National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, as it’s commonly abbreviated in writing communities, is an extremely popular event. During NaNoWriMo, participants attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in the span of a month. Over 400,000 participants set down to write every year, a number that continuously goes up. Many well-known works have been born from the event, such as Erin Morganstern’s The Night Circus and Merrisa Meyer’s Cinder.
But what if such a lofty goal is too daunting for a writer? For people who have busy schedules, who write as a side career or hobby, or who write shorter works, 50,000 words aren’t always attainable. Luckily, there’s an official solution: Camp NaNoWriMo.
(Author’s Note: From hereon, Camp NaNoWriMo will be abbreviated as NaNo, another common acronym.)
Camp? what’s this?
Camp NaNoWriMo is extremely similar to its November counterpart; every April and July, participants will try to complete a piece of work in a month’s timeframe. The main difference comes in the goal word count, which the participant can choose instead of the rigid 50,000 in regular NaNoWriMo. Otherwise, both NaNoWriMo events are the same.
I’ve won (finished a project during) Camp NaNo twice. If finishing a project in a month still sounds frightening, you’re not alone. Here are some tips that got me through it.
Know Your Project and Set Your Goal Accordingly
This is always my first piece of advice when talking about NaNo, since it’s what’s helped me get through both years. If I didn’t know my pieces well and didn’t have a general direction for them, I certainly would’ve failed.
I only start with a piece once I have a general grasp on what it is I want to write. Bear in mind that there’s no right or wrong way to get to know your story. Some general things to keep in mind are genre, the direction of your piece, how you write, and what material you already have. Once you know what you’d like to write, decide how much you need to write in order to finish your project based on the type of project and your writing process. For example, I always set my end goal as 30,000 words, which resulted in my writing a minimum of 1,000 words a day. Even though it doesn’t seem like a lot, by the end of the month I had accumulated a 90-page novella.
Have a plan beforehand
Similarly, a huge part of making your NaNo experience go smoothly is having a plan beforehand. Even if you prefer to write by the seat of your pants, coming up with plots and characters as you go, having a general roadmap will be nothing but helpful.
Going into NaNo, I always make sure to have an outline detailing each section. These outlines are often changed after each day of writing, and I usually have separate documents just for notes. Of course, you don’t need to be this vigorous to be successful, but having a general idea of what you’re writing each day can only help you.
Similarly, you could also consider day-to-day planning, focusing on not what you write but when. A calendar helped me know exactly how much I should be writing on any given day, when my rest days were, and whether or not I was on track to meet my goal. If you’re stumped on what to include in your NaNo calendar, consider adding your daily word count, total word goal, plot-related goals, and any rest or intense workdays.
write now, edit later
The goal of NaNo is to write a draft of a project within a month, not a fully-polished, publishable piece. Unless you come up with a dedicated editing plan and stick to it, my advice is to edit after the month is up. That way, you won’t become overwhelmed or spend precious writing time editing and re-editing old content.
take breaks
There’s a reason why the search “NaNoWriMo Burnout” has over fifteen pages of results. It’s not unheard of for a writer to bite off more than they can chew, grow overwhelmed, and throw away the project. In fact, out of the 450,000 writers who participated in NaNoWriMo in 2018, only 11% reported that they finished a project.
Always remember that you have a life outside of writing! As college students, we may have families, jobs, classwork, extracurriculars, sports, dating, and so much more. Sacrificing your life for a good project is a surefire way to resent your writing. After all, there’s a reason why the stereotypical “professional author” is so gray and miserable.
Take days off of writing. Schedule your writing time so you won’t get overwhelmed. Take time to socialize and make memories. Practice self-care, allowing yourself fresh air and downtime. Your future self, and potentially the story itself, will thank you for it.
Camo NaNoWriMo is nearing its end, with roughly a week left at the time of this article’s publication. I am not participating this year in order to focus on school and a short story collection. I edit my short stories to completion before starting on the next, which makes working without a strict time frame a better fit for the project. However, if you are attempting Camp NaNo, following these tips will put you at a much higher chance of succeeding. Good luck, and always keep writing!