Guest Blogger for NaNo - Reina Pennington

Continuing with more guest bloggers, Reina asked if she could participate. She comes with a deep background and an obvious record of success! I can't wait to hear more about her work, and love her list of things to do to get off to a good start!

I I wasn't sure I'd join NaNoWriMo 2020, but today I'm glad I did.  I'm drawing on my background as an Air Force intelligence officer and Soviet analyst to write a novel about the Eastern Front. It was great to spend today back in the Great Patriotic War with Soviet fighter pilots!

I managed to "win" NaNo five years out of the past six. My day job as a teacher is taking almost all my energy this year, but my novel just had to come off the back burner in November. I may be a "NaNo Rebel" in the year of COVID-- I can't commit to 50K this time around--but I can commit to doing a little something every day for a month.  

Here are my three tips for a quick start:

• Use the Daylight Savings Time shift to your advantage (best for early risers). I stay on the old clock for a week or two for bedtime and rising. That gets me up and writing an hour earlier. That's my NaNoWriMo hour even if there's no other time in the day.
• Plan & prep. Doesn't matter if you're a planner or pantser -- I'm not talking about your writing project, but your life. Reduce all possible friction that will get in your way. Plan a schedule, carve out those writing hours, and hold them sacred. Prepare your life and your space to keep your writing top priority. Stock up your pantry and freezer, keep a list of quick and easy meals, and/or have a meal plan. If you need a clean desk, shove everything you don't need into a box and hide it a closet until December.  Get whatever distracts you out of your way, and keep whatever helps you close at hand (coffee! Indian Monsooned Malabar for me!). 
• Rituals, Rewards, and Tools. Ritual draws a line in the sand between writing time and the rest of your life. Light a candle, wear writing-time-only special cozy clothes, use a special mug, whatever makes writing a little more special.  Reward yourself for achieving goals. For me, it's one Sanders Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel for every thousand words I write, and a fountain pen from my wish list for bigger milestones. Use the tools that get you there faster; mine are a Filco mechanical switch keyboard, Scrivener, Aeon Timeline, and the Pomodoro technique.

Good luck with NaNoWriMo or whatever writing you're doing! You can find me on NaNoWriMo as "NUHistorian," or check out my web site at http://www.reinapennington.com.