We’re officially in Week 4 of Prep Month, which means November is right around the corner. Whether you're joining our Story Craft challenge or taking on your own version of a November writing marathon (because NaNoWriMo is so last season ✨), this is the time to get everything in place so you hit the ground running on the 1st.
November will be packed with virtual write-ins, check-ins, weekly motivation sessions, and community encouragement, but your future self will thank you if you prep now instead of scrambling on Day One.
Start With Author Self-Care (or You’ll Burn Out by Week 2)
A productive writing month only works if you do. Some people meal prep, but I prefer stocking up on easy, ready-to-make meals so I don’t waste creative energy cooking. I also keep my 40oz water bottle topped up at all times, and have handy timers to keep myself on track with medication, water refills, and meals.
Consider creating a personal checklist that includes:
- Taking your medication (especially if missing it wrecks your day)
- Hydration goals
- Sleep shutdown reminders
- Break/stretch sessions
- Daily word count targets (with room for bad days)
My Go-To Writing Tools for November
Here are my personal must-haves to stay focused, organised, and actually productive throughout a writing challenge:
Scrivener (Paid | Mac, Windows, iOS)
My ride-or-die. It has scene cards, chapter cards, outlines, session targets, name generators, dialogue focus, and more. It syncs perfectly through Dropbox, so I can move between PC and iPad with zero stress.
Cold Turkey Micromanager (Free + Paid Upgrade | Windows/Mac)
If you’re chronically distractible (hello ADHD), Micromanager locks down your PC for a set time, only allowing whitelisted apps. I whitelist Scrivener and ProWritingAid, then write, write, write! They also offer Writer, which keeps your PC locked until you hit your writing goal. Interested in my experience with Micromanager? I wrote about it here.
TrackBear (Free | Web)
We’re using it for Story Craft, but it’s brilliant year-round. It tracks productivity trends and has leaderboards so you can fuel your progress with a little healthy competition. You can set goals per project and set your own personal goals to maintain your writing pace year round.
Bonus Writing Apps & Tools I Swear By
These aren’t essential for writing sessions themselves, but they’ll absolutely make your writing life easier:
- Atticus (Paid | Web): Makes book formatting quick, affordable, and pretty painless. Want to learn more? I wrote about Atticus here!
- Kindle Create (Free | Amazon): Fast formatting option. Not as customisable as Atticus, but lightning fast for simple books.
- ProWritingAid (Free + Paid): A stronger, more genre-aware alternative to Grammarly. Definitely watch for Black Friday deals. You can grab PWA as a monthly sub or lifetime, and there's a free version that has some limitations.
- Spirit City (Paid | Steam): It’s essentially a productivity to-do list in the form of a cosy gamified room with spirits. Judge me all you want, it works.
- OhWrite (Free | Web): Real-time writing sprints with strangers or friends.
- Canva (Free + Optional Pro): Not a writing app, but perfect for making quick social graphics, book promo assets, covers, bookmarks, and aesthetic boards. If you need Canva templates for authors, I sell them, too - designed with indie authors in mind!
How to Hit Your Word Count This November (Without Melting Down)
Whether you’re joining our live events or writing solo in your own writerly cave with a questionable caffeine threshold, here are practical ways to boost your word count and stay consistent:
Writing Sprints
Set a timer (10 mins, 20 mins, 1 hour... whatever works), write without stopping or editing, and track your word count. Do them alone or join sprint sessions with a group.
Writing Crawls
A fun, themed series of mini challenges (e.g. “Write for 5 minutes, now stretch”, “Write 200 words while your character argues”). We’ll be releasing our own themed crawls at the start of November, including self-care crawls and horror crawls!
5-Minute Sprints (aka 50 Headed Hydras)
The goal is 500 words in 5 minutes. Can you hit that? Maybe, maybe not, but even hitting 100 words in five minutes repeatedly adds up fast. These are fantastic for silencing your inner editor and building speed.
Writing Prompts
We’ll have plenty of prompts ready throughout November so you’re never stuck staring at a blank page. Grab one and go. If you aren't taking part in Story Craft, then just Google some prompts! There are tons of them out there.
Final Thoughts (Before We Jump Into November)
November doesn’t need to feel overwhelming if you prep now. Organise your tools, set your personal boundaries, stock your snacks, and decide how you’re going to track your success.
Got a writing app or productivity hack you swear by? Drop it in the comments! I’m always collecting new tools and love, love, love testing them!
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