There are many things that you could do as a writer to prepare yourself for the July NaNoWriMo. It is no different than any other writing endeavour that you commit to. The important part is to commit yourself to this and to work until you get your goal accomplished. As I mentioned yesterday, the overall word count can be fluid and vary with this challenge. All you have to do is to make up your mind and write each and every day for a certain amount of time. But how can you prepare yourself to do this emotionally and psychologically. Here are a few tips: 1. Make sure that you tell all of your family members that you will be undergoing this challenge and make sure that your family members honour your time at your desk. 2. You may want to set a specific time every day to do your writing. Keep it consistent. That way your family may eventually understand when you go to your desk during these times. Consistency is the key. 3. You may want to create a time when you’re alone and most of your family is either away or asleep. For myself, I LOVE writing first thing in the morning. When I participated in the NaNoWriMo in November, I woke up two hours before others family members did. That way I did a LOT of writing before they even woke up. 4. Plot your progress on a chart close to where you are working. This will motivate you to continue. At the end of the day, mark your progress in terms of words or pages. At the end of the week, tally up your overall progress. It will really make you feel good and every time you enter your office to write, you will be reminded of how successful you can be. Hopefully, some of these pointers will help you to keep your goals in line with your motivations and overall successes. ~ Happy Writing, ~ Irene