NANOWRIMO STRATEGY & WHAT I'M DOING INSTEAD

WHERE I'M AT SINCE MY LAST POST

So I'm not actually sure where October went. For the first part of the month, I could only see one thing: my writing deadline. Which left the last two weeks of October filled with Halloween party prep and my birthday celebration. Then, October ended. Since my last post, I made my deadline, turned my novel over to my editor and am three weeks into my writing hiatus. It's been a mixture of relaxation and having to remind myself that taking off the rest of the year from writing is A GOOD THING. So far I've been listening to myself pretty well and keeping my inner perfectionism and drive to achieve in check.
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WHAT YOU CAME FOR: NANOWRIMO STRATEGY & WHAT I'M DOING INSTEAD

It should be pretty obvious why I'm not participating in NANOWRIMO this year, since a version of nano happened for me in September, but I wanted to share the strategy I used last year and spell it out for anyone doing it this year.

The working nano plan is designed for anyone that works "full-time" whether that be the typical 9-5 or someone that doesn't have the time to write the demanding word count during the week. I based it off of how much writing I average out on my one hour lunch break.

Here's the breakdown:

MONDAYS: REST DAY / CATCH UP DAY
TUESDAY - FRIDAYS: 1,200 WORDS X 18 WEEKDAYS IN NOVEMBER

SATURDAYS: 3,550 WORDS X 4 SATURDAYS IN NOVEMBER

SUNDAYS: 3,550 WORDS X 4 SUNDAYS IN NOVEMBER

TOTAL WORDS: 50,000

I tried to stick by this method last year and although I didn't get to 50,000 words like I wanted to, I used a version of this plan in September to write the first draft of This is for You.

I hope this method works for any #workingnano participants and be sure to use the hashtag and let me know if you use the method!

​WHAT I'M DOING INSTEAD OF NANOWRIMO:
Because there is no way for me to NOT do anything. I thought I'd share with you what I'm doing instead of nanowrimo. 

It shouldn't shock you when I say: I'M READING.

It's been awhile since I've had a decent stack of TBR books, so when I decided to go on hiatus, I immediately drafted a list of all the books I've been wanting to read and listen to. So far I've read three books and listened to two books. It feels so good to come home, make dinner, walk the puppy, and sit down and devour a book for several hours before bed. I thought about starting my #4thoughtreview posts again, but then I dialed back and decided not to. I want to read for the sake of reading, not because I feel like I HAVE to share my thoughts on my platform to be the proper Bookstagrammer.

I plan on reading a bunch of books on the craft of writing and I think I will share whatever notes I take as I go through those books. Since I shared all my struggles last post, I've been trying to be more intentional and thoughtful about what I share on social media and how I share it. I don't want to fall down the trap of doing things just because I think I should or because everyone else is doing it.

So there you have it. That's what I'm doing instead of nanowrimo. For all of you participating, good luck and I hope you get all the words down!