The Fun Way To Do NaNoWriMo: Write Whatever You Want

Screw all the pumpkin things. November is for writers.

Whether you’re a traditional writer and get paid for prose, or you’re an entrepreneur, and the words you put into your content creation, sales copy, and persuasive writing are how you make money, the fall is our time.

Fall is the time for writers of all kinds to sink into the squishiest of couches, cover our goosebumps with obnoxious big-knit blankets, and drink our weight in hot tea and cacao lattes.

NaNoWriMo happens each November — which stands for National Novel Writing Month. 

The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. It's a fantastic way to strengthen your writing muscles, which, if you write daily, works out to 1,667 words a day.

Traditionally, NaNoWriMo is used for writers to draft a fiction novel — the average length of which is 50,000 words.

But if you're an Unfussy Writer, you know we like to break the rules and do it our way.

Here’s how to do NaNoWriMo your way:

• 50,000 words on whatever the hell you want to write

• Write blog posts, poetry, email newsletters, website copy, an opt-in, newsletters, podcast notes, or social captions

• Draft a bunch of mini-books or a mini-book and website copy

• Inside The Intuitive Writing School Community, members track either their daily word counts or their writing streak. We’re about goals that matter most to the individual. There’s no competition with each other.

For many creatives and business owners, it’s not even about “winning” and writing 50,000 words. It’s about space, permission, and a creative container to challenge you to stay accountable, show up, and write.

If you have writing you’ve been itching to do — try doing it during November.

If you’re reading this in October, it’s a great time to start preparing for NaNoWriMo. Also known as “Preptober,” it’s all about how you'll prepare to do NaNoWriMo.

Here are 4 simple ways to plan your NaNoWriMo writing project in just an hour or less:

1. Make a list of ALL the writing you'd love to complete in November, then prioritize those writing tasks

2. Jot down some bullet points for each item you want to write

3. Brainstorm one big writing project, maybe it's a book or an ebook, or a big blog series

4. Get your writing buns to the Intuitive Writing School Community to stay accountable to yourself and do some virtual co-writing with us. This one is optional, but having run this writing community for a handful of years and playing with NaNoWriMo every year, it’s a member favorite to focus and get things done.

In 2017, I did NaNoWriMo for the first time and worked on my book. I succeeded and hit 50,000 words. And then, that book sat collecting dust in a Google folder until November 2018, when I edited the entire thing.

I worked on it in fits and spurts since then, and then in 2019, I revised the entire thing.

Update: My book is finally in the world! Order Unfussy Life: An Intuitive Approach to Navigating Change.

Join the intuitive Writing School Community. 

Virtual co-working with a focus on writing where people show up and get writing done.

Coaching members get copy coaching and monthly copy reviews.

You don’t have to show your work or your face (we use Zoom with audio only).

You also get fun extras like a growing template library, resources, workshops, Q&A, connection, and community.

This is about putting writing on the calendar, showing up, and putting your whole butt (not half a butt) in the chair — and getting it done.

If you enjoyed this article on NaNoWriMo, check out these next:

• The NaNoWriMo Alternative: How To Create a Writing Habit Without Burning Out

• Host your own writing marathon: 11 simple tips

• Where you (really) need to look for inspiration

• 8 tips to create a successful writing marathon

• 3 Simple Ways I’m Prepping To Write My Next Book

• NaNoWriMo - how I stayed motivated for 60,000 words