It’s time to talk about arguably the biggest challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days: making time. NaNoWriMo is just a few days away now (can you believe it?) and preparation is in full swing for many of us. I’ve already written a few posts this month to help you figure out what to write, you can check them out here:
In this post, I want to look at the practicalities of the writing marathon that is NaNoWriMo.
Making time starts with knowing how much time you need
Do you know how long it takes you to write 1,667 words? That’s how long you’ll need to write, on average, per day. If you don’t feel like you’ve got a good grasp on this, I’d recommend taking a moment this week to get a rough estimate. Sit down and write for twenty minutes about your day, or your plans for next week, or a childhood memory of yours. See how many words you get done in that time.
If you’re scientifically minded, you might want to do it two or three times to get a decent average, but that’s up to you! The point is, this should give you a rough estimate of how quickly you’ll be able to write, and therefore how much time you’ll need per day to hit your target.
Do you work best in small chunks, or long stretches?
For most people there’s only so much say they have in when they’re able to make time to write. If you have a job that demands certain hours of you, or children, or other commitments that you have to work around, then I know you can’t necessarily pick and choose the best blocks of time for writing. But if you do have any flexibility, or if you’re able to get some for the month of November at least, it’s worth considering how you work best.
Some people work best in short bursts, where they can focus their attention completely on their writing for up to half an hour and then take a break. Some people work best when they can really immerse themselves in their story for an hour or more. If you know you have a strong preference for a particular style of writing time, it’s worth trying to set some suitable chunks of time aside for yourself.
Who can you enlist to help you with making time to write?
Whether it’s getting someone to check in with you at your designated writing time, finding an accountability or sprinting partner on Twitter or trading off some of your household chores for the month, you might be able to win some extra time by asking for help. Or at least strengthen your commitment to the time you’ve set aside. Again, I’m aware there are major limits to this for a lot of writers, but if you can get support for the month in meeting your writing goals then it can make a huge difference.
And, even if you can’t get any help with your actual schedule, it’s definitely worth taking advantage of the NaNoWriMo community. There are loads of forums you can check out on their website, or you can follow them on Twitter, to share your triumphs and your frustrations over the course of the month.
What’s the biggest obstacle in your life when it comes to making time for NaNoWriMo?
I’ve got some more advice for finding time for writing in this post, which might be useful as well as November approaches. Let me know the thing that gets in the way of writing more than anything else in the comments. And whether you’re looking forward to NaNoWriMo starting this weekend!
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