The deets: Winning NaNoWriMo requires completing a novel draft of at least 50,000 words during November.
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Spoiler: There is no ONE way to win. However, if you do want that winning caché of goodies--otherwise known as bragging rights and fun badges--here are my tips that have helped me win EIGHT times. For those of you unfamiliar with this torturous task, NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit collective that supports and encourages ALL writers and is also known as National Novel Writing Month. I joined a few years back where I found a tribe of writers and a team of support.

​Here are five tips to complete the 50,000 words in thirty days. Yes, that is how you WIN.
1. Commit. Announce your project on the site and within any other social media platforms you use.
2. Prepare your space. Choose a time, place, process for writing. This year, since I am teaching from home and not commuting, I was able to get up a little early each day and write for one hour. I type on Scrivener at my writing desk.
3. Gather support. I let people in my writing circles know I've committed, and I seek out those who will encourage me and who I can support. This can be formal social media and Slack type groups, or it can be critique partners who you communicate with daily or weekly.
4. Forgive yourself for failing. This should really be #1 because it is to me so important to let myself fail. Whether that is not meeting a daily goal (1,667 words) or writing crappy words (which is a given), you need to let yourself fall and tell yourself, IT'S OKAY!
5. Celebrate your successes. Some writers fear celebrating their own successes because they worry it's flaunting achievements. Hey, it isn't. Be proud. We're proud of you. Writing is hard, and when we reach goals or feel good about our story, we need to tell the world because, otherwise, it sounds like we are never finding joy.

Those are my five NaNo tips, but they are also my own daily tips. I am lucky to have the space and time to work on my stories everyday. When I return to campus, things may change, or, I might manage to keep up my daily habit. As I say to my students, you do you. Find what works for you, and let it be okay. I'd love to hear about your successes and challenges during this shelter in writing place.
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Drop them below, and, as ever, write on!