In this post, I share how, where, and when I will complete NaNoWriMo with all the NaNo Prep 101 done. I share my schedule and tools for tracking words and time.

How | Committing to the Word Count

It is an effective way to out my inner critic to participate in NaNoWriMo. My ego is not impressed with the accumulative word count. What is the purpose of many words when they are no good? It is a waste of time. It does not contribute to the story. Think of all the work it will generate. Or you will not write a word anyway or not enough to make it count.

I love to learn. My default setting is to learn and soak up information. It serves me well but sometimes it also turns into full-blown procrastination. Thinking I should learn more about the craft or do some research before I write. And the function of the word count is a great way to bypass this so in November I want to commit to the word count despite what my inner critic puts on repeat.

I will remind myself with words like these –

Give me permission to care.

Let me dive into it as a writer and a storyteller with a mission to tell a story in thirty days.

Let it have the same urgency as Bastians need to come up with new names in The Never-ending Story.

It is the best kind of make-believe when I give myself permission to participate.

50000 words – I welcome each one of them onto the page.

Where | Make-believe Café at Home

Normally I would do a lot of the writing for NaNoWriMo in a cafe but due to corona and a newborn baby this year, I am writing solely from home. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t miss the time spent at a cafe window with a mug in my hand and an open notebook. That’s is why I will set up a corner in my house as my own little cafe. And to complete the illusion I even found an album on Spotify with some white noise from a café soundscape.

When | Schedule and Tracker Tools

Before I took the quiz in the nano prep section about time management, I made a schedule for myself. I divided the daily word count into four slices to make it more manageable for me to do. However, the quiz result suggested 800 words every weekday and then 4250 Saturday and Sunday. With two weeks until the fun begins, I thought I would try my schedule out for one week and the suggestion from the quiz the other week to see what works best for me.

NaNo Prep 101 schedule and tracker tools

If you want to give it a try with four small writing sessions a day I share the printable down below.

I wish all fellow NaNoWriMo participants a happy November of writing. This is my NaNo Prep 101 schedule and tools. What did you come up with? Share in the comments or lets meet on Instagram.