Five Tips for NaNoWriMo

1. Set a realistic daily word count.
50,000 words in 30 days works out as 1666 words per day, but unless you're a lot more dedicated than I am, you're probably not going to write every day. Allow for weekends, holidays, special occasions... and those days when you get up and you just can't get anything down on paper, no matter M<,how hard you try.

2. Get your family and friends on board.
You'll find it a whole lot easier to take NaNoWriMo seriously if your friends and family take it seriously, too. Explain to them that this is something that's important to you, and that they should treat it almost as if it was a job. That means that if you tell them you haven't met your word count for the day, they don't nag you to come out for a drink, or otherwise persuade you not to bother.

3. Minimise distractions.
If you can't sit down at a computer without checking your email, looking at your Bloglines account and doing one hundred and one other things that aren't writing, you need to look long and hard at your work setup. Consider using good old pen and paper (just like in the old days!), requisitioning that old computer that doesn't have any Internet access, or just disconnecting yourself from the Net. Similarly, if TV or family members tend to distract you, take yourself to the local library/coffee shop/<insert writing venue of choice> to make sure you get the work done.

4. Take time out.
Sometimes the best way to beat writer's block is to take a step away from the screen, walk the dog, make some coffee, and allow yourself to think about something other than your unfinished novel. The dog will thank you, too.

5. Forget everything you've ever known about how stories should be written
You know the kind of things I mean: starting at the beginning and writing until you reach the end; writing a synopsis before you even think about starting Chapter 1; writing in chapters; doing lots of research - the list goes on. None of this applies to a NaNoWriMo novel. Instead, don't be afraid to mix it up: write the scenes that interest you the most and skip out the ones that don't; write the end first, if that's easiest for you; if you're not quite sure whether you've got your facts right, make a mental note to check it out later, and just keep going. No, it's not the way to produce the perfect first draft, but then, that's not the point, is it? (And there's no such thing as the perfect first draft anyway...)

Good luck!