I know it’s halfway through National Novel Writing Month already, but if you’re participating, maybe this will be useful.

For NaNoWriMo participants, this can be the most hectic month for aspiring writers. A innovative concept, the NaNoWriMo takes place in November, when all participants have to write a novel of 50,000 words or more. The process started at midnight on the 1st of November and ends on 30th November. If you want to partcipate – good luck! You’ll need to crank out over 3333 words per day for the rest of the month in order to meet the deadline. Assuming you’re already participating, you should continue to strive to make the most of NaNoWriMo 2011. You need to gear yourself up and take a few steps to ensure you reach the finish line.

Things to keep in mind

Now, if you want to complete a 50,000 words novel in a month’s time, you need to be organized and well planned. In a day, you have to write around 1,667 words, which is certainly feasible. It’s best for participates to keep in mind quantity over quantity. NaNoWriMo should be approached as a fun, novel way to write a book – try not to take it to seriously. Focus on churning out large amounts of content. If you want to edit and fine-tune your story at the end of the month, you’ll have amble time to do so. In this process, it’s always better to be moving ahead of the schedule, since it’s easy to get off track and give up. Writing on the computer is not just physical exhaustion, it is mental exhaustion as well. To top it all, there is the added anxiety as to whether you will be able to finish your novel in time and whether you can win the competition to make your mark in the writing world. This can be a difficult and stressful process. Try to have fun with it! You might also need some strong coffee to help you remain awake and give you the extra kick to write more.

Planning your strategy:

By this point, hopefully you’ve established at least a basic strategy. There are strategies that you have to work out while you are writing your novel, especially in a month. It’s better to pre-plan for this event; there is no harm in having a few ideas in your head about the basic plot line, about how the characters gradually come up and the background of your novel. When you’re writing in quantity, try to not focus too much on details – you can sort them out later. Remember that while it’s nice to keep up the quality as best as you can, you cannot afford to waste time writing and rewriting chapters. You might feel that one portion of your novel needs rework, but get back to it only after you have finished the 50,000 words.

What can you do to make things easier?

Focus on quantity not quality
Don’t fall behind
Overwrite: write more each day than you need to meet your goal
Track your progress on the official NaNoWriMo website, at www.nanowrimo.org

For the accurate word count, you can register with the official NaNoWriMo website. This will allow you to have a definite idea of how fast you are progressing. This registration will also allow you to have a look at how others from your region are faring and accordingly you can determine your progress too. Therefore, follow these steps to know how to make the most of NaNoWriMo.

If you’re participating in NaNoWriMo 2011, feel free to let us know how you’re doing so far in the comments section!