If you’ve ever heard about the month-long writing month called NaNoWriMo than you’ve probably heard all of this before. However, these truths are universal in understanding the strain NaNoWriMo puts on all of us as writers. Not everything is what it seems and you can make NaNoWriMo work for you.

For those of you that don’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It’s a month long writing endeavor where writers use the 30 days in November to write 50,000 words. Which is approximately 1,667 words a day. It is not a competition, but a motivational way to get you to start your writing project.

I’ve been participating in NaNoWriMo since 2010. It’s never been easy, but the motivation you get trying to reach the end goal is well-worth the sloppy first draft.

The truths that I will be sharing with you today are things that I’ve learned in my almost 10 years of participating in NaNoWriMo. Are you ready for the NaNoWriMo truths?

#1 You’ll Want to Quit -> But Don’t!

This one you will probably get to fairly quick. Not being used to writing or writing almost 1,700 words a day is draining. But don’t let this discourage you because you can do it. Just think about how you’ll feel when you write your last word to meet your goal. Doesn’t it feel amazing? So keep on writing and don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from reaching your goal.

#2 You Can Meet Your Word Count Without Contractions

One of the biggest mistakes I made during NaNoWriMo was following people’s advice to split up contractions to get a bigger word count. Now this sounds like a lovely idea. It does. But edits are the WORST when you have to go back in and fix Every. Single. Contraction.

On the bright side, it is possible to write a manuscript without breaking up your contractions. The last 3 years I’ve participated, I’ve made sure to write how I always write. This means my contractions were written as contractions. Not only did I still meet my goal, but when it came to editing, I saved a lot of time.

#3 Twitter Is A Great Support System

Twitter does have its downside, don’t get me wrong. But I love it during NaNoWriMo time. Their are hosted word sprints and other participants are super supportive. You can make friends on the NaNoWriMo site, but with Twitter, the friendship can be year-round.

#4 Writing is Writing -> Make Your Own Goal

Just like with Camp NaNoWriMo which is hosted every April and July, make your own writing goal. Not everyone can hit 50,000 words or maybe your project simply doesn’t require that many words. So make your own goal to suit your needs.

You may not hit the 50,000 word goal to be considered an official winner, but you’ll have accomplished your own goal.

If you take anything away from this post please let it be that NaNoWriMo is a wonderful motivator in helping you reach a goal you may have never accomplished on your own. I will always be grateful to NaNoWriMo for helping me release my dreams.

NaNoWriMo is such a fun and creative place for us writers. Now keep on writing and don’t let the fear of that word count scare you from completing your project. You’ve got this!

Happy Writing!

What have you learned from NaNoWriMo? How many times have your participated? Talk NaNoWriMo with me in the comments down below!

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