NaNoWriMo should also be known as "No-Sleep-November." Let's face it, it would be an accurate title for anyone participating in National Novel Writing Month. Sometimes it feels like there is no conceivable way to get enough sleep during NaNoWriMo. As much as I wish that weren't so, it is hard to sleep. It's especially hard if you have other things to keep up with during NaNo, like school or a job. Both of those things can really get in the way of you meeting your daily word count.
I'm actually about a day's word count behind at the moment. I was significantly more behind than that when I began, so at least I've made progress. It's been a slow day, though, because I was up until two in the morning trying to keep up my word count. I didn't succeed, and I basically sabotaged myself for the rest of the day.
There's a moral to this story. It's this: don't stay up so late trying to keep up your word count that you can't write at all the next day.
It's a very slippery slope. Better to go to sleep, be well rested, and pick up the words you missed from the night before during your writing the next day. It's a lesson I'd learned from previous NaNo, but I've been reminded of it the hard way this week.
SLEEP IS ACTUALLY NECESSARY TO WINNING NANO.
I know. Shocking right? Unfortunately it's the truth. It would be so much faster if we could write and not have to sleep in between.
However, the truth of the matter is that you'll write more when you're well rested. Then you'll be able to think through any issues your plot and characters might throw at you. My mind is woefully slow at the moment, and I've had to plug along at a snail's pace. Do yourself a favor and don't make the same mistake.
Also, if you've managed to get at least a halfway decent amount of sleep, what you're writing will be better constructed and thought out. You're so much less likely to have the issue of a snail-brain due to lack of sleep.
I know I've already talked about how important sleep is during NaNoWriMo. It's crucial to keeping your novel (and you) going for the rest of the month. If you want to make all 50,000 words, you're going to make sure you get enough rest. Now, naps are a perfectly acceptable way to accomplish this. So if you're a napper and feel inclined to write until the wee hours of the morning, have at it! It's not quite as easy for everyone to nap, so the rest of us can just try going to bed a tad earlier. I know that's not an easy task ordinarily for many writers, but it'll be worth it to you to make the effort.
Happy writing and sleep well!
