In this post, NaNoWriMo participant Jen offers her perspective on writing with chronic illness, and offers some words of encouragement!

Every writer gets writer’s block, headaches, blurry eyes, a lack of sleep, the list goes on. Now imagine all of that, but with pain everywhere, all the time, but sometimes better, sometimes worse, usually when it’s rainy or a cold front hits…

Welcome to writing life with a chronic pain disorder. They come with different names, multiple sclerosis, lupus, fibromyalgia, so many others. They have so many things in common, often the names are interchangeable with doctors, as tests come few and far between, with not always the best results.

What defines a successful November may vary from person to person; for some, it’s getting 50,000 words on the page, while for others it’s 50. Today, Jill Shirley shares her thoughts on what a “successful” NaNo might look like:

What does a successful NaNoWriMo run look like? Good question, if this is your first time—or even if it’s not (thanks, imposter syndrome). What does a true NaNo “win” look like? As a current three-time winner—yes, that’s right, THREE how ‘bout that—allow me to break it down for you.

1. You’ve Declared Your Novel. 

Oh, you thought I was going to say “write 50k in 30 days” didn’t you? Well, sure, that is technically how you “win”, but really if you’ve taken the step to declare your intentions to even attempt such absolute madness, you’ve won. You’ve won before you started. Look at you! You didn’t think you had it in you, did you?

2. You’ve Written Down Words. 

Declaration is your first win. The second win? You wrote words down on November 1. And then on the 2nd, you did it again. And the 3rd. And—okay you skipped the 4th because of grandma’s birthday, but the 5th? You totally wrote down more words. Hooray!

What is NaNoWriMo?

If you’re reading this, it means this is your first time doing something called NaNu—NaNa—what was it again? Your book-loving friend mentioned it last week, and it had something to do with November.

That’s it—National Novel Writing Month! It’s also known as NaNoWriMo (we’ll get the pronunciation down later).

National Novel Writing Month is a yearly event where you challenge yourself to write 50,000 words in 30 days. That comes out to about 1,667 words a day, which scientists have determined to be the perfect amount to boost your creativity. It all starts in the wee hours of November 1st (at 12:00:01 a.m., to be precise!) and continues until the final seconds of November 30th (at 11:59:59 p.m.).

Novelists from all around the world come together online (and often in person) to share their daily progress, take on writing dares, race each other in word sprints, and cheer each other on! By the time December 1st rolls around, you’ll have created something you may once have thought impossible: a draft of your very own novel (or, at least, part of one).

How do I do NaNoWriMo?

Getting started is easier than… well, coming up with a suitable metaphor! All you need is a profile and an idea! The idea part isn’t even that necessary—many Wrimos write their novels without any outline or plan in mind (they’re called “pantsers,” and they’re everywhere).

1. Create your profile so your fellow Wrimos can connect and cheer you on!
2. Create your novel as early as September (you can change it later). Give it a title and you’re good to go!
3. Choose a home region so you can learn about local events from your volunteer Municipal Liaison and writers in your area!
4. Earn badges by reaching milestones throughout the month!
5. Get inspired with pep talks, blog posts, and other resources to help you on your journey to writing superstardom.
6. Update your word count every day on the NaNoWriMo website and watch your novel climb to the finish line!
7. Claim your win by validating your novel starting on November 20th and through the end of the month. There’s no cash prize, but you get an awesome certificate (plus bragging rights, special sponsor goody rewards, and your very own novel!)

What are some tips for winning NaNoWriMo? 

If this all sounds pretty daunting, don’t worry — you’re not alone. Luckily, the NaNoWriMo community is full of writers happy to share their wisdom and tips for roaring through November in style. Here’s a few tidbits of advice from a recent Twitter thread: