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Hello guys, hope you're doing well ^^ PSA: Clocks have gone back in the UK, so if you've got friends here, just remember that they'll be an hour closer to you, or an hour farther from you (in terms of time, the transatlantic distance is still pretty much the same ;P). That is all.

Right, November is fast approaching! And everyone who's taking part in NaNoWriMo knows what that means; time to get our thoughts together to write! Yeah, I know this is like my third NaNoWriMo post in this week alone, but I have to admit that I am super excited to be doing it, after being inspired by a few other friends who are taking part (you guys, you know who you are).

However, after seeing HeadToToesLove's blogpost earlier this week, I thought I'd make a similar blogpost... for university students.

*cue dramatic music*

So, as you might know by now, I'm a university student myself, and I'm taking part in NaNoWriMo. For some, the struggle might not be as hard. But for others.... that might not be the case.

And I am one of the others.

Being a design student, my days range from three hour days to 9-5 sessions in the studio. In all, it does get pretty hectic, and I know that in the month I shall be writing will start getting really hectic for me (because of course, everything has to start picking up the month I decide to take part in a writing challenge. But, it is what it is. So here are some tips and tricks that I intend on using, and hopefully you fellow uni peeps ('the others' or otherwise) can use as well. But really, I guess anyone can use this 'guideline' too, though it's more orientated for university students.

• Plan your story ahead of November 1st.
  Yeah, this might seem like a bit of a shocker for those of you that like to go with the flow of things, but honestly, if you plan your story ahead of time, it will save you so much trouble. It's especially good for reducing chances of a writer's block, simply because you lack content or don't know what to do next. Of course, you'll probably have writer's block anyway, which brings me to the next point,
   
• Have prompts relating to your story's genre in hand.
  It really might seem weird; it isn't. People even make little things called 'NaNo Jars', which are filled with prompts to assist them with writing. Of course, most of us might be poor souls, or have spent all our money on booze during Fresher's week, so you might want to compile some possible prompts, quotes, whatever, onto a Word document, or in a notebook, and toss it to the side. Don't use it until you feel like you're getting nowhere. 
   
• Have a music playlist with songs that relate to your genre/music that'll help you write.
  I find that having mood music playing in the back really helps me with my writing. I always listen to music when I'm writing. Get together a playlist of songs on iTunes, or Spotify. In fact, they don't necessarily have to be genre-related, either, but things that'll help you write. You can even make a YouTube/SoundCloud playlist, and MrSuicideSheep is a good channel to find music; there's a bit of everything, really. If not, anything works, really. As long as it helps you write.
   
• Engage yourself with other NaNoWriMo participants.
  There are plenty of forums on the website, and it's great. Look for threads that might relate to the area you're writing in, the genre, or any other thread that have writing tips and tricks; it'll come in handy if you're ever at a loss.
   
• Don't be too ambitious, and try to be realistic as well.
  Yes, NaNoWriMo requires you to get 50,000 words down by the end of the month, and that is ambitious in itself. Thirty days might seem like a less time for some, which is why you'd set a goal to write 5,000 words a day; don't do that. That doesn't make you logical, it just makes you an idiot. 
  (unless you're superhuman and you can write 10,000 a day, in which case don't mind me, then)
  A suitable number for you folks, I believe, would be somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 words. It's a reasonable amount though. Weekends/days off are good to push it up to 3,000. And with that, reaching 50,000 will be a piece of cake. 
   
• Don't neglect your social life and uni assignments. 
  It's very important to keep healthy relationships with the people around you. Neglecting them for the sake of your word count is not worth it. If you live in uni halls (of residence), take your laptop, sit in the communal area. You might not necessarily be writing as much as you'd like to alone, but it would be really nice to have someone as silent company. In fact, you could even ask them for suggestions, or even help you proof-read, if they're nice enough to. If you're staying at home, be sure to make time for your friends. Go out over the weekends, you can use the spare time before/after for writing. 
  And... it's really not worth the risk of a bad grade on your assignment because you didn't pay as much attention to it in November. Make sure you do your homework on time, folks!
   
• Have a set time around your schedule to write, and depending on your workload, spend anywhere between 1-2 hours on your writing. 
  I can write more than a 1000 words in an hour, so I'd only need an hour and a half to write 2000, which is my goal. If you can't finish your daily goal within the hour or two, get the number of words you need to complete written down into a notebook and keep them aside for later; you can catch up over the weekend, or on the days you don't have to go in. It'll be flexible if you allow it to be ^~^)/
   
• It's okay if you're too busy to update your word count.
  Sometimes, you might have deadlines to meet, and it's okay if you miss out on a day. The only thing that'll happen is that you lose your update streak on NaNoWriMo, but it's worth losing for a huge project that counts towards your semester grade...
   
• Sleep well, eat well, keep yourself hydrated and healthy!
  Don't get carried away and forget to eat or drink something, it'll make you more tired and if you ever feel like you're lacking energy... well now you know why. Have little snacks and drinks by your side, as little energy snacks and rewards. 
   
• Take quick breaks to help yourself relax and keep yourself going.
  Sometimes, even writing will get the best of us. Do not write to the point where you feel like it's an obligation to do so. Watch a video by your favourite YouTuber. Read a book. Doodle. But for at least ten to fifteen minutes, you should put your laptop aside. It might even help refresh your mind and clear your head up for the next few words. Now also might be a good time to fix yourself a sandwich in case you ain't having any snacks in your room.
   
• Have an accountability partner to help keep yourself on track.
  So if you ever feel like you're going to fall back, having someone to give you that extra push is really helpful. What I plan to do with my friend is to exchange a certain number of words to add to our word count goal; if I've been given 300 words, I add that to my goal of 2000 per day. Try it out; you might be able to get to the 50,000 faster than you'd imagine to.
   
• Have fun.
  This is probably the most important point I've got to share with you guys. You need to have fun! 50,000 might seem like a challenge (and for good reason, too!) but it'll be fun if you look at it that way. Keep a positive mindset. I can only imagine how overwhelming it'll be at times, so you really need to push yourself to be positive. Get a friend who'll keep you motivated. Beg your flatmates for motivation, have no shame xD it might work in your favour, you never know ;)
  
  And if nothing works, here's what I can offer you :)

And that's it from me, guys! You don't HAVE to follow everything on this list, but if you're ever lost, this might be a helpful reference guide. And if you want to buddy me, this is my profile >> http://nanowrimo.org/participants/therealsassylittlebeach

Good luck to you participants. Let's win this! \(^~^)/ 

- Haru.