Three Secrets to Win NaNoWriMo

I've noticed that some people are a behind on their word counts on NaNoWriMo. I've been ahead sinc the beginning, and I am going to share the three steps I take to keep ahead of the rising word count goal.

Step One:

I do my own Word Sprints. I downloaded the 60 day trial version of Microsoft Office (which includes Excel, Word, Power Point, and One Note 2010.), and on Excel I made a spreadsheet that looks kind of like this. I try to do three word sprints a day, usually for 30-15 minutes each sprint. This makes NaNoWriMo a lot easier and you'll watch your word count rise all day. You could even win in a day!

If you don't know how to do a word sprint, all you do is set a time and for that time you write as much as possible. Pretty simple.

Step Two:

Have a thourough outline. When I started NaNoWri mo, I had a 32 chapter outline with a vague description of each chapter. But, I recently decided to revise my outline and make each description a bit more despritive. Now, I'm writing chapters that are around 2,000 words each. I was writing chapters that were around 500 words each. (That's a 1,500 word gap, in case you can't math.)

Click here for a video on outlining a 27 chapter novel.

Step Three:

The third step is one I'm not a fan of... which helps. This step is more of a push to actually get your words up. If I don't get my words done one day, or I start procrastinating, I punish myself with physical activities. I do 10-20 sit-ups or push-ups. This will work better if you actuall stay true to your word and keep going with the punishment. It will also work better if the punishment is something you fear, like no chocolate or coffee/tea for a week/day/hour.

A Tip:

I have a Kindle Fir, which is like a iPad, just smaller and I can have it out during school. And, since I spend 7hrs at school, I bring it with me. I have this app called 'Color Note', which is free. On the app you can add different notes and color-code them for the story. You can also title them. I have several different stories on my Kindle, and I have written the majority of them on that app.

Good luck in NaNoWriMo!