The author, podcaster, and Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (AKA NaNoWriMo), Grant Faulkner, joined me this week to talk about the Fitbit for novelists, how to write a novel in a month (not just in November), why tracking your writing progress is a built-in reward system, and why you can't wait for inspiration to just get started. "No matter who you are, where you live, how old you are, or what your background is, your story matters." - Grant Faulkner Grant is a writer, speaker, and educator whose day job is to help run the non-profit, National Novel Writing Month, the world's largest writing event where every year 500,000 people commit to writing a novel in November, including 100,000 kids and teens via The Young Writers Program. And Grant reminded me that NaNoWriMo provides year-round "...structure, community, and encouragement to help [writers of all ages and backgrounds] find their voice, achieve [their] creative goals, and build new worlds." 2019 is the 20th anniversary of the "seat-of-your-pants" creative writing marathon, and "...thousands of NaNoWriMo novels have been published, including best-sellers like Water for Elephants, The Night Circus, Wool, and many others." Mr. Faulkner is the author of a book of essays on creativity titled Pep Talks for Writers, and his teen writing guide, Brave the Page, is forthcoming from Viking this August, 2019. Grant also hosts a weekly inspirational podcast on writing and publishing called Write-minded, and his writing has appeared in dozens of publications including The New York Times, Writer's Digest, and Poets & Writers. If you think you're ready to write a novel, stay tuned... This episode of The Writer Files is brought to you by the team at Author Accelerator. Author Accelerator book coaches give writers feedback, accountability, and support while you write, so you can get that your idea out of your head and onto the page. If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. In this file Grant Faulkner and I discussed: The magic of coffee and early morning writing sessions Why jumping in and writing your novel from word one to the end of your first draft without self-editing is so valuable How a goal and a deadline can help you give birth to your book Why writers fool themselves into thinking they've written more than they really have How "just getting started" can help you overcome the perils of procrastination Why the author preaches Robert Frost's mantra "No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader." Show Notes: Author Accelerator National Novel Writing Month (AKA NaNoWriMo) The Young Writers Program Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo by Grant Faulkner [Amazon] Brave the Page by Grant Faulkner [Amazon] GrantFaulkner.com Write-minded Podcast Grant Faulkner on Instagram Grant Faulkner on Facebook Grant Faulkner on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Please click the PayPal Donate button to support The Writer Files with a secure PayPal donation