Best NaNoWriMo Tips for New Authors 2023

October 16, 2023

Are you itching to get started on your novel? Need some online encouragement? NaNoWriMo may be just the thing for you! Keep reading for my NaNoWriMo tips for new authors!

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month, or as you may have seen it on the web, NaNoWriMo, is an annual writing event each November that encourages authors to write a 50,000 word novel. This global event is FREE for participants and is a great way to get started drafting a new story or first draft.

NaNoWriMo “provides the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.”

If you write 50k words in a month (and have registered on the official website) you get a certificate or digital banner to put on your website or social media. Most importantly though, you end November with a first draft of a new novel. That’s pretty amazing!

How do authors participate in NanoWriMo?

All you need to do to participate is write 50,000 words in a new novel during the month of November. Yes, it’s really that simple (and that difficult!).

To register, go to the official challenge website and enter your name and email address. There are forums you can join and a word tracker you can utilize to keep track of your progress.

In addition, many writers call October #Preptober. They spend October preparing to write their novel by creating a skeleton outline of their story and character profiles. I would also suggest you spend some time with worldbuilding. This will make it easier for you to jump right in on November 1st.

Reedsy recommends creating an elevator pitch or log line to keep your story on track. While I do think that can be a good idea, I would caution you to not feel tied to your pitch. Stories change and surprise us. Make space in your plans for your story to change.

What does it mean to be successful at NaNoWriMo?

Ready to win National Novel Writing Month?

“Winning” this month can look like many different things.

Hitting your word count goal.

Hitting your page count goal.

Sticking to your writing routine.

Finding a community that lifts you up and inspires you.

Creating a first draft you are proud of.

You don’t need to pursue publishing with your novel. You don’t even need to revise your first draft if you don’t want to.

My best writing advice is this: The magic of the month is in the process. Don’t lose sight of that!

If you are interested in publishing your November manuscript, it has been done before. In fact, some incredibly popular traditionally published books first started as NaNoWriMo #writing projects.

One of my absolute favorite books Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes began this way, as did Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green.

Keep reading for my NaNoWriMo tips for new authors!

Secrets to Success: My NaNoWriMo Tips for New Authors

The problem with saying you’re going to participate in NaNoWriMo is that then you…actually need to participate. It can be daunting to stare at a blank document on November 1st! Don’t stress. Remember, the idea with this yearly event is to get more stories on the page and out in the world. You won’t get kicked out of the challenge for approaching it in a way that works for you. Your goals for the month are your own.

BUT…if you’re feeling a little anxious about it, I have compiled my favorite NaNoWriMo tips for new authors (and not-so-new authors!) below. I hope you use these tips to help feel more in control of your process and help you reach your goal—whatever it may be.

1. Schedule your writing

No, I’m not talking about writing down when you’re going to write in your planner every single day of the month. I mean, you can absolutely do that, but this is more about looking ahead at your calendar and figuring out your word count goals.

If you want to write 50,000 words, you need to write around 1,666 each day. But will you write 1,666 each day in November? Probably not. That’s why it’s important to look ahead.

For writers in the US, Thanksgiving happens in November. It’s probably not realistic for you to plan to write much that day. Are you traveling for the holiday? Do you plan to write on the weekends? Do you have a commitment each week on Wednesday evenings?

This tip is all about being realistic with yourself and your calendar. I suggest printing a paper calendar for the month and crossing out the days where you are not likely to write. Once you have that figured out, you can divide the remaining numbers of days by 50,000 to get a general world count goal for each day.

I’m a planner, so having clear, tangible goals really works for me. If this isn’t how you operate that’s ok! You could create a weekly writing goal and just write whenever you have time. You could also create a goal that isn’t related to word count at all, like page counts or time spent writing.

2. Utilize Writing Sprints

A writing sprint is a “nonstop writing session constrained to a limited amount of time.” Set a timer for your writing time sprint, and then get to work! I respond well to the Pomodoro Method, which works in twenty-five minute chunks, but you could choose to do a writing sprint that is longer or shorter than that—whatever amount of time feels right to you. If you’re feeling stuck, try writing in this way and see what happens.

Writing sprints are useful because they take the focus off of writing perfectly, and instead just help you concentrate on getting words on the page. Since NaNoWriMo is all about that, this is a great technique to use.

In fact, there’s actually a name for a writing sprint that takes place during this month: Word War. If you’re craving community, look for these writing challenges to pop up in online forums or Facebook groups.

3. Don't edit!

My favorite of my Nanwrimo tips for new authors? Don’t edit!

This month is not about editing. You can come back and revise later. This month is about completing your novel (or a large chunk of it!). Don’t worry about making it a perfect draft. Editing is part of the writing process, but it doesn’t need to be part of the NaNoWriMo #writing #amwriting process!

Resist the urge to go back and “fix” what you think isn’t working. Resist the urge to spend a day correcting grammatical errors. Once the words are on the page, leave them alone.

(And after you’ve revised on your own…I’m available as a book editor …just saying!)

4. Create shorthand tricks you can use throughout the month

It’s tough to write and not allow yourself to go back and edit. What if you know you need to add something in? What if you need to create a better character name? What if you need to add a scene, but don’t have the mental bandwidth to handle it at the moment?

That’s where a shorthand comes in handy. I suggest having something you can type whenever you know you need to change, add, or edit something. You could type your first name each time you need to make a change—then you can just ctrl+F for you name and you will be able to go through each instance. You could highlight notes to yourself in a certain color. Then when you scan through your document each instance will pop out at you.

Author Jesse Q. Sutanto talked on her Instagram about using square brackets for these moments. This is one of the best tips I have ever come across. She puts her notes to herself inside the brackets [like this] and then uses Word’s search function to find them all.

When you’re getting in the writing groove the last thing you want to do is halt your progress in the course of the novel so you can look up a name or go back and add in a scene. Having a shorthand helps you when you’re fast drafting or working to hit your goal.

5. If all else fails, use dialogue

Ever gotten stuck in a scene? Sat down at your laptop and just…couldn’t write? That’s okay!

Writer’s block is tough. When it happens to me, I fall back on dialogue. Just start typing a conversation between characters. Maybe it’s not right for your current scene, but it will still get you in the writing mindset. Sometimes starting is the hardest part!

6. Be kind to yourself

NanNoWriMo isn’t supposed to be stressful. It’s a celebration of words, of new stories, of community, and of all you can accomplish in one month.

If you don’t hit your writing goal for the day…it’s fine!

If you don’t like the direction of your story…it’s fine!

Be kind to yourself. This is a challenge, but it’s not the only way to measure success.

So, if you don’t meet your goal? Oh well, try again. Or reevaluate and shift your goals to make them more realistic. Story not working? It’s ok to start over.

Be proud of yourself for trying!

7. Skip around

Have you ever been writing a draft of your novel and just…not felt like writing the next scene? If that happens to you this month, just skip it! Use your shorthand to indicate the missing scene, and just move on. You can come back to it another day or once the month is over.

There’s almost nothing worse than trying to write something that just isn’t sparking joy. Focus on the parts of your manuscript that excite you.

8. Give yourself the time and space to be creative

Writing this month doesn’t have to feel like drudgery. Yes, you have goals, but don’t let those goals keep you from doing the things that help you be creative.

If writing doesn’t feel good one day, you don’t have to write. Go for a walk. Pretend your characters are with you. What are they talking about? How do they feel? What are your character’s thoughts?

Work on creating a Pinterest mood board for your narrative. Sometimes you don’t realize something is a theme or a vibe until you find yourself drawn to it over and over again via images.

If you have an outline for your novel, don’t be afraid to let the story move in a different direction. Stories surprise us sometimes!

9. Find a community

Part of the fun of participating in NaNoWriMo is feeling like you’re not doing it alone. The act of writing is a solitary pursuit, but joining a group of people who are working toward the same goal as you can make it feel like you aren’t flying solo.

It’s fun to connect with other people and hear about their progress! It’s fun to share memes and jokes about writing! Community is important. There are a lot of other writers out there doing this writing challenge.

Having a community will also help you keep yourself accountable. This doesn’t mean you need to feel guilty if you miss your goal. It just means that sometimes we are more motivated to work on things when we know other people are going to ask us about them.

10. Just get the words on the page

Look, you can’t edit an empty page. You can’t edit an idea in your head. You can’t publish a blank document.

Your novel this month does not need to be perfect! It doesn’t even have to good! It just need to be on the page.

You might decide to take an idea from your writing this month and turn it into a book you’re really proud of. You might decide to scrap the whole thing once December comes. That’s fine! The point is to stretch yourself and see what happens when you try something new.

Remember, it’s ok to be imperfect. Push through the hard days.

Bonus Tip: Treat yo'self

I love giving myself little treats. Did I meal plan for the week? Time for a little treat! Did I cross everything off my to-do list today? Time for a little treat! Rewards and little treats make everything more fun.

Do the same for NaNoWriMo. When you’re writing, make a plan for little treats or rewards along the way. It will help you keep track of your progress and give you something to look forward to.

Ready to participate in NaNoWriMo 2023?

I hope these NaNoWriMo tips for new authors will be useful to you this November as you work on your first draft. Remember, plan your story, plan your schedule, create a goal, don’t give up, and HAVE FUN.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with! And when you’re all finished with your revisions and looking for an editor, please contact me. I would love to work with you to publish your NaNo story!