How to write a novel in 30 days with a full-time job and a family
Or, as many writers likely knew it, how to win Nanowrimo with a full-time job and a family.
Doesn’t seem possible? Believe me, I didn’t think it was, either! My first Nano was in 2008, as a recent college graduate living at home with my parents and struggling to find a job for a creative writing and French double-major during a global recession. Writing 50,000 words was a great way to keep my mind off all that!
The next year, I had a full-time job at Amazon (and the stories you’ve heard about insane work hours? Not exaggerated). The year after that, I was working at Amazon and working on an MFA. The next, I had Amazon, the MFA program, and a boyfriend.
In other words, I had lots of good excuses.
My best friend gamely asked me every year if I was going to do Nano. Once the kids came along, my excuses were rock-solid. But in 2023, I had just finished a draft of a book and needed something new to work on while I let it sit before editing it. My kids were in a solid school routine. My job was steady. It was finally time.
This year, I’ll be doing the Novel Gauntlet, more of a choose-your-own adventure type of Nano, but with a strong community that’s been built up over the past year. Here are the tips I’ll be following to “win” the gauntlet this year—the same tips that helped me reach 56,000 words in November 2023.
- Say it out loud! (And it’s never too early to start mentioning it)
How often do your kids get to hear you clearly state a goal, and then work toward it? Goal-setting is a great skill for kids of any age to build, and you can role model it!
But what if I don’t “win” and meet my goal? A reasonable question. And another opportunity to role-model—in this case, role-modeling disappointment.
But don’t put the cart before the horse! The whole point of talking about your writing goal is so your family can be your cheerleaders. (There’s nothing like a 5-year-old voice asking if you’ve done your words yet!)
Not only that, but the more you talk about it now, the easier it will be to start—whether you’re going for the traditional November timeframe or jumping in with both feet in October like I am with the Gauntlet. - Test out some routines or schedules
Build writing time into your daily schedule as soon as possible so you can decide where it fits best. If one schedule doesn't work, try another!
In my experience, if I can stick to a routine for 10 days, I can do it for 30 or 31 - Be flexible about the How/When/Where of writing
The most impactful thing I've gained from Nano isn't the words on the page, but the realization that I
can tap out 1,000 words in the Scrivener app on my phone during my commute to work. That means I was able to nearly reach my daily word count before I got home and thrown into the family routine!
I know, many people feel most productive in a specific location. But this is a great opportunity to give yourself permission to try charging things up. - Sprint, sprint, sprint!
I don’t mean running (though if that’s part of your process, go for it!)
In the Novel Gauntlet Discord (and many other writing Discords) you’ll find a bot that allows you to set a timer and a starting word count, then pings you when time is up and prompts you to give your updated word count. While the timer is running, you bang out as many words as you possibly can.
This is very similar to the Pomodoro productivity technique, but what I love about the version in writing Discord groups is that other writers can join your sprint, too. Writing may be a solitary pursuit, but we can still be in community while we write! I also love that the bot (aptly named Sprinto) gives you a words per hour or words per minute calculation, and that you can set it for any length of time. My favorite for writing is 15 minutes, and for editing is 13. - Remember that it’s OK to change your goal
The cool thing about the Novel Gauntlet and another Nano replacement I’m aware of, First Draft Fall, is the much more flexible goals. The Novel Gauntlet has goals of 30k, 60k or 90k—and you can use words written or words edited. I participated in the initial Gauntlet in April, and loved the community’s focus on mental health and self-kindness. Changing goals is not only an option, but encouraged. Don’t burn yourself out while chasing an arbitrary number.
And that’s it! Happy writing, everyone—go get those goals!