Hear to Write: Using a Playlist to Reach Your NaNoWriMo Goals

National Novel Writing Month is upon us. Many of you have already begun your goal to write 50k words by the end of November. Even if you’re late to the game, you likely have some kind of writing goal this month.

If I’ve learned anything from online memes, a writer strives to create the perfect atmosphere to put their butt in the chair so they can write the words. Often, this is harder to do than most non-writers believe. From crippling imposter syndrome to midnight snacks, an untold amount of distractions prevent us from reaching our writing goals.

Today, instead of offering tips on time management or avoiding writer’s block, I’ve created a playlist that’ll help you get through your NaNoWriMo goals.

Give this post a quick read and then get to writing!

What Makes a Good NaNoWriMo Playlist?

A good playlist makes other tasks more enjoyable or manageable. So, a good NaNoWriMo playlist should help you get in the writing zone and stay there.

Here are a few key elements to a good playlist that I’ve used for mine:

• It should last for at least an hour so I don’t have to worry about managing the music for a while.
• It shouldn’t have distracting or catchy lyrics.
• It should inspire me to write a good scene (you can find some good Hear to Write playlists here that fit that purpose).
• It should maintain a pleasant, upbeat rhythm to encourage faster typing.
• It should reflect the genre I’m working on (my current project is a modern fairy tale retelling).
• It should be music I’m very familiar with or something that will add to the ambiance.
• It should put me in a good mood and help me feel capable as a writer.

Hear to NaNoWriMo Playlist

Now that I’ve spelled out a few of my requirements for a NaNoWriMo-worthy playlist, here’s what I created. This November, I’m working on a modern fairy tale retelling of H. C. Andersen’s The Wild Swans, so I’ve picked some songs that get me not only in the zone but also into my genre. I’ve made this playlist about an hour long because that’s how long I can focus before I need a break.

If you want to go straight to Spotify to hear the playlist, you can click here. You can also click the image below.

Now Get Writing

Hopefully, this playlist helps you feel less alone or frazzled this month. If you have any go-to playlists you’d like to share, tell us about them in the comments or on social media!