NaNoWriMo challenges participants to write 50,000 words during the month of November. This can seem like a daunting and time-consuming task and when you have a house to run as well it can seem almost impossible. With some preparation, you can make November run more smoothly.

I’ve looked at a few prep lists for NaNo and noticed that mine was a little different. I decided to share it in hopes it might help someone else. I know this is a little late. I’ll try to repost the revised version of this list a little earlier next year.

1. Plan all meals for the month of November. Make sure to keep #2 and #3 in mind while making your November menu and consider doing a search for quick meal ideas. I’ll try to post a few of my favorites during NaNo.
2. Freeze leftovers for easy meals in November. My Food Saver is one of my best friends all year round, but it’s particularly helpful for stocking up meals for November.
3. Dust off that crockpot. Your crockpot can be a time saver and is for more than just making roast. I’ll try to post a few more of my favorite recipes during NaNo on the Community Cookbook.  I’ll post some fast and one skillet recipes, too.
4. Detail clean the house. I have spring-cleaning and then NaNo cleaning. If the house is freshly detailed, those quick room cleanups go even faster. Besides, a super clean house can make you feel more comfortable with putting things off for a day or two longer so you have more time to write.
5. Schedule blog posts. If you have a blog, write a few blog posts in October and schedule them to post in November to squeeze out a little more writing time.
6. Jot down notes or make an outline. While there are many people who can sit down to a blank screen and just start typing, I’m not always one of them. Faced with a deadline, I feel more comfortable with some kind of direction in mind.
7. Do any research needed ahead of time. Frantically researching while trying to finish NaNo can be a word count killer.
8. Fill out your calendar with appointments and obligations. Make note of these. What days are you not going to be able to write? If there are five days in November that you cannot see a way to fit writing in for whatever reason, adjust your daily word count accordingly and aim for that.
9. Let your friends and family know what you’re doing. They might scoff, but knowing ahead of time can ward off an explanation later. Listening to the scoffing while you’re doing NaNo not only takes time away from writing but could also damage your flow with negativity and drama you don’t need.
10. Make a playlist. A playlist of music that fits your genre or in some way fosters your creativity can help drown distraction and get you in the mood to write. Use headphones for best results.

For those of you participating this year, write like the wind! I’d love to hear/read how you’re doing so feel free to comment on a post or drop me an email.  Feel free to add me as a friend on the NaNoWriMo website, too!

And now we’re back to almost all Twitter updates as posts.  I’m slipping…. again.

Actually, a lot has happened.  My daughter graduated from high school and moved on to college.  We moved her into the dorms, but we still see her often since she works near home.  We have brunch on Sunday, which gives us a chance to catch up.  She misses the quiet of home sometimes, but I’m sure she’s enjoying more freedom.

Someone shattered the passenger side window of her car and rifled through her glove box.  Didn’t look like they took anything.  Luckily, she’s smart and didn’t have anything of worth in her car.  She got it fixed and then the door wouldn’t open so she had to take it back.  They didn’t get all the glass out of the door before they put the window back in, but it works now.

I was sick off and on this summer, so I have a lot to catch up on.  Every nook and cranny of the house needs cleaned especially since we’re getting the house ready for a guest in October.  We’ve known her for about 12 years now and this will be the first time we get to meet in person.  I can’t wait!

The yard is a mess, so we’re trying to make it look nice again.  I’m sure our neighbors are thanking us already.  Pulled all the dead sunflowers from under the window and I plan on replacing them with either mums or irises.  I miss my lacy irises.  The plain ol’ yellow ones have pretty much taken over everything.  I think I might be able to get some of the lacy ones from my mom.  I’ll have to ask.

I’m back to putting things up on CafePress and actually added a few products to Zazzle.  Rushing to get the Halloween art and photography up on Zazzle before its entirely too late, so that’s what I’m working on now.  I’ll be posting on that as I get things finished.

I’ve started reading every night again and I’m trying to turn it into a habit.  Even if I only read for 5 minutes, I make myself read every night.  Maybe one of these days I’ll actually finish this huge stack of unread books.  As for writing… I haven’t gotten back into the habit yet, but I write here and there.  I’ll be trying to turn it back into a habit starting in October, with a break for our visiting friend, so hopefully Nano won’t be such a shock to the system.

Speaking of Nano, I think I figured out what I’m going to do this year.  I’m hoping the early decision bodes well for how it will go.  Gives me plenty of time to think about where I want the story to go and to get a little research done.  I think I’m starting to get a little excited about it.

Last year, I said I was going to post time-saving meals for Nano and didn’t get around to it.  This year, I’ll link to some recipes posted on the Community Cookbook and try to get some more posted before Nano arrives.  I’ll probably repost the Nano tips from last year, too.

Enough babbling… back to work for me!

Currently reading:

I’m at 5213 words so far, so I’m right on task. I’m working on getting ahead over the next few days. There will be several days around the holidays that I doubt I’m going to be able to write much, so I’m trying for a decent cushion here at the beginning.

I turned my Twitter updates back to daily since I won’t be posting as often, but might be tweeting a bit more. Last year, updating the blog with tweets during NaNo seemed to work pretty well.

Everything else is on hold for now. If you’re participating in NaNo, I’m Kryson if you’d like to buddy me. Write like the wind everyone and see you at the finish line!

NaNoWriMo challenges participants to write 50,000 words during the month of November. This can seem like a daunting and time consuming task and when you have a house to run as well, it can seem almost impossible. With some preparation, you can make November run more smoothly.

I’ve looked at quite a few prep lists for NaNo and noticed that mine was a little different. I decided to share it in hopes it might help someone else. I know this is a little late. I’ll try to repost the revised version of this list a little earlier next year.

Plan all meals for the month of November. Make sure to keep #2 and #3 in mind while making your November menu and consider doing a search for quick meal ideas. I’ll try to post a few of my favorites during NaNo.

Freeze leftovers for easy meals in November. My Food Saver is one of my best friends all year round, but it’s particularly helpful for stocking up meals for November.

Dust off that crockpot. Your crockpot can be a time saver and is for more than just making roast. You can find a ton of crockpot recipes online and I’ll try to post a few of my favorites during NaNo.

Detail clean the house. I have spring-cleaning and then NaNo cleaning. If the house is freshly detailed, those quick room cleanups go even faster. Besides, a super clean house can make you feel more comfortable with putting things off for a day or two longer so you have more time to write.

Schedule blog posts. If you have a blog, write a few blog posts in October and schedule them to post in November to squeeze out a little more writing time.

Jot down notes or make an outline. While there are many people that can sit down to a blank screen and just start typing, I’m not always one of them. Faced with a deadline, I feel more comfortable with some kind of direction in mind.

Do any research needed ahead of time. Frantically researching while trying to finish NaNo can be a word count killer.

Fill out your calendar with appointments and obligations. Make note of these. What days are you not going to be able to write? If there are five days in November that you cannot see a way to fit writing in for whatever reason, adjust your daily word count accordingly and aim for that.

Let your friends and family know what you’re doing. They might scoff, but knowing ahead of time can ward off an explanation later. Listening to the scoffing while you’re doing NaNo not only takes time away from writing but could also damage your flow with negativity and drama you don’t need.

Make a playlist. A playlist of music that fits your genre or in some way fosters your creativity can help drown distraction and get you in the mood to write. Use headphones for best results.

For those of you participating this year, write like the wind! I’d love to hear/read how you’re doing so feel free to comment on a post or drop me an email.

NaNoWriMo 2010
Starting on November 1st, this bar will start moving. I still haven’t decided exactly what I’m going to do this year. There are several projects I’ve been contemplating as potentials for NaNo. Whatever I decide, I better do so quickly because the hour approaches.

KEM
Still not much movement. I’m hoping to have this written before I turn 80 or die. I’ll be putting this project on hold until NaNo is over. I’m hoping when I come back to it, I’ll be able to dive right in and make some real progress. This is a tough one for me and I think I’m making it more difficult than it has to be. Maybe some time away will do us both good.

SPD
At this time, I don’t plan on putting this project on hold for NaNo. It’s a side piece that I can plug away on while working on other projects. It all depends on how my NaNo project goes.

I’m still doing The Artist’s Way. Just a couple more weeks and I’m finished. After I post the final review, all the time and effort I put into it will be redirected to actual writing.

Write or Die is a tool I found through Tweeps (Twitter Peeps) during last years NanoWriMo and I’ve continued to use it. I find it’s a useful tool when you’re stuck or just need to get words down on the page quickly. I have a really bad habit of writing the same sentence or paragraph over and over again, never moving on. Write or Die forces me to keep writing with time limits and punishments. Everything can be fixed, editted, and tinkered with later.

I mostly use it for my daily brain dump pages (basically journal pages), but it comes in handy when my inner editor kicks into hyper drive. So if you find yourself editing as you go along or you just need a push to keep going, give Write or Die a try.

I just finished NanoWriMo 2009. Yea! There were times I wondered if I’d make it, but I did with time to spare! I’ve been trying to think of ways to reward myself, but I honestly think I’m just going to take a day off and play a game or something. Better idea… get away from the computer for a day and read. I have a book I started ages ago that I’m still not done with and a stack of books on my desk screaming at me to pick them up and dive in. It made finishing Nano tough with all the screaming…

Sorry everything has been Twitter updates for the entire month, but I was hoping the Tweets would tell the tale of Nano and the busy, crazy month November turned out to be.

So what’s next? I haven’t decided yet. I have a new project I’ve been burning to get started on for a couple of weeks now. I have several people expecting me to podcast after this Nano, which means lots of editing and rewriting of my Nano project. I have other obligations I need to catch up on as well.

I’m going to take a day off and start in on the blog again next week. I plan on writing more about Nano this year, what it did for me, and what the future holds. I have several other projects I’m hoping to launch very soon as well, so I’ll be keeping busy.

I’d like to thank @Mornaric and @greyfane for the support during Nano. Both have been long time friends and I’m glad they joined me in the craziness.

In 2006, I participated in and finished NanoWriMo. In 2007, I tried but failed due to serious lack of time. In 2008, I didn’t even attempt it. This year, I’m going to try again!

National Novel Writing Month or NanoWriMo for short, is a month long endeavor to write 50,000 words by midnight on November 30th. While quantity not quality is the goal, many novelists and budding novelists enjoy the community and solidarity of NanoWriMo. Write-ins and meet-ups are scheduled and attended around the country while participants support each other through the trails of tackling such a frantic writing schedule.

If only I had a laptop. I’d love to join in the local fun at

>>> [ WARNING ::: DATABASE ERROR ::: CONTENT OVERRIDE ::: SOURCE: EXTERNAL ] < <<

> source terminal location: UNKNOWN
> source terminal identity: UNAVAILABLE
> source login information: ENCRYPTED
> message begins

the post you are now reading is designed to dull your senses to THE TRUTH. do not live the life of the worker bee, the cog, the well-oiled piston in the MACHINE OF DECEIT!

there is a grand CONSPIRACY afoot. you have been taught to believe that you are UNIQUE, one of a kind. THIS IS NOT TRUE. long ago, a cabal of scientists created technologies to ensure that ANYONE’S MIND AND BODY can be duplicated.

human cloning isn’t NEAR. it’s already HERE. discover the truth at http://JCHutchins.net

you are being DECEIVED. break free from the cogs, flee the hive, become A PROPHET OF THE TRUTH!

kilroy2. was here … kilroy2.0 is everywhere

>>> [ CONTENT OVERRIDE CEASES ::: DATABASE STATUS: RECOVERING ] <<<

but even if I only write 1,000 words this November, that’s 1,000 words more than what I had before, right? Wish me luck!