Mentally, Physically, and Emotionally Preparing for NaNoWriMo

It's that time of year again folks, it's time for NaNoWriMo. Personally, I like to call November "Crap, how am I supposed to write a novel when I have two research papers, and other school work, and work commitments, and social commitments, and then be ready to study for finals" month. I'm prepared to make a calendar solely for the purpose of having that title replace the actual month name. For all that I complain, though, I love November. It's my second favorite month. And, I LOVE NaNoWriMo; I participate every year even though I usually don't get farther than 500 or so words (it's the curse of everything school related being due at the exact.same.time). But this year will be different. I will win NaNoWriMo. I will.

Okay, now some of you might be super confused about my love-hate relationship and that might be because you don't know what NaNoWriMo is. GASP! Fear no more for I shall educate you. Simply put, the goal is to write a novel of about 50,000 words in one month. Scary, yes. Exciting, yes. Pick an emotion, yes. You only "win" if you hit the word count, but let's be real here, you're a winner no matter how much you write. You win because you sat down, took time out of your day, and wrote. To me, that's the entire point of the event- it's motivation to write that novel or short story, and I refuse to let the pressure to finish get to me this year.

If this sounds like fun to you (crazy as it seems, it's a freaking blast!), I bet you're wondering how to participate. You have options. Of course, you can just start on November 1st and just write for yourself. Or, you can join the NaNoWriMo community here. This website is all kinds of awesome: you can add friends, keep track of your progress, find out about cool events going on in your community, and find prompts to keep you writing when you hit the wall. I'm on it and you should totally be my writing buddy! Basically, the best way to participate in NaNoWriMo is by writing, plain and simple (hint to hit the word count: write about 1,667 words per day). It doesn't have to be your best work, in fact, it probably won't be, but you'll feel crazy accomplished and it'll get you over that fear of writing a book. Super empowering!

So get to writing! Or at least, prepare yourself for the craziness that is to come. And if you want, you can follow me on Twitter because you're almost guaranteed some half brain dead, too much writing, don't know what I'm saying tweets and those are my pride and joy of the internet.

Next week, I'll be reviewing Veronica Roth's Allegiant (last book in the Divergent trilogy) which will include lots of feels, possible spoilers (not possible, definite), and the reason why I don't think it could have ended any other way. Did I mention the feels?

(synopsis from Amazon)

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

Happy writing and have a fabulous week!
-Annie