by Lindsey Brackett @LindsBrac

NaNOWriMo is coming up next month. Use these seven tips to help yourself make the best of it.

1. Establish a REASONABLE daily word count.If you have a full-time job, kids, a spouse, or just a life, saying you’re going to write 10,000 words every day is unrealistic. Plus, then you’d have a 300,000 word novel, and friends, no agent or editor wants that. So be reasonable with yourself. Only you know your limits. On weekends or off days, maybe you can go double or triple. But in order for a goal to be met, it first has to be achievable. My Take: 1000 words a day is usually all I’ve got.

2. Capitalize on your best writing time of day. If that’s early morning, then get out of bed. If it’s night, turn off the Netflix. If it’s mid-day, pack a lunch alongside your laptop. You’ll get more done if you’re already working when you’re at your most creative. My Take: I like five a.m. because nobody needs me and my day hasn’t been derailed by a kid with a fever—yet.

3. Write in the fringe times. November is the only slightly more sane sister of December, so of course your routine will be interrupted with holiday meals and the all-important visit to see your kid sing a song about turkeys while wearing a brown grocery bag. These are important life things—so work around them even if that means typing on your phone in the ten minutes it takes kindergarteners to line up on stage. My Take: I’m not a phone writer but I could be because I back everything up to Google Drive. I could open the app and use my opposable thumbs anytime I wanted.

4. Ready the snacks. If you’ve got a large chunk of time you’ve set aside to work, don’t waste it by procrastinating on the Papa John’s website. Plan your meals, prep your snacks, and brew the coffee. No excuses. My Take: We are not going to discuss the jar of candy corn staring at me right now.

5. Keep reading. I know, I know. You’re writing. But if you give up reading (what, you don’t have time to read? That’s a whole other conversation.), you’re not feeding your creative well. Switch to something light or something different. Just read flash fiction or holiday magazines or the newspaper. But keep reading, keep filling your well the way you filled your coffee mug. My Take: I’m reading with two book clubs right now. #accountability

6. Stretch it out. Don’t neglect self-care during this time. Continue your normal exercise routine or take up chair yoga. Even just ten minutes a day of walking will help ease those back muscles so you’re not hobbling around come December 1. My Take: We’ve started yoga. I like this one from Amazon Prime.

7. Know your goal. Maybe you’re only writing for fun. Maybe you’ve started a new project for an interested editor. Maybe you’ve never written a novel and just want to see if you can. Maybe you’re playing with genres. No matter what your goal is—have one for the finished project. Where do you want it to end up? In your drawer or on an editor’s desk? My Take: I’m writing a rough draft of a new book I plan to pitch at the Florida Christian Writers Conference.

I’d love to hear what you’re working on! Drop me a note in the comments or come visit me over on Instagram or Facebook.

Lindsey P. Brackett writes southern fiction and cooks big family meals, but she complains about the dishes. Her debut novel, Still Waters, released in 2017 and was named the 2018 Selah Book of the Year. Someday she hopes to balance motherhood and writing full-time. Until then, she’s just very grateful for her public school system.

Connect with Lindsey and get her free newsletter at lindseypbrackett.com. COMING SOON is her Christmas novella, Magnolia Mistletoe, free for newsletter subscribers.