National Novel Writing Month–what used to be a once-a-year event held annually in November–has morphed into three-times-a-year writing marathon months. Held in April, July, and November, that’s a potential for 150,000 words done in the span of 90 days.

Writer friends, that is an insane amount of words. Book genres range in word count, but for most YA and above, you’re looking at a minimum of 60,000 and the top being as much as 240,000… if you’re George R.R. Martin and that book is A Song of Ice and Fire, that is. Most of us will fall into the upper bounds of 75,000 to 100,000 words.

That sounds perfect, right? 100,000 words total with three events of 50,000 words each in a year sounds doable! And writer friends, it could be if you’ve got the strategy down. There are a few tricks to Winning NaNoWriMo:

1: Set a realistic goal

What’s this now? Didn’t I just say the word goal is 50,000? Yes, you’re a perceptive one. While the goal is 50,000 in a traditional NaNoWriMo, pick a word count that is going to be doable for your schedule. As you try to string together multiple days of writing, you’ll find some days are big numbers, some are small, but once you fall behind… it can be demotivating to try to catch up. Start small and try out a 30,000 word goal. It drops your daily entries from 1,667 to just about 1,000, which keeps the total goal lofty but allows a little variability in your writing days.

2: Give yourself a general (or detailed) outline

One of the most common places writers stall out is going into a draft on a blank page, with a great idea burning in your mind but only a few scenes fully thought out. You’ll fly through that awesome opening page, maybe get through another 5,000 words, but pantsing 50,000 words can be a challenge. If you plan a few pivotal scenes, characters, and subplots ahead of time, you’ll have a guideline to refer to as you work your way deeper into the word count.

3: Don’t try to blow the numbers out of the water… but don’t fall too far behind

The goal of this program is to do a long, consistent stretch of daily writing. The goals are hefty and it forces you to put words on paper when you may have chewed on a scene a little bit longer. This goes back to Tip #2, if you only have a few pivotal scenes in mind, you’ll want the time to think out how they all connect. If you fall too far behind, you’ll probably stop altogether.

But the opposite can be true as well. If you’ve cranked out massive numbers the first few days, the ultimate goal can seem less like an end point and the timeline too variable to establish a routine. Remember the intent of the program is to be consistent and set yourself up a writing schedule you can maintain. However, if you find that you work best doing 10,000-word weekends, ignore all of the above. This advice is for those of us who need a little grace in our schedules and a set routine to get it done.

4: Set a schedule that actually works for you

It doesn’t have to be the same time of day, or a set number of words, or even all done at once. Try breaking your sessions into smaller writing sprints during your day, or when you find time between the day job and other obligations of your daily life. If you can do 500 words, twice a day, that’s all you need.

5: Hold your judgment for later

It can be tempting to go back and rework a scene a few million times. There’s definitely a place for that. In fact, some people use NaNoWriMo to do edits or rework portions that just aren’t clicking. But if you’re just straight drafting, try to go back as little as possible. I tend to go back and re-read on days when I’m slightly closer to the word count I need to be for the day and won’t remove large chunks of text. I also tend to write sparse and expand on rewrites. There will be a time for expansion, cutting, and lacing in subplots you think of later on. The experts will tell you to silence that inner editor on the first draft, and for a good reason. Forward momentum!

6: And finally, don’t compare

Everyone writes in different genres and different age groups, and start in different places on their work. Yes, there are those who set goals to write entire 80,000 word novels in a single month. There are those that just want to finish off the last 10,000 words. Sometimes writers will tweet their 5,000-word day and you will wonder: how?! How did this human accomplish this? Do they not eat? Sleep? Pee?

As a reminder, the intent is to set a consistent routine to get words on paper and move you closer to your goal of typing The End. You’ll get there, at your own pace.

Good luck to you, brave NaNoWriMo writers!