What if we told you that you had 30 days to write a book? Would you laugh and say that it’s not possible? Or would you roll up your sleeves and get to work? Whichever route you’d take, we’re here to help you realize that, if you put your mind to it, you actually can use the month of November to write a book.

If you’re unfamiliar, this 30-day window to write a book is commonly referred to as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This month-long event challenges writers from all corners of the Earth to write a book in a month.

If you’re up to the challenge, check out our three tips to get started.

Accept the challenge.

Write a book in 30 days? Sounds intimidating, right? Wrong. It’s only intimidating if you allow it to be! Rather than anxiously worrying about whether or not this is feasible, we’re encouraging you to put your fears aside and accept the challenge. As a writer, you’re a creative person and you have the tools – including a strong imagination— working in your favor to complete the task. Use this creativity and tenacity to your advantage and make this a NaNoWriMo to remember!

Reverse engineer the contest.

You know the goal is to write a book in 30 days, but rather than think about it all at once, reverse engineer the goal and attack it piece-by-piece. When you look at a significant task all at once, it can be daunting and can feel like you’ll never get it done. But when you break that goal down into smaller, more digestible pieces, you’ll quickly realize how easy it is to make progress. For NaNoWriMo, we suggest that you set a daily goal for yourself that’ll put you on the fast track to completion. Set yourself up for success by creating smaller goals that you know you can achieve and start adding to them. Before you know it, November will be over and you’ll be sitting there with the first draft of your book in front of you.

Put your fears to the side.

Writing can be scary. And writing a book that we plan to publish and share with the public can be even scarier. But, would you rather take a chance and chase after your dreams than live with the regret of not pursuing your goals and living with the what ifs? The point is that you should never let your fears dictate your life. You only get one, and if a lifelong dream of yours is to become an author, then today is the day to start taking the necessary steps to making it a reality.

November is already underway, so there’s no time like the present to start your NaNoWriMo writing efforts. Good luck!

Copyright Dorrance Publishing, 2017