It’s finally November! Put down that leftover Halloween candy and start writing!

This is your chance to take all those careful notes you made about plot twists and character traits and... rip them all up.

Just kidding (mostly).

But this is your chance to stop planning and start doing the hard, wonderful, and wild work of noveling—actually, ya know, writing the novel.

Stuck on the first word? Close your eyes and write the first thing that comes into your head. “When Lucy woke up in the middle of the night, her lamp had changed into a one-eyed owl.” Boom. That’s what my brain came up with just now when I tried. (Side note: brains are weird.)

Remember, your inner editor is banished for all of November! That means no deleting, no worrying about whether or not what you just wrote is any good. NaNoWriMo is about writing a ton, not about getting it all perfect the first try, so don’t let yourself stress over every sentence.

For the month of November, the only voice you hear in your head should be the one cheering you on: Yes! That’s an amazing paragraph! Woohoo! You’re doing a fantastic job!

And when you finally reach your daily word-count goal? Pick up that leftover Halloween candy, pop a handful of M&Ms in your mouth, and keep writing! The world needs your story.

Marya Brennan, Young Writers Program Manager