Create an Awesome Space to Accomplish Your National Novel Writing Month Goals

National Novel Writing Month is here and you may be busy writing all the words as most participants are. NaNoWriMo is a great time to get your office the way you need to maximize your efficiency and productivity. Let’s take a look at how you can do that.

If you’re not participating in NaNoWriMo this year, we have a great post for the season right Here for you to check out!

The Event

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and is run during the entire month of November when the race to complete 50,000 (1667/day) words for a story begins. October and sometimes September is dedicated to prep and organization of your NaNoWriMo project.

The great thing is, is there are wonderful resources on the NaNoWriMo website as well as any NaNoWriMo writing groups across social media platforms. It’s always better when you have a group to discuss and get ideas from.

If you would like to find our more, you can go here or here to learn more!

Why NaNoWriMo?

Well, why not? National Novel Writing Month is a big deal for some and usually is for me as I also write during that time. Though you tend to move from place to place throughout the month as you write, you start and prep in the home office. It’s where you spend most of your time researching, jotting down notes, creating characters, settings and so much more.

So, why not create a space specifically for National Novel Writing Month? If you are not participating this year, I encourage you to at least look it up and see what it’s all about. You may find that it interests you more than you would have thought. Otherwise, we have some great alternatives for you to check out here and here.

Set Up Your National Novel Writing Month Atmosphere

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of this event, let’s move on to how you can accomplish such a creative perspective.

Away From Home

Though you may spend most of your time at home, you may also like to go out to a cafe or library to get a different perspective and location as being in one place tends to become tedious and somewhat irritating.

Moving to another location is not bad nor do I feel that it will hinder you in any way. As long as you have what you need to succeed with you, you can work anywhere you wish.

How you set up depends on the space and tools you decide to bring along with you. If you have a lot of books, notebooks, and tools, you may need to organize your things to fit a smaller table or area as you don’t want to take up too much space to hinder others. Flash drives are great for keeping documents you can view and notes you have in one easy to carry device.

Keep a small notebook of inspiration with you to look at, images and prompts to help you along the way. And don’t forget to stay hydrated and bring a snack. If you’re anything like me, you can work for hours without even thinking of eating or drinking. Set a remember to drink water if you need too.

In the Home

Within the space of your home, including your backyard (if you spend time outside during this time) you may have more room and set items you’ll not need to move. Your inspiration can still be within a travel journal, but it could also be on your walls, a poster, within post-its and more. You can really spread your creative mind throughout the space to work through obstacles and challenges of your novel.

Set the mood for how you work through candles or oils depending on your preference of scent, image inspiration, and workflow preferences. Do what will assist you in creating your NaNoWriMo atmosphere. You could also have your playlist of songs in the background as you work (if you like background noise or music while you work).

Plan Your Space

This is your space (unless you are going away from home, of course) so you can make it as you wish to help you during this time of writing.

If you want to keep it simple, but add small inspirational pieces throughout the room; the inspirational journal of notes, images, and more. Also some small figurines or drawings that remind you of your characters will provide great visual aids as you write.

If you want to do a bit more, have at it. Decide what items you want and where. Make the space comfortable and encouraging with posters, post-it notes, visitor boards and more, while keeping your senses in mind as you plan. Add things to keep you warm if you are like me and get cold easily.

Remember your basics as well, you don’t want to forget anything as you move from place to place or while you are setting up. Keep hydrated and take care of yourself during this season, take breaks when you need them and don’t forget snacks!

If you are stuck we have a great guide on building your creative atmosphere as well as articles on creating one anywhere you may be, along with some creative areas you may not have thought of. You can check them out HERE!

Final thoughts

Remember you don’t need to go crazy and create a great focused space to get the atmosphere you wish to have. A little can do a lot to create the right atmosphere for your goals during this time.

Do you create a NaNoWriMo atmosphere or do you plow right through to the end of the month without stopping? Let us know and share pics of your National Novel Writing Month atmospheres, we would love to see them!!