If you see this word and are of a certain generation, you might just think Mork from Ork. It was actually Na-Nu Na-Nu, but it’s still what I think about when I see it written.

Anyway, this is an acronym for the National Novel Writing Month – 30 Days and nights of literary abandon! It runs from November 1-30th and many many writers I know not only participate, they complete whole rough drafts of a novel during that time. For more information, check out their website here.

Despite my urgings to move NaNo to March due to the week long break I take to clean house and cook so I can have my entire family over for the Thanksgiving holiday, NaNo is firmly set in the time of Science Fair and PTA Reflections. This is pretty rough – but that’s not an excuse. You can always mentally move NaNo into another month that works best for you, or still do a month of work, just break it down into one week timeframes throughout the year.

I’ve put together a running list of things that I have to do BEFORE I start NaNo – feel free to add to this list – it’s fun to see other ideas.

1. Laundry. Wash every towel, delicate and school spirit t-shirt. Inform family that any “special” item of clothing that needs to be cleaned must be requested BEFORE November 1 and if not, they will have to do laundry themselves. This last part CAN be dangerous, and I must admit I’m a bit controlling when it comes to laundry in the Monroe household.

2. Inform family members and friends what you are doing, and that you’re on an “emergency only” phone status until November 30. During this time, I don’t answer the house phone, but keep my cell phone nearby – people who MUST get a hold of me know that number.

3. Cooking. This is my big time waster because I cannot make meal plans. I just never know what I want to eat for dinner a week ahead. My husband and I usually decide what we’re going to eat in the evening (and who’s going to cook) over the phone in the morning. So I do end up going to the grocery store about every other day, but in NaNo – we stick to a true meal plan (even if I don’t feel like pizza that night). We also eat a lot more frozen foods. And sandwiches, but I also bring out a lot of crockpot meals (which last longer than just one meal). Here’s my favorite crockpot meal – and I’d love to read yours!

Mulligan Stew

Sausage (optional)
Stew Meat
3 Potatoes
Green Beans
Cabbage
2 Roma Tomatoes
Carrots
Celery
2 Cubes Beef Bouillon
Green Onion

Brown meat and throw in crockpot. Prepare veggies as desired and toss in crockpot. Boil two cups of water, add bouillon cubes and pour into crockpot. Heat on high for four hours – easy breezy!

4. Writing – During a NaNo you should be free to absolutely write, so prep work ahead of time might be research, character worksheets and a working synopsis.

5. Have fun with it!

The NaNo might not be the right thing for you at this time – one thing I tell people who ask me how to write a book is that if you write one page a day, just one, you’ll have a book done in a year!

Good luck. I’d love to hear any experiences you might have with a NaNo and don’t forget to share those recipes – I’m always on the lookout for something good!