8 Simple Tips to Write a Novel in a Month

During November, I wrote over 65,000 words in one novel-length first draft. I not only met but exceeded the expectations of the writing challenge I participated in: NaNoWriMo. During NaNoWriMo, participants challenge themselves to write 50,000 words (a novel) in a month.

I have participated in NaNoWriMo events for almost a decade. I’ve only won two out of the ten events I got involved in. They’ve both been in the past year.

By changing my routine and mindset surrounding creativity, my success rate has shot up. Below, I’m sharing the tips I swear by to help you learn how to write a novel in a month.

1. Be realistic about your expectations.

Writing your first/discovery/vomit draft is like collecting clay from the Earth. You are amassing a raw material that’s overflowing with potential. With time and effort, you’ll eventually turn it into a beautiful vase, teacup, etc.

You can’t turn your story from an idea to a masterpiece in 30 days. Having a sense of realism minimizes your eventual frustration over the quality of your work.

The inner critic will scream at you throughout the month about all the reasons why your story sucks. They may be right. That’s not the point.

This isn’t the time to worry about characters, themes, or motifs. Your main goal is to reach 50,000 words by the end of the month. You should only be concerned about showing up every day and writing.

2. Planning (at least a little bit) is key.

I started NaNoWriMo with a scene-by-scene beat sheet outline inspired by Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat: Writes a Novel. The outline helped me in the following ways:

• Made my writing sessions more efficient (less time staring into space wondering what was going to happen next)
• Helped me brainstorm new scenes
• Bettered my pacing (less time worrying how far I was from the ending)

I spent 60% of the time sticking to the outline and 40% of the time experimenting and changing the story. I like having room for both structure and creativity.

Depending on your writing style, your planning process to write a novel in a month is going to vary. I know there’s a large community of pantsers in the writing community — I was once one of them. But, having at least a vague understanding of your beginning, middle, and end can help you keep your momentum throughout the month.

3. Write more than what’s necessary.

The traditional goal for NaNoWriMo is 1,667 words a day. This ensures you will get to 50,000 words by November 30th. What it doesn’t do is give you room to slip up.

Write 2,000 words a day instead. As the days go by, this gives you a cushion to take a few days off from writing throughout the month.

You may believe, especially at the beginning, that you can stay consistent throughout the entire month. Life has a way of humbling you real quick. Do your future self a favor and write more words.

4. Focus on completing your daily word count.

To write a novel in a month is a hefty, intimidating goal. Instead of focusing on 50,000 words, concentrate on the daily practice of writing. Once you break down your monthly goal, it doesn’t seem as impossible.

Most of the time, I wrote at least 2,000 words a day during November. 2,000 words take me about an hour to write. I broke down 2,000 words into three to four 15 minute writing sprints each day.

Each day, I focused on doing the necessary amount of sprints to achieve my daily word count goal. The 50,000 words happened naturally as a by-product of the system I had created.

No matter what your end goal is, only focus on how you’re going to accomplish your daily word count .

5. Don’t delete your words.

Editing and deleting words before December causes a domino effect that can stop your motivation in its tracks.

When something needs to be changed, I include a note in brackets. Below is an example:

Cheryl wore a red, polka-dotted t-shirt. [Shouldn’t Cheryl wear a blue T-shirt? I once read in a Buzzfeed article that blue represents calmness and serenity. That sounds more like Cheryl’s vibe.]

I count my notes as words in my story. It’s all integral to the plot at the end of the day.

Although I came into NaNoWriMo with an outline, there were many parts throughout the story where I came up with ideas on the fly.

When I take a wrong turn, I don’t delete those words. I just reset the scene. Those initial ideas can help you better understand your story once you reread after November.

6. Tell everyone about your month-long writing challenge.

Once I decided to take on NaNoWriMo, I told everyone about my plan to write a novel in a month. I told my friends. I told my family. I told my stuffed animals. Once you tell others about your month-long writing challenge, it raises the stakes.

There’s nothing quite as motivating as sweet, sweet public humiliation.

I also shared my story online. I published weekly NaNoWriMo logs on Medium. I made accountability partners through the NaNoWriMo forum I checked in with once a week.

Making your goal public fuels your motivation and keeps you accountable.

7. Find pockets of time to write.

In a perfect world, I would spend the entirety of NaNoWriMo on a tropical writing retreat. I’d have only the beaming sun, white sands, and pearly seashells to keep me company.

Real-life can’t be as picturesque as a Hallmark rom-com. I had to work. I have a family to attend to. During NaNoWriMo, I found small pockets of time throughout my day to work on my novel.

For example, I woke up thirty minutes earlier than usual to write. I may write another twenty minutes during my lunch break. Later, I might spend each five minute TV commercial break doing a writing sprint.

These small writing sprints may seem insignificant at first. But, the words compile quickly. By the end of November, you’ll have a completed novel-length first draft waiting for you.

8. Prioritize setting a routine, not waiting for inspiration.

One of the biggest lies about creativity is having to wait for “inspiration” or “the muse”.

If you always wait for inspiration, you’ll never finish anything.

It’s more important to take the time to work on your craft every day.

There were many days throughout November where I wasn’t inspired. But, once I began to type ideas started smacking me in the face like a Real Housewife. If you put in the effort, the story will come.

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Nia Simone McLeod is a writer, content creator, and pop culture enthusiast from Richmond, Virginia. Follow her on Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram for more awesome digital content.