Things to keep in mind for NaNoWriMo

1. It's quantity that counts here, not quality. When you're trying to get 50,000 into your computer in 30 days, I do not want to be fretting about an awkward sentence or a choppy paragraph. Writing perfectly in first drafts never happens, so why try?

2. Don't stare at the computer screen too long. It causes writers block. When your eyes start feeling tired, and you feel like you've been on the computer all day, take a break. Have a snack or something, but what really works well is exercise, especially outdoors.

3. Don't get distracted. I like listening to music when I write, but if it's music that has words, I pay more attention to the song then to what I'm writing. Also, Erestor has a habit of walking into the computer room every five minutes and asking how far I've gotten. It's great that he's concerned about what I'm writing, but he's also distracting me. That's why I have to (gently!!!) ask him to please go away, because he's not helping my word count grow any.

4. Get ahead, or at least caught up on, schoolwork before NaNo begins. Trying to do schoolwork and finding time to write is very hard, especially when you have three other siblings and a real life.

5. Don't get discouraged if you completely miss a day and are therefore many thousand words behind everyone else! Just keep on plugging at it!