Hello and welcome on this wonderful Friday!
There’s only one week left until NaNoWriMo is upon us. One of the best resources during NaNoWriMo you can give yourself is to not only set achievable goals but to also provide yourself with a reward system. Using both of these methods can help better your chances for success this November.
To start us off I think it would be best to go over what I mean by achievable goals. The standard daily goal for NaNoWriMo is 1,667 words. Of course you can choose to aim higher than this as some do, stick to the base line, or even set your own goal if that suits your fancy. I learned a couple important lessons last year regarding word count, I’ll go over one today and the other during November.
First and foremost, you do not have to reach 50,000 words in order to be a winner and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. No words are better than no words and so long as you’ve written something during the month then that makes you a winner. In no way should you feel like a failure for not achieving what can seem like an impossible goal.
1,667 words isn’t for everyone but you make a goal that best suits your lifestyle. NaNoWriMo isn’t about getting to that 50,000 like everyone thinks, it’s about the flare of motivation the very name NaNoWriMo implies and what you make with it. If you don’t think 50,000 is for you then by all means set your own goal whether that be 5,000, 15,000, or even 30,000. Be proud of whatever you accomplish next month!
I’ll let you in on a little not-so-secret. This is my fourth year doing NaNoWriMo and I have yet to make it to 50,000. My first year I only wrote 3,000 words and I felt quite accomplished. Second year was a big one, I managed to get to 40,000 and then proceeded to hit a wall so hard that it knocked me off my writing game for the next four months because I made the mistake of making NaNoWriMo my life during November and paired with hosting Thanksgiving I hadn’t put myself in a very good situation and burned myself out. Last year, my third year, I was a lot easier on myself and gave myself room to breathe, I once again made it to 40,000 but once the fourth week came I dropped out of NaNoWriMo to focus on my family and the holidays without feeling an ounce of guilt; in fact I was proud of what I accomplished and taking that last week for my family and the holidays felt great. This year I am aiming to hit 50,000 simply because that’s what I do every year but I’ve learned from that second year mistake and won’t be bending over backwards and taking away from my life and health to make it happen. I want to hit 50,000 at least once but I’m just as happy with whatever I manage to achieve. Not only is this NaNoWriMo different from all the others I’ve done, I’ll talk more about that next week, but I’ve also given myself some extra incentive this go round which leads me into my next topic.
As humans we thrive on achievement. It’s a wonderful feeling to have worked so hard and obtain something in return. NaNoWriMo is no different.
If you were to reach that 50,000 goal the people at NaNoWriMo HQ reward you with gifts. I can’t personally speak for what these gifts are having never achieved 50,000 but I do know one year they were giving away memberships to Scrivener (for those of you who don’t know, I swear by Scrivener). Since not everyone makes it to that 50,000 and those rewards are only handed out to those who do, why not give yourself rewards?
A reward system is an amazing way to keep yourself motivated when the going gets rough. I tried my hand at it last year but this year I’m quite serious about it. It doesn’t only have to be a finish line reward, you could also give yourself weekly or daily rewards as well.
My personal set up is to give myself a piece of candy each day after reaching my word goal. After that I also have weekly reward bundles to give an added flare to the success of each week. I’ve also put my husband in charge of my rewards because he is impartial and when the going gets tough he won’t let me persuade him into giving the the rewards unearned or early. It’s an extra incentive, accountability.
Just to give you a quick look at what this reward system looks like for me here is my set up...
Daily Reward
A piece of candy
Week One Reward
Sweater
Tea (Pomegranate)
Hand mask
Week Two Reward
Mug
Candle
Nail Polish
Week Three Reward
Face mask
Bubble Bath
Epson Salts
Week Four Reward
Two books
Videogame
British Candy Bar
...Everyone’s rewards will be different. As you can see, I’ve given week three the rewards with the most pampering. That’s because the third week for me is often the hardest to get through. There are people who reward themselves with little bottles of alcohol at the end of each week, others who give themselves a different reward at the end of each day, some who use reading as a reward, and then there are those who save up all those rewards and have a little celebration at the end of the month. No two people are going to have the same reward system because no two people are the same. The sky is the limit!
Don’t be afraid to get creative with setting goals and making rewards. This is about you, not about what suits anyone else.
Until next week!
✿ Happy reading and writing to all and to all a good day ✿
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