crazy to think just how much I didn’t know about writing and the publishing industry before I found this site. I’ve really grown as a writer thanks to you guys, and I feel like my once hazy and far off dreams seem more like solid, attainable goals.
I’m doing NaNo this year!! It’s my second time. I’ve been grateful to my local NaNo region because they have 4 or 5 times a week set where we meet through zoom and do writing sprints. So I just have to push myself to write during the other days. Also, one motivation for me to write daily is that I want to collect the NaNo badges. Plus, last night during a zoom session, I actually won’t a Starbucks gift card so that was pretty awesome.
Macey, I love that you have such a vibrant NaNo community! I can see how that would make a huge difference.
What’s your drink of choice at Starbucks?
I’ve actually only had it once, if you don’t count the bottled stuff. I got the cookie crumble mocha (yes, I know it was a lot of sugar), but it was delicious! Do you have one or do you prefer a different coffee place?
The cookie crumble mocha is one of the most amazing coffee inventions on planet Earth. My first is definitely the Java Chip Frappe, but cookie crumble and double chocolate chip are a close second and third. Sugar!
Yum! I’ll have to try that one.
Awesome post! I’m doing NaNo this year, and it’s my second time, too.
I really struggle with motivation and ‘how can I make this happen?’ I know what I want to happen between my characters (*cough*heart-emoji*cough*) but I’m not sure how to fit that into all the other, not as great stuff going on. I’m not sure why I wrote that, but it said something about it in Tip #7.
Also, like Issabelle, time management is… not… fun. I can’t do it. Unless I have a set-in-stone schedule, like the ones I have at school, I always flake off what I’m actually supposed to be doing (my math homework) and do enjoyable, non-scream inducing tasks. Like books. Books are the greatest invention ever. Literally the best thing since before sliced bread.
P.S. I can’t wait for the new Teen Writers book! My library only has the first one, so I have to buy all the ones I can.
Ally, I think that’s really normal to default to enjoyable tasks. Jon Acuff has a great quote in the book Finish that nobody ever accidentally does something hard. We might watch more TV or read longer than we intend to, but none of us accidentally work out or write a novel. I think that’s one reason why making those hard things feel fun with some kind of reward/carrot can make a big difference.
Thanks for the post! I’m also doing NaNo this year (fourth time! though I’ve only won once), and so far I’ve honestly been surprised at how much I really can get done in a day. Something new I’m trying is setting time limits for certain apps on my phone using the screen time function in Settings – Instagram, Duolingo, games that tend to distract me, etc. Not only does that keep me off of those apps once my time has run out, but I’ve also found that knowing I have limited time means I want to be intentional with the time I do have. So instead of scrolling Instagram mindlessly for hours, I make sure I save time to post a writing update in the evening. So far this has been really helpful for me!
That’s really smart, Jerah! I’ve tried using limits before, but it didn’t work for me, because my thing is YouTube and my screen always stopped right as something interesting happens. But I’m glad it works for you!
Jerah, that’s so smart! Good for you! I’m so glad you’ve seen multiple benefits from that.
I’m only planning on 15k this month since I’ll be on vacation later and I do not want to stress about writing then. But so far I’ve been hitting my goal of 1k a day. I find just starting is the hardest part, and once I get over that hurdle, I can get in a good amount of words. The Pomodoro technique is really helpful. Idk how helpful this will be to other people, but I plan to write in the afternoon when I feel unproductive in everything else. Reading also helps me get in the mood to write.
Bethany, I’ve also found the Pomodoro technique to be really helpful! I don’t remember for sure, but I think that’s how I first had the idea to set a timer when I write and tell myself I only needed to do it for 25 minutes. Like you, I’ve found that getting started is my biggest hurdle.
15k is a fantastic monthly goal. Like you, my November was unpredictable and I knew adding NaNo was only going to stress me out.
I’m terrible at managing my time, which is probably why I have never completed a novel. That and the fact that prior to 2020, I didn’t write a lot because I wasn’t being encouraged in my writing. So, thank you so much for the writing blog posts that help me want to write once more. Oh, and I’m not doing NaNo because of other commitments that I haven’t been taking time for.
I forgot to ask: Is there a way to see the recorded Go Teen Writers live event on Zoom?
We’re working on making the recording available, Lacey!
Finishing a novel is a difficult task even when you do manage your time well. I’m so glad you’ve found encouragement here 🙂
Thank you.
This year is my first year doing NaNo! I was a little nervous, but doing the 100-for-100 this summer has kind of helped prepare me for it. Now I’m super excited to see if I can complete it!
Thank you for these tips, some of them will be life savers as I tackle everything!
Good luck with your writing.? You can do it.?
Don’t worry, Alana, I know YOU’VE GOT THIS!!!!!!! We’re all silently cheering you on! *waving pom poms* Good luck with your writing!
Gimme an A! Gimme an L! Gimme an A! Gimme an N! Gimme an A! Goooooooooooo Alana! *cartwheels*
(PS Sorry for that cringe. But seriously, Alana, you got this in the bag!)
Thanks guys!!! 🙂
I love that you feel the 100-for-100 helped to prepare you 🙂 You’ll do great!
While I’m not doing NaNo this year (I’ve always really wanted to but it never aligns with my schedule), all of these tips are super helpful. These past few months since school started have been a slow writing season for me, so I could definitely use a better plan.
Good luck to everyone who is participating! You’ve totally got this!
In April and July they run Camp NaNoWriMo where you set your own word goal (doesn’t have to be 50k) and you can write anything–novel, short stories, plays, etc. or even edit a draft. If it fits in your schedule, it might be a way for you to participate in a NaNo event 🙂
I wanted to do NaNo for years before actually getting a chance because November is a tricky month for me. Plus it has to line up with where I am in my book writing/releasing schedule. One of these years, I hope you get a chance to try it because it’s a lot of fun!
I am not doing NaNo this year, because I have so much going on. However, I am hoping to challenge myself this December to a specific word count goal, and these tips will be quite helpful!
Good luck to all who are participating in NaNo! You can do this!!
I’m in a similar place, Camille! We’ll be ready to cheer you on in December.
I’m not doing NaNo this year, but these tips are really helpful! I especially like your tip on thinking about time in weeks. I also find it really helpful to think, Ok, I have to write this number of words in a week rather than thinking of it in days. It’s less stressful that way and I’m able to catch up on the weekends too.
And I just want to say good luck to all those participating in NaNo!
Hi, Kristianne! Yes, thinking about my time in weeks has made a huge difference for me as I’ve set goals and worked on habits. There are so few of us with consistent days!
Another GTW ‘Wrimo here! 😀
My word goal for this year is the traditional 50k, which is my first time shooting that high though I’ve done NaNoWriMo for about three years now. So of course, this was the year I realized I’d be MIA for ten days right in the middle of November. I’m trying to write an extra thousand words per day to make up for that, but I sorta think it’s not happening 😉
My ten-day dropout, plus my terrible time management + not-getting-distracted skills, combined to make me perfect for this post. I’m going to start putting the tips in it to use right away! Thank you!
We believe in you, Ava!
For those of us doing NaNo, what’s your novel? Are you starting a new one, working on a current one, or rediscovering an old one? What genres? Who are the characters? What is the conflict?
Sorry for being so nosy XD.
No, no, not nosy at all!
I’m currently working on a fantasy novel that involves phoenixes and a quest. I’m having a lot of fun so far, as it’s an idea that I’ve been sitting on for a couple years now.
The basic premise is this: “A teenage girl who secretly protects phoenixes is forced to lead hunters to their ancestral homeland.”
The main theme of the novel’s going to be about trust, and vulnerability.
Like I said, it’s a lot of fun so far!
That sounds so good! I actually really like phoenix. They’ve been my favorite mythical animal since Fawkes became a thing.
Ooh, that sounds soooo cool, Hannah!!!!!
Oooh, Hannah, that sounds like an AWESOME IDEA!!!!! Man, I wanna read this book. Good luck with your writing!!
Woah, that’s a super cool idea, Hannah! Sounds like a story I would enjoy!
Please get that published because I HAVE to read it!
Even though, I’m not doing NaNo, I hope it’s okay I still answer about my WIP. I have this thing where I love talking about what I’m writing. I’m currently writing a YA fantastical contemporary retelling of Aladdin. Colin’s the MC and it’s just kind of about him finding a genie who happens to be a very girly-girl genie. And she’s supposed to help him get this girl he really likes attention. But there is a lot of conflict between this strange dude who wants to destroy genies, ’cause he thinks they are trouble and ruin our world. (Oh, yeah, genies have their own world, it’s pretty crazy.) And….yeah, just a bunch of random stuff.
That sounds amazing! Aladdin is definitely one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, and I also really like fractured or retold fairy tales. I need to read your book.
THANK YOU!!!!!! If you wanna read a portion of the opening chapter, I have it up on my blog @ Teen Writers’ Nook. Under a page titled ‘critique corner’ there’s a link to take you to it.
I just read it. I am now convinced that you’re a genius.
Seriously. How?
Aw, I don’t know about me being a genius, but THANK YOU!!!! So, honest answer: I HAVE NO IDEA.
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR READING IT!!!!!
Thank you so much for this post! This is my first year doing NaNo, and it’s super stressful, but a blast at the same time. I don’t think I’ve ever written this much in one week!
I agree, it’s hard not to get distracted watching Hamilton (or the Mandalorian for that matter), but I’ve found that the pure goal of writing every day has been enough to get me through so far.
I love the Mandalorian!?❤️ “This is the way.”?
The Mandalorian is one of the BEST things to ever happen to Star Wars. I can’t wait for Ashoka to show up! Although, having Baby Yoda and Ashoka in the same episode might make my brain explode.
I do NaNoWriMo! This year, my word goal is 30,000 and it’s been pretty good so far. I’ve done it multiple times before, but this year, I really wanted to do everything I could to maximize my time and work, at the end of the month, I really just want to have something cohesive enough that I can figure out what it is and work on it some more. Last year, I ran into a lot of problems with not planning enough in advance, and although I wrote enough words, there was nothing I could with the story unless I completely restarted everything. So this year, I found myself a writing buddy. Truth be told, we’ve done a lot more “pen-pal-ing” than talking about our ideas, but even just the idea that there’s someone in it with me and doing it with me is reassuring, it’s motivating. On top of this, for the past 2 days, I’ve found the only time I’ve had to write was at 11:00 pm, almost midnight. I can only write so well when my mind is basically asleep. Last night, I was even more exhausted than usual, but I couldn’t just do nothing (partly because I want the little achievements for writing all 300 days) so I said, here’s the scene I’m sitting down to write, I’ll outline some bullets of what will happen, where I’m starting and what I want to have happened by the end of the scene and that was it. I saved it for tomorrow (or today?) and it was a smart decision. I know if I hadn’t written anything I would have felt super guilty, but it’s important to not push yourself too hard. This was my happy medium, and I think it’s a good tip. It’s okay to take unscheduled breaks, but find a way to do something productive, even if it’s just jotting down a few ideas to use later. And I completely agree about getting distracted. My phone buzzes and my concentration evaporates.
That’s so cool that you have a writing buddy!!!!!!
Totally laughing at spending our writing time complaining about how little writing time we have. Who, us?? 😉 Great tips, Stephanie!