BlackSheep's advice on SoCNoC winning.

This time last year, I was just beginning my first attempt at SoCNoC. I had my story ready, a few thousand words written, and I was all set to reach 50,000 words by the end of June. After all, I told myself, I'd already won NaNo twice. How hard could it be?

 Well, you know what they say: pride goeth before a fall. I ended up completely losing interest in my novel before I'd even reached the half way mark. Being the stubborn type, I did force myself to get to 25,000 words so I could at least say I'd done HalfNoC, but in the end I abandoned the project altogether. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't even readable. Overall, I was very disappointed in both the story I had written and in myself for not accomplishing my goal.

 I learned a lot from last June, and went on to win NaNo again by a considerable margin. Now I'm back again to give things another try, and this time, I'm going to use some of my tricks from NaNo to get myself to that 50k. If you're new to SoCNoC, have never completed the 50k challenge, or are just worried about keeping yourself going through the entire month, then here are some suggestions:

1. Talk to people!Anyone who knows about and supports your writing is a good idea (you can also try to talk them into joining you – the more the merrier!), but also join in on the forums a bit more than usual, blog about it, and get involved. Knowing other people know your goal for the month adds an element of obligation to the deal. Plus, it gives you someone to talk to when things go wrong/brilliantly/you want to put off writing for another hour or so.
2. Remind yourself that it's okay to just have fun.Nobody is going to shoot you if you don't reach your goal, and there will be no one looking over your shoulder checking that you're writing a Proper Novel with all due Respect and Seriousness. I don't mean you shouldn't take your novel seriously. Give it your best shot, and by all means, observe the rules of spelling and grammar (and the laws of physics), but remember that it's just a first draft. It's okay to enjoy yourself as well! And with that in mind...
3. You know those games where you have to shoot at things as they pop up, or hit them on the head with mallets? Imagine your inner editor as one of those things. This is YOUR book, and at this point, what you say goes. Every time you hear the dreaded criticism start up in the back of your mind, telling you there's no way you'll get there in time, or that your writing stinks – WHAP! with that mallet and bye bye, Mr. Editor.
4. You've probably heard this before, and no doubt you will again, but having rewards for yourself as you reach each milestone really does help. Whether it's just that you get to stop writing and go and relax for a while, or another chapter of your favourite book, or something yummy to eat, it doesn't matter. All that matters it that you want it – and you don't let yourself have it until you've done what you need to do.
5. Build up momentum.I hate starting writing. I write at least 1000 words per day, and every time I sit down it's the same. I'll just do this, I tell myself. I'll just answer that email, read that blog post,visitthat website... And before I know it it's late and I still haven't written a word. Getting started sucks, but once I get going, those 1000 words usually fly by. It's all about getting that first word – sentence – paragraph – page... It works in another way, too. I just started this 1k-a-day thing this year, and at first it was hell to keep going. But, I told myself, I've already managed 1 day. 2 days. A week. I can't stop now. I'll break the chain. Yeah, it's kind of childish (I never claimed to be mature!) but it helps me to think of it in those terms. Don't break the chain, and eventually you'll find you've met your goal almost without realising it.
6. Even if you can't get 1667 words done in a day, write something. This is something I got from No Plot? No Problem! but I think it's sound advice. If you're having a busy/bad day, it's all right, happens to everyone, but if you just do a little bit, then you can consider it a success. Tell yourself you'll just write 500 words. Even 100 words. Every word helps towards that goal and gives you momentum; you'll be grateful for it later on. And you never know – you might just hit your stride and end up with 2000 words instead!
7. Just write. You know how to do that. I'm fairly sure you're also pretty damn good at it. Ultimately, 50k words is just that: 50k words. Immerse yourself in your story and just write it. You like writing, remember?

I hope you find some of those helpful, and good luck to all of you. See you at the finish line!