How to Win NaNoWriMo as a Busy Mom

Welcome to the Moms who Create podcast. I'm your host, kelly Hile, and I am thrilled to share a podcast that celebrates the incredible moms who are pursuing their creative passions. Are you a mom who feels like you just can't balance your creative pursuits with the demands of motherhood? Each week, I'm bringing you interviews with accomplished and talented moms who have made their creative dreams a reality. I talk to writers, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs who have successfully found a way to do what they love while raising the ones they love. Some of the writers I talk to are New York Times bestselling authors, while some are self-published first-time authors. I also share my own insights and resources to help you navigate the unique challenges of being a mom who creates. So, whether you're an early bird or a night owl, a seasoned pro or just starting out, I want you to know that you can pursue your creative passions and be an amazing mom at the same time. Grab a cup of coffee, a notebook and get ready to join our community of like-minded moms who are on a mission to live intentionally and create with purpose. This is the Moms who Create podcast, and I can't wait to share this journey with you. Hi everyone, and welcome back to this week's episode of the Moms who Create podcast. I am very excited about today's episode. We are talking about Nano-Rymo. Now, before I dive in, if you've never heard of Nano-Rymo, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. Now it's technically like a US-based nonprofit I think they're out of Berkeley, california, I believe but every November they host an event and we just call it Nano-Rymo, and it is the month where we try to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. So do you wonder how you could possibly write 50,000 words in just 30 days while juggling the responsibilities of adulthood, motherhood, a full-time job or just all of our normal daily commitments? Well, you're not alone. You're definitely not alone, but you're also in the right place. In this episode, I'm going to dive into a wide range of strategies and tips to help moms like you with children of all ages successfully conquer Nano-Rymo, and I'm going to give you some tips on how to become just a writer in general and perhaps write your very first book. So let's go. Let's first talk about time management. Time management it's probably the biggest hurdle in our mom life at the moment. Right Bombs with little ones at home know that finding quiet writing time can be a real challenge. So let's think of some approaches to how you can fit in writing a book. I laugh when I say fit in writing a book, because that just shows how determined we are, and I love it. Naptimes, the brief moments during your child's nap time, are your oasis of writing opportunity, even if it's just 30 minutes, treasure every word that flows during that sacred window. I should probably add that November is not a normal month. Okay, jumping back to the premise of this episode, you're writing an entire, or almost an entire, book this month. Have grace on yourself, your house and have grace on the laundry. That's giving you the side eye. If you usually use nap time as dishes time and you still want to, okay, cool, either allocate it as writing time now or just let's find another time that works for you. I hope that the early morning or late hours can be so peaceful. Determine whether you're more productive in the early morning or late at night and make these hours your sacred writing times. You're gonna have to give a little for a little, like you're gonna have to give a little more or give a little here in there. Do you think you'd be more productive in the morning or night? Honestly, be honest with yourself and think about it. I tend to save a lot of things until the night, when my daughters go to bed, but realistically, when they go to bed, my brain is just completely zapped and also my creativity is completely zapped. This can really be dependent on what season of life you're in Work, volunteering, a crying newborn, whatever it is. For example, I used to be a night owl. Sometimes I still am depending, but life has me so busy lately that if I want to actually get any extra podcast, book, creative stuff done, it has to be in the morning. Morning tired for me is different from night tired. Can anyone else relate? Does that make sense? I wrote this episode at 6.17 am. That's when I sat down to write it. So choose your tired and lean into that. For childcare assistance, if it's feasible, consider enlisting the help of a family member, friend, a trusted babysitter, just for a few hours this week. This precious gift of undeserved writing time is invaluable. Now Kelly six years ago would say nope, no way. I would rather stay up all night and pound 14 coffees in the morning than let someone else watch my kids. I get it, and if you're like younger me, I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise, because I know how it is. But just try it. Trust me, give yourself a break, man. Speaking of breaks, kids have moments of independent play, independent reading. Notice these breaks and use them to jot down a few sentences or ideas. Every little contribution builds your word count over time. You can go to the NANL website and track your word count, and even seeing it go up like five words is such motivation for me. Find those little pockets of time. Those add up, use them. Moving on to busy schedules Once your kids are in school and have a billion activities and sports, you really have to find time to write right. Here's some thoughts on how to arrange this. Synchronize your schedules. So sync up your writing time with your child's activities while they're at soccer practice, music lessons, gymnastics, any other extracurriculars. Utilize the time in the car or at a nearby cafe or just the sidelines to write. This creative multitasking can be super effective. I've referenced Parkinson's Law before. Basically, it states that the work you have to get done will fill whatever time you have. So, for example, if you have a task that could probably take you 20 minutes but you have an hour to do it, it'll most likely take you an hour If you have 15 minutes to do it. You'll most likely get it done in 15 minutes. When your kids are doing their sports for 45 minutes, tell yourself okay, this 45 minutes is the most important time to finish X amount of words and see what you get done. Set a goal and try to reach it. What about family writing time? Create a designated family writing time. During this period, every family member focuses on their own creative projects. It's not only a positive example, but also an opportunity for family bonding around the art of storytelling or whatever you do together. I'm not at this stage with my kids, as they're still pretty young, but it seems like a brilliant idea, right? Let me know if you have family writing time and tell me how it operates. This next piece might take some early planning, but what about like a weekend retreat? Ask a friend or family member to watch over your kids during this time, or your husband or partner, of course. With a retreat, you can enjoy uninterrupted writing sessions and just recharge your creativity. I'm doing something super fun like this in November and I can't wait to see what I get out of it. More to come on this subject. Okay, full-time working moms. Let's seize the work-life balance For moms who are juggling a full-time job and motherhood, the quest to balance work, family and writing may just seem daunting, right, but conquering nano-riamo is entirely feasible. I've talked to a handful of moms who work full-time and also tackle nano. Two things I've taken away from our chats lunch breaks and weekend writing. Now, depending on your job, your lunch breaks at work can be precious writing moments. If you really focus, this can be a really, really valuable, concentrated time of writing. My illustrator for my last book said she used lunch breaks for her illustrating and I wasn't awe of how much she would draw on those shorts, the amount of time and how beautiful and perfect it was too. Hailey, you're just a beast. Weekend sprints Okay. Reserve your weekends for writing. The weekends usually offer larger chunks of free time, don't they? Have you guys ever done writing sprints? I'm sure a lot of you have. Some people only write during weekends in November and then they do sprints to help them with the scheduling. Sprints okay, they're basically writing sessions where you hone in hard, turn off the world for a certain amount of time, write, you write, write, write, write, write, write, write. You could have a timer and then you just take a small break and then you go back at it Literally sprints, but like in writing form. Does that make sense? So, regardless of your specific circumstances, there are universal tips that apply to all busy moms embarking on the nano-riMo journey. Set realistic goals. Understand that it is unlikely you'll write the full 50,000 words in a single setting. Instead, set achievable daily or weekend word count goals. Smaller, consistent milestones are key to achieving your overall target. Again, you're not going to write a whole book in one setting. I'm a very encouraging, optimistic person and, yeah, you can do absolutely anything, but not that. Let's plan and let's not kill ourselves over a goal. Use writing apps. Consider using specialized writing apps or software such as like Scrivener, google Docs. I mean even a dedicated novel writing software. These tools can help you stay organized, write more efficiently and easily. Just pick up where you left off, whether it's on your phone or your computer when you were in the bathtub, on your tablet, wherever you're writing. On the NanoRymo website, they offer discounts every year for these services and programs. Last year I wanted to try Scrivener and they had a free 30-day trial to see how I liked it. Check on their website for a lot more on this. I'm not affiliated with NanoRymo, sadly, but go check out everything they have to offer on their website. They give you so many resources on this. They're amazing. Right first, edit later. During NanoRymo, the focus should be on getting your ideas on paper without the weight of perfection. Editing can come later. This challenge is all about quantity, not quality, and getting your thoughts out is the primary goal. Don't edit, don't edit. Some do, some don't, but I say don't. It's not 50,000 words of pure literary gold, it's 50,000 words of the first draft of your new book. You can even add in some filler words. Or, if you get to a spot where you're not quite sure what comes next, type I have no idea what happens next and move on, revisit it later. Let's also not forget to reward ourselves. Celebrate small milestones with rewards. Whether it's like a piece of chocolate, like a food, an episode of your favorite show, starbucks, a binge session of reels on Instagram, these little treats can serve as motivating incentives along the whole way. Now I am determined to win this year, so I think I'm going to go ahead and pre-order a NanoRymo winner shirt. That way I know it's coming in like a physical form and if I get it, I don't finish. I'll be like. No, kelly, you already ordered it. I am highly motivated by merchandise. You guys, it's dumb but it works right. Find what works for you and stick with it. Well, that works for me. Lean on your support system. Share your Nano-Rymo journey with your friends or family. Their encouragement and understanding can keep you motivated during your whole journey, providing the extra push that you need to achieve your writing goals. Tell people you're writing and let them root you on. So the key to conquering Nano-Rymo is to break your writing goal into manageable daily or weekly word counts. Aim to write approximately 1,667 words per day and you'll reach 50,000 words by the end of the month. Here's a quick breakdown 1,667 words per day. 11,669 words per week, 50,000 words in 30 days. Stick to your schedule, stay committed and, again, remember that it's okay if your initial draft is a bit rough. It will be. Let's be honest. The focus here again is on quantity, not perfection. You'll revise and refine your work later. If you're new to writing and or considering writing beyond Nano-Rymo and turning your passion into like a long time pursuit, here are some quick additional steps to consider. Read, and read widely. The more you read, the more you'll learn about different writing styles, genres and storytelling techniques. Write regularly. Set aside time for writing even when you're not working on a specific project. Journaling, short stories, personal essays they're all great ways to keep your writing skills sharp. Join writing communities. Connect with other writers, both online and in person. Sharing your work and receiving feedback can be invaluable. The writing community online is full of some of my favorite people. Dive in, connect and network. Learn from the pros. Consider taking writing classes or attending workshops to refine your craft. Learning from experienced writers can totally accelerate your growth. There are in-person workshops and a plethora of online workshops too. Remember, every successful writer begin as a beginner. Embrace the journey, stay dedicated and keep honing your skills. Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. With patience and persistence, you can turn your dream into a reality. Winning Nano-Rymo as a busy mom and just embarking on your journey to become a writer are totally ambitious goals, but they are also so totally achievable, regardless of your stage of motherhood or the demands of your daily life. With careful planning and dedication, you guys can absolutely conquer the challenges and see your creative dreams come to life. Now it's time to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Dude, I'm not writing that. I'm not using a pen, you crazy. Embrace the challenge and take the first steps towards becoming a writer and completing your first book. You've got this, guys. Your dreams of storytelling are well within your reach and I am here supporting you every step of the way. Now go win Nano-Rymo. Thank you so much for listening. I hope I help you on your path of writing art, whatever your creative process is right now. I hope I am here to help you see that through, achieve it and just give you a little boost on your way in your motherhood. Again, thank you so much for listening. Connect with me online on Instagram and Facebook at Mom's who Create Podcast. I'll see you, guys, next week.