How To Succeed At NaNo

Straight from the forum itself. I need to save this for posterity...

1. Buy yourself 6 treats, one for the start and one for each 10,000 word mark!

2. Join the Newbies forum. People go there and give them all kinds of encouragement and tips.

3. Plan to be in the word wars game with others who will competitively inspire you to do your best and keep striving for the win. Find the crew that is motivating and return there each day or every other day to talk with others who want to make it to the end as well.

4. Buy yourself a poster and let yourself be rewarded for every 500 mark you cross. Get some stars or stickers or a stamp and give it to yourself as you cross those mini-marks. Perhaps you work off an immediate reward system so approach it that way.

5. Make sure you have a story you like and characters you like. Plan them out to the fullest extent possible. Or if you were fully planned out all the other times, maybe now is the time to try flying by the seat of your pants and just writing off the top of your head.

6. Understand that there may be points at which you hate your story. But don't worry about that. Keep writing because chances are, you just might change your mind and like it in the end. Press for the mark. Keep your daily word goals despite the fact that you think it might not be working. Remember that the only way to reach 50 K is to write 50 K. And the only way to edit what you've written is to first write it! So, make a commitment to yourself to finish come hell or high water!!!