We are 16 days from November 1st! THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
I have some semblance of a plan for how I shall survive and win NaNo this year. It is a scary and not at all pretty plan, but it is a plan nonetheless.
And this year, I am unleashing my inner-Elsa for NaNo.
Oh, yeah, I am ready! Except I’m sick. But…
SO! The plan!
Get up early.
I have found that the plot bunnies like to play best first thing in the morning and before my hobbits get up.
This means getting to bed at a reasonable hour. (I’m working on it and doing pretty good! Three nights asleep at a good time in a row!)
I’m estimating that it’ll take me about two hours to get my daily wordcount. If I get a jump on that first thing in the morning, then I should be able to make it.
I have no idea what I’m doing about Sundays, though.
I could still get up at 6 to write, but everyone gets up at 7/7:30 to get ready for church. And then there’s church for the rest of the morning. Write after church, I guess? And should I even get up early on Sundays because I don’t like falling asleep during church…
Suggestions appreciated here. Seriously.
No social media before I’ve hit my daily wordcount.
This one hurts a bit. Because I enjoy being on Twitter and all that during breakfast. BUT. If I allow myself social media before I’ve written, when will I make myself stop and get my wordcount written? You know exactly what I mean. And if I’m getting up early to give myself an extra hour or two to write, then I can’t waste it all online.
If you see me on some social media, ask me about my wordcount. Seriously.
(There are three exceptions to this guideline. I am leaving my email open. I also will still be DM-ing Lily, who has been helping me go to bed and get up on time. And third, I will probably need a word war at some point.)
I have no idea how I am fitting blogging into NaNo. After daily wordgoals are met, yes, but when or how I don’t know.
I have to figure out my hair.
I realize how weird this sounds. Bear with me, please. Basically, I have hair that is naturally wavy/almost curly and it’s currently shoulder length and I quite frankly don’t like messing with it. NaNo rolls around and I really don’t want to mess with it. I want to get it cut short, but having to deal with cowlicks and bedhead is a pain, too. I can’t win this…
I’ll figure it out. But if anyone has suggestions for this, too (hairstyle, how to care for one’s hair during NaNo, etc.)…
(Because I know someone is thinking it… Reader-peeps, I am not cutting it ALL off. Don’t even suggest it, thank you. It’s not a helpful joke.)
Stay excited and make magic.
Why am I doing NaNo? Why am I putting myself through getting up early and no social media and getting my hair cut short so I don’t have to deal with it?
Because I am a writer. I am excited for this new story and the challenge of writing a whole novel in a month. I want to keep that excitement high. I am excited to create new characters and see where this story takes them.
Other (more fun) things I’m doing to keep excitement and ambition high:
If I win NaNo, I’m buying myself this coffee mug and a book.
I want to make a picture that says something like “I reached my wordcount goal today!” and I want to post it here every day that I do make my goal. (I’m not sure how to do this yet. Tips for making pictures and uploading them would be appreciated.)
Word wars!
Planning! I have to know what I’m going to write before I try to write it. I’m not talking about a big, whole story outline. But in between writing sessions, I need to know what scene I’m writing next. Also, it helps to have a notebook for planning/brainstorming/micro-outlining.
And that’s my loose and scary NaNoPlan. Now, I just have to finish this LASER draft and get rid of this cold…
Spiral-Bound 
Good luck! I just decided to do NaNo today. I have tried in the past but not managed it haha. I have the same worry about blogging during the month. If you work something out, let me know! Haha
I’ve considered writing scheduling blog posts ahead of time, but I’m not sure I have time or the ideas.
Good luck to you, too!
Ooo good idea. I may do a few like that – such as my blog series posts. I may employ a few guest posters this month coming haha. Thank you!
You’re welcome.
I just signed up yesterday. I’m excited and scared! My hair is a lot like yours. Curly, frizzy and wild. It’s about shoulder length. To make it behave, I usually have to curl it. A lo of the time, I just pull it back, so it’s not in my face.
Good luck and Write On!!
I usually pull mine back a lot of the time, too. I’m just thinking that shorter would be less time to wash and style. (I’ve had short hair before. I just don’t know if I want it cut the same old way of what. XD)
Good luck and Write On!!!
“This is not a drill” XD LOVE IT! (Also the Frozen gifs = so. much. win. <3)
I have a cold right now too, SO I FEEL YOU. *huggles* Get better!
I love your NaNo plans. I'm saving this post for some ideas…
You'll PROBABLY have to write after church, yeah… Where I live, there's a write-in every Sunday afternoon so that's what I'M doing. 😉
Hmm… can't really help with the hair thing. My hair's mostly straight but almost wavy. But I have waist-length hair, so there's that. 😉 I've never really done much with my hair. I just brush it in the morning, which even with super long hair takes less than five minutes, and then I'm done. Sometimes I'll braid it. I have found that if I braid my hair it's easier to brush the next day because it doesn't get all windblown or whatever. But that could just be for long hair? Anyways my hair is not curly (but it is long!) and I've never really cut it so… I probably can't help here.
I hope you get it figured out!
https://pixlr.com/ is a good place for making graphics! 🙂 I use it all the time and it's free. 😀 Just hit "Pixlr Express", open a picture from your computer or find one online, and you can add words and all kinds of fun stuff. *nod nod* As for uploading, WordPress is the easiest way to upload that I know of. o.o (In your admin place, just go under "Media" and "Add New", if that's what you're asking?)
Yup, planning is key. I haven't put in room for that in each day's schedule yet. O_O Meep… I ADORE YOUR NOTEBOOK.
Love this post, thanks for sharing! 🙂
THANKS! XD
Ooh! Thanks for the tips. I will check that out.
I just figured I’d plan while I was doing stuff that wasn’t writing.
Yeah this is totally fail-proof…Thanks! I’ve had that notebook for a while (Walmart back to school sale last year).You are very welcome and Good luck! 🙂
This is so fabulous. I cannot even after the Elsa gif after “no social media”. THAT FACE. THAT IS PERFECT. OMG. Hehe. Anyway, I hear ya about the hair! I cut my hair really short 2 years ago because I haven’t got time for hair, seriously, ugh. But mine isn’t overly wavy so I don’t have to deal with cowlicks. A HAT. A BEANIE. A SOCK ON YOUR HEAD. There are so many options, here, my friend, bE CREATIVE. *nods* (Or…bald…OKAY! OKAY! DON’T THROW THINGS AT ME.)
You could always write double on Saturday and have sunday off?!
I would like to be devious and try to write my entire book in 5 days. But. Ya know. THAT’S STuPID. But it would be a massive challenge for me and Im curious to see if I could do it. 😉
THAT MUG THOUGH. ❤
Thanks! 😀
(*throws Lamigtons at you*)
Everyone has been saying skip Sundays. I’m considering it at this point.
I WANT TO SEE YOU WRITE A NOVEL IN 5 DAYS. 😀
YES THAT MUG.
THIS POST!!! ❤ ❤ ❤
I'm not doing NaNo (officially) this year, since I'll be working on a pre-started project that I'm already 10k into. But I'll definitely be cheering you on. No social media before word count is a BRILLIANT idea, which I should probably use but… yeah. THESE ELSA GIFS ARE SO PERFECT. Although seriously, in Frozen Fever her powers stopped making sense. Not that they made much sense before… But the green dresses??? Wut?????
*cough* Anyway… Your NaNoNotebook and that mug are WONDERFUL. ME WANT.
😀 Thanks!
You might consider cutting Sundays altogether and spreading the words throughout 25 days in November (because there will be 5 Sundays). That would be an even 2000 words per day. Or if you know you can do some writing after church, but not 1667 words, you could subtract those from 50k and divide what’s left between the rest of the 25 days. It ups your daily amount, but keeps you from getting stressed if you don’t get the daily amount in on Sunday.
Sounds like you’ve mostly got a handle on things, which is the best way to head into November. Good luck with NaNo!
Thanks! Considering cutting Sundays. 🙂
Yay for plans! Not yay for running out of time! (Because now you’re making me nervous! ACK!)
Admittedly, the hair thing cracked me up. I don’t do much with my hair. Ponytail or braid or bun. The end.And I don’t know about Sundays…they’re crazy for me since I only have about three hours at home after morning service and lunch before choir practice and evening service. And even less on the days the teens have nursing home ministry! I may try skipping Sundays altogether so I don’t ruin my day by stressing. I agree that getting up early on Sundays doesn’t sound like the greatest idea.
10 DAYS LEFT!
KATIE! NOOOO!
Actually, it’s 9 days, 10 hours, and 30-ish minutes.
……..
7 hours and 50 minutes!
………………
Small problem: I’m dead tired and don’t even want to write anymore. Like ever at the moment.Get some sleep, dear. Hopefully your batteries will be recharged in the morning.Good luck!
Thank you! 🙂
Yay I’m so excited for NaNo! 🙂 (And if you need a word war, hit me up! Though I can’t promise I’ll be available on any sort of schedule, with school and all.)
I have no advice for you on Sunday Church stuff. Mass is only an hour (9:00 – 10:00), so that leaves me more than enough time to write on Sundays. But perhaps you could do double on Saturdays, or a couple extra words each day? Behold: there are 5 Sundays in November. Write your novel in 25 days instead of 30 days – it’s 2,000 words a day. Then, whatever you write on Sundays is bonus!
In terms of hair, I just cut mine and every morning I wet it and floof it up, and it’s ready to go. I’ve heard wavy hair is a pain, but mine’s curly and my sister’s is straight, so I have minimal experience. Are ponytails an option? Or hats!
And for making pictures – check out picmonkey.com! It’s free and awesome.
Good luck!
Thanks! I will keep that in mind. 🙂
We leave for church at 9:30 and get home at about 1:30. So… I’m definitely considering cutting out Sundays now.
Ponytails are an option, yes. I really just need to get it cut. 😛
Thanks!
Good luck to you too!
I am so behind on reading blog posts, sorry… *guilty*Sounds…like I’m late to helping! Hair, though. I found the cure-all solution. A headband. (Okay, it’s not really a cure-all. But I found this adorable headband and my mom got it for me for my birthday and I’ve worn it every single day since. Almost everyday, anyway. It keeps it out of my face, and it doesn’t ever bother me because it basically feels like my headphones, which I also already wear all the time. In fact, I noticed it as almost sort of comforting because of how much it reminded me of my headphones… Yeah, I listen to music probably too often for my own good, hehe! At least, the good of my hearing.)
As for Sundays and church… I don’t have any solutions for that. I finally decided I don’t have the willpower to get up before the siblings wake (‘specially since the baby likes to get up before six), so my writing time is now at night after everybody’s gone to bed. (Which is basically right now. Oops.)
Well, I’m behind on answering comments… XD
Headbands are good! I haven’t worn a good headband in a loooooong time.
Early rising babies, huh? Yep, been there done that.
Hehe, same here, actually… oh the joys of holidays and NaNo to keep people busy, right? Heheh.
I didn’t use to like headbands, actually, because they never stayed in place. (I think they were weird headbands, though, and not normal ones. Plus, when I was little, I just wore a hat everywhere instead. I seem to like wearing things on my head.)
Yup! My family is in general early-rising, though. The latest anybody ever sleeps in is 8:30, including myself. There’s no night-owls over here.