10 Ways To Stay Sane For National Novel Writing Month

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – OCTOBER 15: (EDITORS NOTE: Multiple exposures were combined in camera to produce this image.) Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford, Steven Tyler and Joey Kramer members of the band Aerosmith performs live on stage at Allianz Parque on October 15, 2016 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mauricio Santana/Getty Images)

Set Up Your Soundtrack

Music can express more than we can sometimes say. Or write. A particular song can take our minds to different realms, give us a different perspective on something, or create a new line of thought that has yet to cross our mind.

So setting up your soundtrack for NaNoWriMo is extremely important. When you create your profile on their website, one of the categories you complete is “favorite noveling music.”

Does your creativity respond to music outside your usual spectrum? Do you gravitate toward something more soothing like smooth jazz or acoustic blues? Or do you need hard rock, heay metal, or hip-hop?

Or if you want a little mystery in your music selections, try Pandora or Google Music radio stations. Pick an artist and just run with it. I personally use Google Music and their “play music for” categories never seem to fail, so long as you can find your right mood.

Check out something completely new and listen to the Hamilton soundtrack, like me! Since we all need to write like we’re running out of time, who better to emulate than Alexander Hamilton? Although the songs may be more distracting than helpful since you just want to sing along…