Oct 26, 20233 min read

NaNoWriMo: Mental Health is First

Remember your mental health during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

Title card with NaNoWriMo and mental health

The annual National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) event starts November 1st. The competition encourages current and new writers to stop procrastinating and produce a full-throttled, 50,000-word novel within 30 days. Generally, this means a daily writing goal of 1667 words.

NaNoWriMo isn't a solo effort. The official website features oodles of tools to connect with other writers. Additionally, social media sites like Facebook have groups dedicated to encouraging each other to get through the days when they don't want to write.

Reaching 50,000 is considered a win in NaNo. However, collecting any words into sentences and paragraphs is an enormous achievement, especially when someone has fears of the process.

One reason is participants start to burn out after the first week. NaNoWriMo is like a condensed version of a New Year's resolution. Writers start strong, then falter when they miss a day, get sick, or see a squirrel.

Another reason why NaNoWriMo contestants run into difficulties is mental health. They're determined to get 50K words by November 30. So, they load up on caffeine and sugar while decreasing their sleep, exercise, and greeting their children. Together, these ingredients practically guarantee mental health degradation.

Mental Health is First

NaNoWriMo facilitators don't want you to collapse into a ball of heaving sobs. That's why they offer a plethora of opportunities to work with others. They want participants to gain strength as they push through each day.

Of course, some writers handle NaNo without support. They don't want any distractions to reach their goal. Overall, they want to reach 50K, celebrate with their favorite beverage, and move to the next step.

In either case, remember one thing as November 1st rolls around: Mental Health is First. Here are some tips to maintain a positive look at your work and life during this time.

Set your schedule now. As this article goes out, you have about a week to plan your project schedule. Can't write 1667 words at once? Space your creative time for early morning, afternoon, and before you go to bed. Are you more productive when the sun rises instead of when it goes down? Make sure to write during the most comfortable times.
Clear your figurative plate. Take this time to clear as many projects as possible. While you'll probably have things come up in November, the more you get done now the greater the opportunities available to reach your 50K goal.
Your work is going to suck. This isn't a critique of your overall skills. Every writer's first draft is far from perfect. The goal of NaNo is to generate 50K words. The competition’s creators never said each one should be a gloriously bright star.
Save the edits for December. I've gone back and forth several times in this article to edit sentences. Minimize this action in November. Performing three hours of edits on one paragraph will put you behind. Just scribble or pound the keys. You can go back to your work and start editing on December 1 or after you get some sleep.
Eat, drink, and, for Pete's sake, go to the bathroom. Have you heard of Gayle Grinds? Her skin merged with a couch’s fabric after living on it for six years. Don't be like Gayle or anyone else who decides to forego basic hygiene during NaNoWriMo. Use the Pomodoro Technique to schedule regular breaks. Grab a drink and snack, relieve yourself, and look outside to make sure we’re not in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.
Embrace the NaNo community. Writing and solitude are intimate partners. Many of us can't create with the world buzzing around us. We need seclusion to hear our creative soul. Having said this, reach out to the NaNo community in November. There are thousands of writers in the same boat as you who require a push to keep going.
Don't panic if you can’t reach 50K. The fact you wrote anything during NaNoWriMo is a peacock feather in your cap. Embrace your word count instead of wallowing in depression that you didn't make it.
Step away if it's too much. No one will consider you a bad writer if you decide to drop out of the competition, especially if it's your first time. Creatives don't produce material at the same pace as others. Heck, I had to gather a lot of energy to write this article. Step away if you feel more angst than joy about your project.