How to Set Up Your NaNoWriMo Writing Routine
Deciding to do National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo or NaNo) is a huge commitment. Congrats on prioritizing your writing!
The next step is to prepare for the intensity of November. Once you’ve figured out the key elements of your novel (which I have a blog post on here), you’ll need to put some thought into what your writing routine is going to be.
Decide when you’re going to write.
Each person is going to have a different time that works best for them. When deciding when during the week you’re going to write, the most important thing to remember is to be realistic.
NaNo is a sprint. That means that your writing schedule will likely take up more of your time than during a regular month. I suggest sitting down to see when you currently have free time.
Once you can see where your free time is, decide if those times are convenient/good writing times for you and if you think you can write enough words during that time to meet your daily or weekly goals. If you think you’re going to need more time, you can move things around in your schedule. If you think you can save time by batch meal prepping in October, you can block writing time where you’d normally cook.
NOTE: Don’t forget to build in rest days! Rest is essential especially during such a hectic month to keep your motivation up.
Put it in your calendar.
Putting writing in your calendar is a reminder that you’re prioritizing your writing. If your calendar is a shared one, it also alerts others in your life that this is non-negotiable time when you’re busy.
Your writing time is sacred and you deserve to treat it as such.
Put your phone on do-not-disturb or focus mode.
It’s easy to let yourself be distracted by shiny things…or notifications. Notifications are designed to interrupt and draw you in, so turn them off. No matter how good you think your self-control is, why tempt yourself?
Focus mode, which is a feature of both Apple and Android devices, allows you to customize your notifications based on time, location, and app use. You can program a writing mode that will silence all notifications while Microsoft Word is open, for example. You can also program apps and contacts that are exceptions to this rule. That way, you can have a writing timer notify you when you’ve reached your allotted writing time or allow your spouse’s calls to get through to you.
To learn more about how to use focus mode on Apple devices, click here. For Android devices, click here.
Create a pre-writing ritual.
Our brains like patterns, so if you create a ritual you perform every time you do before you start to write, it’ll cue your brain to get into writing mode. I suggest your ritual be short. You can fall into a procrastination pattern if it’s too long.
My pre-writing ritual shifts based on the season, but usually mine goes something like this:
Grab a coffee or tea
Sit down at my computer and open my files
Decide today’s goal
Put on my writing playlist
Set a timer for 25 minutes
Your ritual might look similar, or it might not! It can be as elaborate or as simple as you want. The key is giving yourself cues to start writing (and not to allow for procrastination).
Create a writing or a work in progress playlist.
The strongest cue for my brain (and many other people’s) is music. When I was in university, I found a playlist that I liked to listen to when I studied. To this day, if I need to focus, I’ll put it on. I know instinctually that the clicking of the typewriter from Atonement means I too need to be writing.
Each of my projects get their own playlist to get me in the mood. When I edited a historical novel set in Ireland and Scotland, I had hours of Celtic fiddle music cued up. When I wrote about a girl in Atlantic Canada, I listened to the Anne With an E soundtrack. There’s power in music.
If you don’t currently write with a playlist, try creating one. Think about whether you can write with lyrics or if you’ll need instrumental music, as well as the mood your novel will have. If that sounds too daunting, try a premade playlist on your music service of choice. They usually have some good study ones!
Break down your writing tasks.
It’s easier to do things one step at a time, so take a moment before you begin writing to decide what smaller task you’re going to accomplish today. You might need to write a certain number of words or finish a chapter, but ask yourself: Which scenes are you going to be writing today? Do you need to do any outlining for them, or do you already know what’s going to happen?
If you can do the work of breaking down all your overall NaNo goals into smaller tasks before NaNo starts, it’ll help you on days when you’re writing. You won’t have to stop to think, you’ll be able to look at the next small task on your list and do it!
Join a writing community.
Joining a writing community is huge for many authors. There are so many kinds of writing groups out there, and they offer accountability, support, and community.
A couple kinds you can join:
Sprinting groups
Sprinting groups will write in short bursts (anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour) as fast as they can. You can find many of these groups online and on the NaNo website.
Write-in groups
Write-in groups are similar to sprinting groups except that the goal of writing time isn’t necessarily to write as fast as they can. These are often done in person, but there are some online ones, too, like Manuscript Magic.
Critique groups
Critique groups are where authors come together to discuss and critique each other’s work. These spaces are meant for constructive feedback and to help improve craft. There are both online and offline options for critique groups.
Putting it all together…
Creating and sticking to a new habit is hard, so give yourself some slack as you work out the bumps along the way. Getting yourself ready by planning when you’re going to write (and scheduling it in your calendar), minimizing distractions by removing notifications from the equation, doing your pre-writing ritual, putting on some writing music, and joining a writing group are all ways to set you up for success.
You’ve got this!
And if you want some extra support and a built-in community of writers, take a look at my group coaching program Manuscript Magic.