Keep in mind that you do not have to write the traditional 50k words. We will be participating in the Young Writer's Program, you will be able to choose your own word count goal. Keep in mind, though, that your goal is to still complete one full novel or collection of short stories and poems.

Novelists, remember that you still want to write a complete draft, so if you choose to change your word count goal aim for a minimum of 25k-30k. For poets and short story writers, your word count goal can be lower than this, knowing that you will be creating a series of shorter pieces. Try to aim for a variety of rough drafts, though, and still try to have a higher word count goal.

With schoolwork and other extracurriculars, a high word count goal may seem daunting, so don’t worry about lowering your goals from the full 50k if you feel you need to. We have all year to work on our stories, so this is just a good challenge to keep up our pace for the end of the year.

The documents below will help you plan out your project for NaNoWriMo. Planning is extremely important, not just for NaNoWriMo, but for writing projects in general. However, when the NaNoWriMo challenge begins, you will have to write many words in one day, so you won’t have as much time to think about the process and plan. You just have to write and see where the story takes you!

Make a copy of this document and fill it out as you brainstorm. If you are ready to begin outlining (or writing), go ahead and create a new document in your writing folder and begin.

NaNoWriMo is a popular, but difficult, writing challenge. Here are some tips other writers give on how to best prepare for it. Feel free to watch these videos if it helps.

Another piece of advice? Check out the NaNoWriMo website. We will be working under the Young Writer's Program.