For those of you who have been with me for a while, you know that I love Nanowrimo.  If you are unfamiliar with this term, and yeah I get that it sounds crazy, it’s basically a month long writing event for authors, newbies and everyone in between.  50,000 words in 30 days.  Sounds impossible?  Trust me…it’s not!

This will be my third year participating in Nano and I can’t be more excited.  It’s a great way to meet new people, stay focused and work toward a goal.

A few things that I have learned:

1. Just because you manage to write 50,000 words in a month does NOT mean that it is ready to throw out there for the world to read.  If you think your book is good enough to publish, make sure you edit, edit and then edit some more.  Lord knows I have seen a massive influx of books those first few weeks of December that still needed a lot of polishing.  
2. Thanksgiving comes around a lot sooner than you think.  Pace yourself and if you start to feel overwhelmed just remember that this is only a goal.  No one is going to start taking fingers if you skip a day 🙂
3. Plot out your ideas before Nov 1.  It really helps to have an idea in mind before you start writing.
4. Don’t edit as you go.  This is crazy hard for me not to do but when Nano comes around I just write.
5. Some people will tell you not to use contractions so you can expand your wording.  Let’s be honest here for a second…yes, this may temporarily help you with your word count goal, but do you really want to go back in and fix all of those later?  I know I sure don’t!
6. Have fun!  If you aren’t having fun then November is going to be a LOOOOONNNNGGG month!
7. Having buddies to prod you in the backside helps on the days you simply don’t feel like writing.
8. Focus on getting the plot down.  Your writing doesn’t have to be cohesive. If you prefer working on dialogue today then do that.  How about sensory setting?  Write to your strengths.
9. Be willing to go in a different direction than you had planned. Writing is sort of like water, it ebbs and flows.  If you are willing to ride the wave you may just find yourself in really cool and uncharted waters.  
10. If you are already an author, you have find yourself working on more than one project during November *cough me cough*  Just remember that you do have a job to do. Nano is fun.  Your career comes first.  This november I am finishing up one book and working on another so my time is even more limited but I’m ready for the challenge.

If you would like to take part in Nano this coming month, go to http://www.nanowrimo.org and sign up.  It’s completely free.  Then look me up AMYLMILES and let’s be buddies.