NaNoWriMo Survival Kit: A Plan for Word Count, Scenes & Sanity

NaNoWriMo asks for 50,000 words in 30 days. That’s ambitious, but it’s workable if you treat November like a light project plan: a clear daily routine, a small scene sketch before each session, and a calm way to recover when life intrudes.

NaNoWriMo Challenge: The Core Math

If the goal is a 50,000 word novel, here’s what you need to achieve each day:

• Baseline: 50,000 ÷ 30 = 1,667 words/day.
• If you can, slightly overfill the first week (1,900–2,100 a day) to build a cushion.
• When you fall behind, recalculate:

New daily target = (50,000 − words written) ÷ days remaining

Example: It’s Nov 8. You’ve written 8,500 words. Days left: 22.

(50,000 − 8,500) ÷ 22 ≈ 1,886/day.

Two 25-minute sprints and a 40-minute push usually lands you near that number.

A recalc isn’t a verdict; it’s a steering wheel. Use it anytime the plan drifts.

NaNoWriMo Weekly Rhythm

Thinking in weeks is kinder than obsessing over single days.

• Mon, Tue, Thu: draft-heavy. Hit your full daily count. No editing. End mid-scene so tomorrow starts fast.
• Wed: draft-light + seed the following two scenes. Ten minutes of scene notes buys you momentum later.
• Fri: catch-up or bank. Close gaps if you’re behind; if not, add 200–400 words to the cushion.
• Sat: optional power block. One more extended session for a tent-pole chapter.
• Sun: reset. Quick audit, recalc if needed, and schedule your exact writing windows for the week.

Sample week

Mon 1,700 • Tue 1,800 • Wed 1,300 + scene seeds • Thu 1,700 • Fri 1,900 • Sat 2,200 • Sun 900 + reset

~11,500 for the week—enough to absorb an off day.

NaNoWriMonth Scenes, Habits, and Tips

Fast Scene Architecture (3–5 notes and go)

Blank pages don’t need inspiration; they need edges. Before each session, jot a handful of cues:

• What your POV character wants right now.
• What gets in the way.
• How the pressure increases.
• The choice they make.
• What’s different at the end, and a question that nudges the next scene.

Write the cues, set a timer, and draft the scene. Save editing and polishing for December.

Tiny example (romance spark)

She wants to drop off the dog. Her ex is the new vet tech. The dog bolts, forcing them to team up. She accepts his help with strict “no small talk” rules. The dog chooses him; what does she do with that?

Small Writing Habits for Success

• 15:5 entry: 15 minutes on, 5 off, twice. Two short cycles beat one long stall.
• Stop mid-sentence: Tomorrow’s start writes itself.
• Keep a seed list: Ten one-line scene ideas to grab when you’re tired (“unexpected ally asks a favor,” “letter arrives with the wrong name,” “mentor reveals a selfish reason”).
• Dialogue skeletons: If stuck, write only the dialogue, then sprinkle action later.
• Two-line recap: End each session with what changed and what the next scene must prove.

If you want extra spark, keep a short list of NaNoWriMo prompts handy – they can work beautifully and seed a few scene ideas before bed.

Falling Behind? Here’s How to Catch up.

Mini-streaks (weekday friendly).

Three 20-minute sprints per day for three days. 350–450 words per sprint ≈ 3,000–4,000 recovered.

Weekend wave (protect one day).

A 90-minute block + a 60-minute block + a 30-minute tidy. At 800–1,000 words/hour, you’ll net ~2,300–2,900; add a small Sunday session to clear 4,000+.

Bank & glide (low stress).

Add +250 words to your daily plan for ten days. Quietly recovers ~2,500 without a big push.

Pick one, recalc, move on.

Three Scene Goals

Conflict-first

A simple goal meets immediate friction, the stakes rise, and the character makes a pressured choice that creates a more challenging new goal.

Discovery

Exploration leads to a concrete clue, the meaning flips, and the character chooses whether to conceal or reveal—locking them into a new responsibility.

Cliff reset

Drop in after a big off-page event. Consequences snowball, a new variable crashes in, the character acts anyway, and you end mid-action, so tomorrow starts hot. Learn even more about story climaxes here.

Treat these as scaffolding and swap in specifics from your story.

General NaNoWriMo Guardrails for Sanity

• Define “good enough” for the day: one written scene.
• During writing windows, no negotiation—phone in another room.
• Reward small wins: tea, a walk, a chapter of someone else’s book.
• One-sentence journal: “Today I learned X about my protagonist.” Keeps you attached.
• Light community check-in once a week—word count, a favorite line, or a lesson learned.

A 15-minute Sunday Reset

1. Tally your total and notice which scenes flowed.
2. Recalculate if you’re off pace.
3. Seed 2–3 upcoming scenes with quick cues.
4. Block Monday to Thursday writing windows by start/stop time.
5. Open Monday’s doc, paste the cues at the top, and type half a sentence you’ll finish tomorrow.

From The November Draft to Polishing

November is for raw clay. December shapes it. Here’s a quick guide on polishing your work.

• Week 1: decompress + read. No line edits; margin-note patterns (repeats, flat spots, emerging themes).
• Week 2: story spine. For each act, check goal → obstacle → choice → change. Any missing step becomes a target for rewriting.
• Week 3: scene triage. Mark Keep / Fix / Cut and list missing beats.
• Week 4: character pass. Desire, wound, tactics—do they evolve? Let dialogue reflect the shifts.
• Week 5: world/continuity. Names, timelines, rules; fill research stubs.
• Week 6: rewrite plan. Set 3–5 milestones and a timeline. If you use beta readers, write 8–10 focused questions (where did you skim, what felt inevitable, who surprised you).

Learn more about editing your NaNoWriMo manuscript.

Final note

Be consistent, not perfect. Protect your writing windows, sketch your scenes, recalculate your word count needs without drama. Momentum likes a head start.

Good luck to all of those working on writing a manuscript during NaNoWriMo. RESPECT!