Kristina Horner & Liz Leo

Write Your Damn Novel: A podcast about writing a book in a month

Arts EN ↓ 99 episodes

Write Your Damn Novel (formerly How to Win NaNo) is a no-nonsense guide to writing a novel in 30 days. Like it or not November comes every year, but don't you worry — your hosts are here for you! Kristina Horner and Liz Leo are 'writing-50k-words-in-a-month' experts (and lifelong writing friends) with a passion for helping people write their damn novel. Join them each week as they share their personal tips, tricks and other things they've learned over almost two decades of consecutive NaNoWriMo wins.

Author

Kristina Horner & Liz Leo

Episodes

What To Do After NaNoWriMo 14.12.2019 15:01

Is there life after NaNoWriMo? Of course there is! We're here to help you deal. Have a plethora of free time now and you're not sure what to fill it with? Not sure what to do next on your writing project? We got you. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threa...

NaNoWriMo: It's Over! 05.12.2019 22:00

NaNoWriMo ending can be jarring for a number of reasons! In this episode we talk about the things we've learned this year, regional epilogue parties, and how much we think about NaNoWriMo the rest of the year. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyo...

We're In The Home Stretch! 28.11.2019 18:18

There are 3 days left in NaNoWriMo. Let's talk about how it feels, how those last 10,000 words feel, and what we'll miss about NaNo once it's over. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out wit...

30 Min Writing Sprint - 2 [Focus Time!] 25.11.2019 31:01

Need to buckle down and get some words written? We've got you! Put this episode on when you've got a free 30 mins and want to focus on writing. Music by Marc Straight. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server t...

The 30k Slump 21.11.2019 24:34

The hardest part of NaNoWriMo -- week 3, or the 30k slump. Why it's the worst, but we're all in this together. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.g...

This Is Too Hard, What Am I Doing Wrong? 17.11.2019 19:18

We discuss a bit of the darker side of NaNoWriMo: bad writing days, how to recover when falling behind, and why you should keep going anyway. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of write...

Meet the Writing Sprint Composer: Interview with Marc Straight 13.11.2019 12:48

Marc Straight wrote the music behind our word sprint bonus episodes and he's also a fellow NaNoWriMo participant! Join us for a quick bonus episode where we interview Marc about all things writing, music and NaNo. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @wri...

30 Min Writing Sprint - 1 [Focus Time!] 08.11.2019 31:24

Motivation: Writing Rewards and Punishments 07.11.2019 14:02

Rewards and punishments can be strong motivators during NaNoWriMo. In this episode, we talk about how to set the right ones for yourself and then get completely derailed and talk a LOT about pie. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join ou...

Panic!! It's NaNoWriMo! 01.11.2019 19:52

A quick bonus episode to help get you through Day #1! We discuss naming your document, the new official website and how it feels to finally START. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of...

Committing to an Idea: Interview with Grant Faulkner 30.10.2019 34:54

Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of NaNoWriMo! This week he joins us for a discussion on how to pick your novel idea — and stick to it. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of wri...

NaNoWriMo Crash Course for Beginners 25.10.2019 34:09

Everything you need to know about NaNoWriMo as a beginner, or some excellent tips and refreshers for veterans! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgA...

Naming Your Characters is the Best Part! 18.10.2019 32:26

This episode is all about naming your characters! We discuss how to choose names, what happens if you decide to change any names, and how to avoid making naming mistakes. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang...

The Dreaded.... Writing Distractions! 10.10.2019 31:17

What are your biggest writing distractions? How do you cope with distraction? And does "writer's block" actually exist? Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: h...

To Outline or Not to Outline 02.10.2019 21:06

What type of outlining is useful for writing a novel in a month? Is there such a thing as overplanning? How can you tailor your outline in a way that keeps you excited to work on your novel? Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Di...

Our Favorite Writing Tools + Fanmail! 27.09.2019 27:37

In this episode, we dive into some of our favorite writing tools and take a look at some lovely messages from listeners! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.g...

Choosing the Right Genre and Setting 18.09.2019 25:14

In this week's episode, we delve into genre and setting — and how the two are connected. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm Become a Patro...

Creating Characters That Don't Suck 12.09.2019 29:56

In this episode we talk about how we come up with ideas for characters, what makes a character interesting, and how to make those characters feel like living, breathing beings you can form empathy for. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel J...

Get To Know Your Hosts 06.09.2019 32:41

Get to know Kristina and Liz, the hosts of How To Win NaNo! In this episode, we delve into our writer origin stories, including how we got started writing, what we like reading, and ways we've been involved in NaNoWriMo in the past beyond just writing our novels. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us...

Preparing Your Life for NaNoWriMo 28.08.2019 17:46

The secret to NaNoWriMo is in building strong habits. It takes 21 days to build a habit, so we're here to help you get this stuff down BEFORE November starts! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out wit...

Where Do You Get Ideas? 22.08.2019 23:08

Where do story ideas come from? How do you choose what to write? How do you keep track of your ideas? Join us this week as we discuss tips for generating novel ideas. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out...

Why Does NaNoWriMo Work? 15.08.2019 17:04

Liz and Kristina dive into what it means to be successful at NaNoWriMo, and why this tool for getting your book written works for so many people. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of w...

Why Do We Do NaNoWriMo? 06.08.2019 19:57

A brief intro to what NaNoWriMo is and why we do it every year. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up , or better yet - leave a review ! Follow us on: Instagram: @ writeyourdamnnovel Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad...

Trailer: How To Win NaNo 10.07.2019 10:42

How To Win NaNo is a writing podcast aimed to get YOU ready to tackle NaNoWriMo this November. Episodes will go live every Wednesday starting in April, but until then: please enjoy this trailer! Kristina Horner and Liz Leo are best friends and 13/12 year NaNoWriMo champions respectively. They've known each other since middle school, and stayed friends all these years thanks to their shared lo...