Taking on the task of writing a novel by itself can be intimidating, but in a month? That's what's so great about NaNoWriMo, though: it helps you shed the fear, the internal editor, the doubts, and join with others in controlled craziness!

This guide can help you win NaNoWriMo!

• The first step toward winning NaNoWriMo is to sign up for NaNoWriMo.

1. Go to the NaNoWriMo signup page.
2. Enter a username, your email address, and a password.
3. Review the terms of service.
4. Check off the box certifying that you are at least 13 years old, and the box to accept the terms of use.
5. Click the "Create new account" button.
6. You can click on "Edit Profile" in the top right-hand corner of the page to provide more information about yourself.
   1. • You can add a user icon or photo.
   2. You can give information on the area you live in, for local meet-ups.
   3. You can tell people about the book you plan to write.
7. Grab a participant's badge and proudly display it on your blog or website, letting the world know you plan to challenge yourself in NaNoWriMo this year!

1. • While you have to start the book on November 1, the NaNoWriMo rules encourage prep work, like writing an outline, making notes, doing character sketches or interviews.
2. Write character profiles. This will help you figure out your characters' background, personality, and quirks.
3. Write an outline before November 1. If you ever have trouble figuring out what comes next, you can just refer to your outline!
4. Write scenery and setting for you to refer to so it helps set the mood, even though you will likely not use the description in your novel. This helps you get familiar with the universe, world, city and setting of your novel and makes it easier to write more realistically.

This article is a humorous look at things to do to prepare yourself and your family for the crazy NaNoWriMo challenge ahead!

Prepare your workspace, your office, your bed, wherever you intend to write, and have all the things necessary so you can stay focused on the writing. There's not much time to write a novel in a month if you spend most of it getting 'ready' to write instead of actually writing.

1. If you don't have two spare minutes, getting enough time to write close to 1700 words per day might be difficult.
2. Set aside time every day to do nothing but write.
3. Review your calendar. Do you have any large time commitments during the month that will interfere with your writing? (For example, many Americans will lose a day to the Thanksgiving holiday.) If so, you will want to increase your word count for the other days accordingly.
4. Tell your family and friends that you're participating in NaNoWriMo. This will let them know you have a commitment that will be taking up part of your time for the next month. It also makes you accountable to others!
5. Build a NaNo support network. Find out if any of your friends are participating.
6. Join the NaNoWriMo message boards, or another online community like the Accentuate Writers Forum NaNoWriMo 2009 Board.
7. Find a local NaNo group through the NaNoWriMo Regions directory. Many have local meet-ups.
8. Listen to The WriMo Radio music, ideas and podcasts, full of information and pep talks.
9. Ask a couple of friends or family members to give you support, such as a little additional help around the house, hot cups of coffee or just some moral support over the November month.

On a good day, when you're really in the flow, write more than your goal, because then you'll have some wiggle room in case you're ever having a bad day when the writing comes more slowly.

The important thing here is: DON'T EDIT! Just write. Get into the flow and don't worry about the things you would normally worry about with your writing. You don't have time to edit, or tweak or perfect your writing. That comes later, when the editing month hits, but National Novel Writing Month is about novel writing, not novel editing!

Just write!

• This is a month-long marathon, not a sprint. You might be able to write 7,000 words in one sitting on the first day — and then not be able to write for the next two weeks. Don't wear yourself out! Slow and steady wins the race.

1. Track your word count every day.
   • Go to NaNoWriMo, click "Edit Profile", click on "Author Info", and update your word count.
   • This Firefox tool will display your progress (a great tool against procrastinating on the Web).
2. If you write 1,667 words a day, every day, you will write 50,000 words by the end of November 30.
3. If you plan to write a little more than 1,667 words per day (2,000 or even 2,500), you will have padding for days when crises arise and you are unable to write.
4. On a roll? If you've hit your word count for the day and you're "in the zone", keep writing! The extra words will provide insurance if you miss a day.
5. Remember, you have to write 50,000 words in November. No one said they had to be good words!
6. If you can't figure out how to write a scene, just write yourself a note that describes what happens in the scene, a quick note to remind you, and then continue with what happens after. You can go back later to fill in the missing scene if you have a great idea of how to write it.
7. Write. Even if it's awful, even if every single word that day is like fingernails down a blackboard, just write.

• From marathon writing to dirty tricks, there are several ways you can increase your word count if you're falling behind and are afraid you won't make it in time to verify your word count and win NaNoWriMo.

1. Avoid contractions. Substitute "do not" for "don't", "would not" for "wouldn't", and so forth.
2. Set aside a full day to write, without distractions, and calculate how many words are needed per hour, instead of day, to catch up.
   • Author Simon Haynes suggests you start writing at 8am, write 500 words, take a break until 9am, write another 500 words, and continue in that pattern until 10pm. By the end of the day, you'll have 7500 words.
3. Write for 45 minutes, as quickly as possible, without going back to edit.
4. Describe something — a room, a person, a meal — in the most minute detail you possibly can. You can always edit it out later!

• Need more words? Check out NaNoWriMo's discussion on Dirty Ways to Reach 50K.

• If you write 50,000 words by midnight on November 30, you'll know you succeeded. If you want your name added to NaNoWriMo's Winner's Page, get a winner's graphic on your profile and to download your winner's certificate and winner's graphics for your own blog or website, you'll need to have it certified.

1. Upload instructions will be posted in mid-November to the NaNoWriMo site.
2. If you're worried that someone might steal your work, so that the word count remains the same, but the text is illegible. The verification tool on the site will help you with this process.

Many people talk about writing a book. You just took more steps than most toward writing one. Congratulations!

If you finished your novel, you should know you are now in an elite group of people. Some estimates say less then 1% of the entire world's population will ever finish a full-length work of fiction. This is definitely something to celebrate!