We’re Team Stellify (Sandra Proudman and Shannon A. Thompson) and this is our Pitch Wars MG manuscript wishlist! We’re on the lookout for all the MG science fiction, romance, fantasy, horror, contemporary, retellings, gothic, STEM and more! Especially from marginalized voices!

DOWNLOAD THE ACCESSIBLE, PLAIN VERSION OF OUR WISHLIST BY CLICKING HERE

If you’re here, you’re likely familiar with Pitch Wars. But if you’re not…Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer to spend three months revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more. Learn more at PitchWars.org.

P.S. Since you’re likely reading this, shout-out to you, our Future Mentee! Let’s get ready to rumble!

ABOUT SHANNON

Shannon A. Thompson is the bestselling author of the Bad Bloods series and the Timely Death trilogy. When she is not writing, she is climbing rooftops, baking cookies, or watching KDramas in the middle of the night, often done with her cats by her side. She is represented by Katelyn Uplinger at D4EO Literary Agency. Thompson graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in English with an emphasis on creative writing. Visit her blog for writers and readers at www.ShannonAThompson.com.

You can learn more about her on: Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter              

Find her books on: Amazon / Goodreads / Author Website / Barnes & Noble

ABOUT SANDRA

Sandra Proudman is a Mexican American writer of young adult and middle grade stories with unabashed Latinx protagonists. She grew up in Northern California where she studied journalism and creative writing. She is a Pitch Wars and DiverseVoices, Inc. mentor, was a Marketing and Publicity Intern at Latinx in Publishing, and will be creating blogs for #LatinxPitch. In her free time, she enjoys helping marginalized creators with their submission materials, mentoring writers of color, jumping onto Zoom calls with writer friends, and taking care of her adorable newborn.

Sandra is represented by Hannah Fergesen of KT Literary. Before signing with Hannah, she was in Pitch America ’17 and Query Kombat ’18. This is Sandra’s third year mentoring Pitch Wars. Both her former mentees have landed at wonderful agencies.

You can learn more about her on: Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter

BOOKS WE LOVE SIMILAR TO OUR WISHLIST:

Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Ana on the Edge by A.J. Sass

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

MOVIES WE LOVE:

Coco

Kiki’s Delivery Service

ParaNorman

Raya and the Last Dragon

Sky High

Super 8

The BFG

The Goonies

The Labyrinth

Weathering With You

TV SHOWS WE LOVE:

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Cobra Kai

His Dark Materials

Never Have I Ever

Mr. Iglesias

Outer Banks

Sailor Moon

Secrets of Sulphur Springs

Stranger Things

Umbrella Academy

FUN FACTS FROM SHANNON:

I published my first novel at 16.

I’ve lived in six states: Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Georgia, Kansas, and Missouri.

During the day, I work at The Story Center, which is a grant-funded project that brings equal opportunity storytelling courses to Kansas City via the library.

I leave half-empty water glasses everywhere, just like the girl in SIGNS. I also consistently throw away spoons. This is not fixable.

I have narcolepsy, and it often causes hypnopompic hallucinations, which I use as inspiration to write!

FUN FACTS FROM SANDRA:

I just had a baby! He is adorable, but it also means I’m typically writing on the Notes app at 2 a.m.!

I have sold photography prints worldwide.

My favorite hike in the world is trekking up a dormant volcano at Lassen Volcanic National Park.

I make a mean banana bread loaf (with chocolate chips, of course!).

CLICK HERE TO SEE PART II OF OUR WISHLIST THAT INCLUDES WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR ON SHANNON’S WEBSITE!!! :]

We’re Team Snickersnee (Sandra Proudman and Shannon A. Thompson) and this is our Pitch Wars YA manuscript wish-list! We’re on the lookout for all the YA science fiction, romance, fantasy, horror, contemporary, retellings, gothic, and STEM! Especially from marginalized voices!

If you’re here, you’re likely familiar with Pitch Wars. But if you’re not…Pitch Wars is a mentoring program where published/agented authors, editors, or industry interns choose one writer to spend three months revising their manuscript. It ends in February with an Agent Showcase, where agents can read a pitch/first page and can request to read more. Learn more at PitchWars.org.

P.S. Since you’re likely reading this, shout-out to you, our Future Mentee! Let’s get ready to rumble!

ABOUT SHANNON

Shannon A. Thompson is the bestselling author of the Bad Bloods series and the Timely Death trilogy. When she is not writing, she is climbing rooftops, baking cookies, or watching KDramas in the middle of the night, often done with her cats by her side. She is represented by Katelyn Uplinger at D4EO Literary Agency. Thompson graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in English with an emphasis on creative writing. Visit her blog for writers and readers at www.ShannonAThompson.com.

You can learn more about her on: Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter              

Find her books on: Amazon / Goodreads / Author Website / Barnes & Noble

ABOUT SANDRA

Sandra Proudman writes young adult and middle grade stories with unabashed Latinx protagonists. She lives in California with her awesome husband and hanging-on-by-a-thread houseplants. In the time of COVID, when she’s not at her day job—where she’s a graphic designer and marketing coordinator—you can find her baking banana bread, on zoom with writer friends, and working on home improvements.

Sandra is represented by Hannah Fergesen of KT Literary. Before signing with Hannah, she was in Pitch America ’17 and Query Kombat ’18.

You can learn more about her on: Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter

BOOKS WE LOVE SIMILAR TO OUR WISHLIST:

Contagion by Erin Bowman

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera

Labyrinth Lost/Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordova

Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

The Kingdom by Jess Rotherberg

Want/Ruse by Cindy Pon

Wicked Fox by Kat Cho

Wilder Girls by Rory Powers

MOVIES WE LOVE:

Aliens

Annihilation

Arrival

Ex Machina

Howl’s Moving Castle

Pan’s Labyrinth

The Descent

The Fifth Element

The Girl With All The Gifts

What Happened to Monday

TV SHOWS WE LOVE:

Altered Carbon

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

Hemlock Grove

Memories of Alhambra

My Holo Love

Stranger Things

Supernatural

The 100

The Expanse

FUN FACTS FROM SHANNON:

I published my first novel at 16.

I’ve lived in six states: Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Georgia, Kansas, and Missouri.

During the day, I work at The Story Center, which is a grant-funded project that brings equal opportunity storytelling courses to Kansas City via the library.

I leave half-empty water glasses everywhere, just like the girl in SIGNS. I also consistently throw away spoons. This is not fixable.

I have narcolepsy, and it often causes hypnopompic hallucinations, which I use as inspiration to write!

FUN FACTS FROM SANDRA:

I have sold photography prints worldwide.

My favorite hike in the world is trekking up a dormant volcano at Lassen Volcanic National Park.

I am growing an avocado tree! Just 10+ more years to go till it bears fruit! 

I recently learned that outlines are a writer’s best friend (no regrets)

I make a mean banana bread loaf (with chocolate chips, of course!).

CLICK HERE TO SEE PART II OF OUR WISHLIST THAT INCLUDES WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR ON SHANNON’S WEBSITE!!! :]

These are strange and hard times in the world, and it’s really had me thinking back to the KT Literary Retreat I had the privilege of attending at the end of February, which was one of the best times I’ve had in a long time!

Whenever a querying writer asks me how to choose an agent, or if they think a certain agent might be a good fit for them, I tell them to look at the agency as much as the agent they’re considering signing with.

Just like not all agents are the right fit for you, not all agencies are, either. I am so happy to say that I have both a stellar agent and am part of a stellar agency, filled with people who care about the people they represent as much as their books. I would not change them for anything!

One of the things that makes KT Literary so special is it’s bi-annual retreat, during which clients and staff gather to talk about the industry. I wanted to share a little bit of what I learned and what we did during the retreat.

The retreat itself was split up into free writing sessions and structured lessons and lots of good food and great company. Around thirty or forty writers represented by the agency attended and it amazing getting to meet and talk to so many writers! A dream, really!

Three highlights from my trip and what I learned:

MEETING MY AGENT & CONNECTING WITH MY AGENT SIBS

My agent, Hannah Fergesen, is amazing. It was the first time we met in person, so that was at times nerve-wrecking (’cause eep, of course you want to make a good impression on your agent!) and ultimately fabulous since she was so wonderful and welcoming. If you write speculative fiction for any age group, don’t forget to query her!

If you’re a new writer, or newly signed with an agent, I also can’t recommend enough connecting with your agent siblings! Getting to know other writers who likely write in a similar genre or style as you I think is so vital to finding support in this community! It was amazing to get to be able to meet some of my agent sibs in person and celebrate our love for stories together! We even now have a Discord we chat constantly on to support one another and problem solve. And, of course, share pet pictures with one another!

LEARNED SO MUCH FROM OTHER WRITERS AND INDUSTRY LEADERS

As an unpublished author it was so amazing to get to learn from writers who are on their seventh, eighth, tenth book releases. I left the retreat so motivated to join their ranks one day! It was also a great experience to have all the agents in the agency together, talking about the industry and sharing their knowledge with the group.

Below are 5 takeaways that I found super interesting:

• Shorter books are in now that printing books has gotten more and more expensive. So dust off your 70k manuscripts, and don’t fret if you’re not getting 100k.
• No matter how much money you spend on swag, giveaways, a publicist, your novel’s success is mostly all about luck; when it comes down to it, there’s plenty of things that go into success for your book, how salespeople in your publisher react to it, if book sellers are passionate about your book, where it is in your publisher’s catalog, etc., etc.
• NA is really unlikely to be a thing. Readers usually read up an age group, which is why NA has had such a difficult time getting established in the market. If you’re writing something you’d consider NA, you’re likely going to be going after the adult market.
• IP projects are becoming more and more popular.
• The shelf life of YA novels with a book seller is about four months, while MG is longer, which is why some authors are now going after the MG market.

FOUND THE MOTIVATION TO KEEP ON WRITING, EVEN WHEN MET WITH A HARD REALITY OF HOW DIFFICULT THE INDUSTRY IS

It’s a true testament to KT how honest and yet inspirational the retreat was. If you’ve been in the industry, whether already published or not, you know that becoming a published author, and continuing to be able to publish books, is anything but simple or easy. It takes stubborn determination as much as talent. The agents at KT at no point shied away from that fact. And yet, I came away from the retreat more motivated than ever.

Maybe your agency doesn’t have a retreat. But it doesn’t mean you can’t connect with other writers at your agency. Connect, find friends, and support one another!

What I’ve found important, is always to continue to write, and to continue to surround yourself with other writers who will motivate and support you, and to have an agent and agency that will do the same.

I hope if you’re thinking of querying an agent at KT, you do. And on a personal level, I hold this trip dear to my heart, as it might be the last one I take for a while.

Also worth noting, that these are my own thoughts and speculations.

Mmmk, now let’s talk four instances of how Dany’s a foil for Arya in Game of Thrones!

To start off with: What is a foil, in the literary sense?

Wikipedia defines a foil as: a character who contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, to highlight particular qualities of the other character. In some cases, a subplot can be used as a foil to the main plot.

I’ve been noticing for a while how Arya and Daenerys (I’ll shorten to Dany) are a foil to each other. There’s a lot of foils in Game of Thrones, but I’ll keep to Arya and Dany since they’re fun!

Now, the real question is: Could Dany’s story be a subplot to Arya’s? Meaning that Arya has been the main character this whole frickin’ time? And GRRM has only been trying to throw us off by highlighting Dany and Jon’s stories so much, as a foil to Arya and Gendry’s.

I think there’s plenty of foil-y evidence to say it’s a possibility.

So let’s compare the two characters and why Arya (and Gendry) might be more fit to rule the Seven Kingdoms than Dany (and Jon).

Arya and Dany both lost their father to the Lanister’s and were forced to flee their home in order to survive. Game of Thrones is ultimately about both of them (and plenty of other characters, though maybe less so) finding their way back home.

Throughout the entire story, both have been slowly working toward their revenge plot against those who wronged their family. But while Dany’s plan has always been to take the Iron Throne back with an army as her revenge, Arya created her kill list, choosing instead to empower herself at a more personal level.

In other words, while Dany found a way for others to fight for her, Arya learned to defend herself (and Gendry/Hotpie/Starks) throughout her journey. Although they both ultimately have the same goal: Kill Cersei. How they’re going about that is completely different. And I think after Season 8 Episode 3, we all might agree that Arya’s the real MVP in the series, dragon-less and all.

Arya and Dany are both in love with bastard (at least initially) hunks who have a claim to throne.

Technically, Roberts Rebellion makes Gendry the heir to the Iron Throne by half-blood. Which is the reason Cersei had all of Robert’s bastards murdered in Season1. If he turns out to be the legitimate son of Cersei and Robert, as some have speculated, he could be fully in the running for the Iron Throne without needing to be legitimized.

Dany is trying to reclaim the throne. But Jon is still her predecessor there. But when both Gendry and Jon reveal their true identity in the same episode to these two leading ladies, Arya and Dany react completely opposite.

Dany immediately jumps the gun and thinks of the worst possible outcome: I can’t be with Jon because he has a claim to the throne and he’ll take it from me. Meanwhile, the one thing that has always stopped Arya and Gendry from ending up together is Gendry’s lowborn status, which in this episode suddenly vanishes. And when Arya finds out, she literally freezes, and then, you know…goes for it!

I loved how the creators did something very subtle to support this foil: Both Gendry and Jon call Arya and Dany by their first names as a form of telling them they are equals.

But while Jon does it, in a way, to uproot Dany, who already told Jon she doesn’t want to be called Dany, Gendry does it to finally refer to Arya in the way she wants. He FINALLY calls Arya by her first name instead of mi’lady right before they kiss!

While the equality between the couples distances Dany from Jon, it’s what finally allows Arya to have the courage to pursue Gendry (because at the point she knows that he can put his whole “you’d be mi’lady” thing aside).

Let’s not even get into the whole one of these involves incest, the other doesn’t.

A song of ice and fire.

One of my favorite foil scenes between these two ladies happens in Season 8 Episode 1, and they are back to back scenes. The first is Dany and Jon taking a ride on their dragons. They land in Jon’s old hunting grounds, and they have an exchange. Jon mentions that it’s cold, and Dany replies somewhere along the lines of “Keep your queen warm, then.” I LOVE the example of juxtaposition between this scene and the next Arya and Gendry scene. Where Gendry says Winterfell isn’t a bad place to grow up if it wasn’t so cold, and Arya responds by saying: “Stay close to that forge then.” It’s something so subtle, but it works to show how different these two woman are from each other.

Furthermore here, we can look at Arya and Dany’s weapons of choice. Although we could say that Jon might just be a Song of Ice and Fire because he fights with both dragon fire and Valeryian Steel, which is also known as frozen fire, and is the son of a Stark and a Targaryen, we could also venture to speculate that since Jon fights with dragon fire now, he’s out of the running to be the ice part in a Song of Ice and Fire.

But Arya, who also fights with Valeryian Steel (frozen fire) can still be fully considered Ice. And Dany of course Fire, since she fights with her dragons.

During The Longest Night/Battle for Winterfell, Dany seems like the likely hero, while Arya, who is the unlikely hero, ends up being Azor Ahai (I would say).

This one is simple, while Dany failed to defeat the Night King with her dragon, Arya succeeded like the assassin she’s studied to be her whole life. Literally becoming the Protector of the Realm. And some (like me) would venture to say, The Prince(ss) Who Was Promised. Could it be a way to foreshadow what will happen in the end?

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we haven’t gotten a single scene yet with Dany and Arya together.

So, while a Song of Ice and Fire has been said to be the story of Dany and Jon, I think it would also make a lot of sense for it to be about Arya (Ice) and Gendry, the Smith (Fire).

Or at that rate, between Arya (Ice) and Dany (Fire), who are the ultimate foil in the story. Considering that it really was these two ladies who saved Winterfell, anyway, there could be something here GRMM has set up beautifully.

Reality, of course, is a more complicated.

So for the real story, read on loves: 

IT STARTED WITH ONE:

I wrote my very first manuscript in 2011, spent years working on it, queried it profusely with a query letter that wasn’t good (I had no idea how to write one!), and accumulated a multitude of form rejections, which I didn’t keep great track of (thank goodness for QueryTracker). I’d estimate the amount at about 80 total. From those 80, and several rounds of revisions on both the manuscript and the query, my first manuscript garnered 1 single request for a full in a two-year time frame. Yup! Two whole years. And one full request.

But that one full request ended up being from a well known agent, who receives tens of thousands of queries a year. And out of all of those, she’d picked mine! It felt amazing! It made me feel like I had a chance! It unfortunately ended in a fairly quick pass, but it was enough to keep me enthusiastically going. If I could get one request, I knew I could get more with my next manuscript! Plus, the agent told me to submit my next project to her!

I KEPT WRITING:

By the time I got that full request and rejection, I’d participated in my first NaNoWriMo, and ended up with a zero draft of a zombie novel I would continue to revise on and off for what felt like forever. I liked the novel. I liked the story. But I wasn’t fully sure who to query with it. The agent who previously passed had said in an interview she didn’t like zombies, so she wasn’t going to be on my list, and I really wanted to have something I could query widely.

Around this time, I discovered Pitch Wars and the YA Twitter family. I learned so much about the industry as I drafted my third manuscript, which I enthusiastically planned to submit to the contest. When the time came, I put together my submission materials, and sent them away, crossing my fingers. Like many others, I didn’t get into Pitch Wars, but I did make many amazing connections! And again, continued to learn so much!

During this time, I also participated in a query and first pages bootcamp and finally learned how to write a decent query, which made a HUGE difference as I began to query my new project. I started to get more requests for fulls than ever before. I eventually submitted that manuscript to Pitch America, which was a miniature version of Pitch Wars, but mostly an agent showcase. One of the things I feared most was not getting a single request for more pages from any agent. The submission garnered a bunch of comments, though, including one from Hannah Fergesen from KT Literary, who I am so excited to say is now my agent!

I submitted the pages to agents, participated in #PitMad and #DVPit, and from those, many turned into full requests. But they all ended up in various versions of passing for various reasons which ranged from it being too dystopian to the agent not connecting with the voice. It did also end up though, with an R&R from Hannah. I bypassed NaNo that year and worked on my R&R. Sent it back to Hannah, who came back and said that it just didn’t seem like the right book to launch with.

At the time, of course I was sad. But I shook it off, and she asked if I had anything else she could read right then. I sent her my first manuscript and then eventually finally finished my zombie book and sent her that one. And those just weren’t right, either. Now at this point you might be thinking: Holy crap that’s depressing. But continuous engagement with Hannah kept me motivated. It seemed like my style was connecting, but I needed to find the right story. So, I kept writing.

I let Hannah know I was working on GHOSTS OF THE VOID, which I was starting from scratch on from an old NaNo project idea, and would send it to her soon. She read it when I finished. Again offered an R&R. I worked for four months on the revision, changing the manuscript from six points of view to one (so intense!), and ended up with a story in a world I fell in love with more than all my others.

I turned in the R&R and then waited nervously to hear back.

IT’LL PAY OFF:

When I got the email from Hannah that she wanted to have a call, it felt amazing!

We hopped on The Call the same day I got the email, during which Hannah talked to me about changes she thought the manuscript still needed, all of which I really connected with. Then I got to ask her a bunch of questions.

After the call, I reached out to a couple of her clients for referrals, who made me even more excited to accept Hannah’s offer! I hadn’t been querying the revision much, but I reached out to the few agents who had my full/or a query and offered a one week turnaround if they were interested. In the end, I signed with Hannah and KT Literary!

Anytime you reach a milestone, it’s easy to look back and see how you got there. For me, there were a lot of pages, lots of lost nights in chapters that would ultimately not make the cut, and a lot of rejection. But because of all that, I got better. Much better.

And it just goes to show how important it is to build a relationship with agents who offer R&R’s to you! And how important it is to keep writing, keep querying, and keep your chin up!

Many people will be querying for their first time, or may be querying for a second, third, fourth, seventh manuscript. 

I’ve sent out more queries than I probably care to admit…but I’ve learned so much along the way. And I wanted to share 10 tips for a stronger query! 

ELIMINATE THE WHY?/HOW? I participated in a query bootcamp last year, and the agent that I worked with wrote Why? throughout my query. It was such an eye opener! The number one goal now when I write a query is to eliminate any chance for an agent/editor to ask Why? a certain fact is how it is. Or why a certain character makes a certain choice. i.e. Samantha is a vampire with a soul who goes on a secret mission. Well: Why/how did Samantha turn into a vampire? How did Samantha lose her soul? Why is she going on a secret mission? And what is this secret mission? 

DON’T BE VAGUE: This one definitely lends itself to cracking Tip #1. There’s no reason to be vague in a query. Being mysterious isn’t really a good thing. It’s okay to reveal some juicy info that a reader won’t find out until the last chapter to an agent/editor you’re trying to hook. And you want to be as specific as you can so that your query makes sense.

IT’S OKAY NOT TO INCLUDE EVERY STANDARD PART OF A QUERY: I spent so much time stressing out about my bio when I started querying. It’s okay not to include one at all! Focus on telling an agent/editor about your story. You also don’t have to include a note on why you’re pitching said agent/editor.

ASK A FEW PEOPLE TO READ YOUR QUERY LETTER: Having at least five other people read your query is so key. You NEED the feedback. Trust me. You may think you’ve written the perfect query and then someone will spot a mistyped word you’ll be shocked to know you missed!

FOCUS ON YOUR STORY: I’ve been seeing a lot of agents on Twitter post the crazy things people include in their queries. Like commenting on how an agent looks. Guys, this is a professional cover letter. Don’t be weird. And don’t be rude or mean or demeaning to someone you’re asking to consider you for a business partner.

COMP TITLES: My biggest suggestion here is to read widely! You’ll be surprised how comp titles start coming to you when you read and keep track of books within your genre.  You can also compare your writing to that of another author. Even a feeling another book gave you. It’s perfectly okay to say your MS is written in a similar voice as X, Y, and Z.

ONLY USE THE NAMES OF THREE CHARACTERS: I love this rule of thumb! Only using the names of three characters, which are usually your MC, your antagonist, and your romantic lead, helps you figure out Tip #8!

CHOOSE ONE STORYLINE: How do you condense a novel that’s 50,000-120,000 words down to one page? UGH! So hard sometimes! The biggest thing is to focus on your turning points. Set the stage with your MC’s wants and your setting. Then describe the turning point that sends your MC down X path and mission. And then describe the challenges your MC faces to get their mission done. And finally describe the consequences your MC will face if they fail. And what they’ll get if they’re victorious.

IT’S OKAY TO DESCRIBE YOUR WORLD FIRST: A lot of people will tell you to start with your main character. But there are times when you NEED to describe your world first so that the rest of your query to make sense. That’s OK!

USE YOUR QUERY TO REALIZE YOU MAY NOT BE READY TO QUERY: I wish I’d have known this before when I first started to query. My query for my first manuscript was A MESS! And the reason was because there was too much going on in the manuscript itself. If you’re finding you can’t make your query concise enough any way you turn it, it’s time to relook at your manuscript. And it’s a good thing to do this before your start to query!

Whelp! I think that’s all I have for today. I hope that these query tips have helped you in any small way. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to chat me up on Twitter @sandraproudman!

And as we enter #DVPit: 

Eeep! It’s that time of the year again. One day from now will be the start of NaNoWriMo 2017!

I am a HUGE advocate of NaNo. For any newbies, or for anyone who simply wants some tips for getting to the big 50k, keep reading…here’s my 10 tips to help you get there and keep going:

1. Set BIGGER goals. There are 30 days in November, which means your total daily word count goal is 1,667. Rounding up to 1,700 words, or even 2,000 words, will help 1,667 not feel so overwhelming.
2. If you’re like me and have a a full-time job, you’re likely to fall behind during the week. If you miss your goal during one weekday, you can make up during the weekend. DON’T STOP BECAUSE YOU MISS A DAY. You’ll fluctuate. And that’s perfectly normal. One day, you may write 500 words, the next, you’ll be in the zone and do 7,000. It evens out. Just keep going…
3. OK, so this one may go against some of what you’ve already read. But EDIT AS YOU GO. A lot of people will say to write, write, write your hands off. Editing can be a PAIN, though, once you’re done. Editing as you go, will help you have to proof less later. Also, you’ll be amazed at how many words you add as you go back and flesh out chapters you’ve already started.
4. Plot ahead of time. Whether you write it down or not (I’m a pantser), knowing where to go next is key to helping you put in your word count.
5. Be okay with writing out of order. If you get stuck at the beginning of your MS, write the ending, or the middle, or any scene that you can see clearly that day.
6. Daydream when you’re not writing. Get stuck in a scene one day? Think about it when you’re not writing; in the shower, waiting in line somewhere, the five minutes it takes you to fall asleep. BRAINSTORM BEFORE YOU TO GET TO YOUR KEYBOARD.
7. Don’t feel like you have to write on your computer. You can always write on the Notepad on your phone or carry around a notepad to write when you get a chance.
8. And don’t feel like you need to work on just on MS. If you get stuck on one story, work on another, you’re likely never to miss a day of writing.
9. This one may be obvious, but HAVE FUN. Taking the pressure off succeeding to remember why you’re participting, will help a ton.
10. KEEP GOING PAST DAY 30. Let’s face it, unless you’re writing middle grade, 50K words is not going to be a full draft. NaNoWriMo is a training exercise. Take the challenge, but then forget it’s part of a challenge.

At the end of November, remember to celebrate whether or not you reach the 50k. Keep going! The whole point of NaNo is to help you establish your writing habit :]