For many of us, it's almost holiday break, which means more time for sleeping in, watching some classic seasonal movies, and (you guessed it)... writing! 

Here are NaNoWriMo's five tips for staying creative all through 2018:

1. Set a new personal challenge to run throughout your break.

2. Start revising your NaNoWriMo novel.

If you feel ready, why not start revising your NaNoWriMo novel? You can choose an excerpt (a small piece) to revise, or work on the whole shebang. Here are a few resources to help you revise:

Revising and Publishing Activities from our Novelist Workbooks 

• Elementary
• Middle School
• High School

Revision Articles from the NaNo Blog

• A 7 Step Guide to Big Picture Revision (with Bonus Checklist!)
• 6 Ways to Approach Your Edits with Objectivity
• A Road Map for Revising Your Novel
• 7 Tips to Help You Self Edit Your Novel
• How to Tell the Difference Between Constructive and Destructive Feedback

And if you're an educator, check out the post-November lessons in the Common Core-aligned curriculum.

(Look for more revising and publishing tips during our Now What? months in January and February.)

3. Try your hand at haiku.

Take a detour and nurture your creativity in a different kind of way. At NaNoWriMo, we normally go big—now's your chance to go small! Learn about how to write haiku. 

A leaf falls.
NaNo ends, but not
your story.

Send holiday or New Year messages to people you care about. Maybe even try out some of these nifty DIY cards! Or, keep it simple: fold card stock or construction paper in half, write on the inside, and collage the front. I love illustrations or text from old books, but you could use photos, fancy tape, wrapping paper—anything you like! 

5. Connect with other writers.

Bored over break? Check out the YWP forums! Share the first line of your novel, or just chat about how fabulous it is to sleep in late.