Gear Up for NaNoWriMo: 5 Tips for a Successful Prep Month
It's October which means two things:
It's Halloween (yes, all month)
It's NaNoWriMo prep time!
Or if you're anything like me, it's "Stare at the seven different stories you've started this past year, yell at your main character repeatedly "What do you want from me?!", scroll Instagram for plotting tips, and ultimately end up looking at raccoon videos Month"
Yes, at this point it is an annual holiday.
What is NaNoWriMo?
If this is new to you, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, in which writers all over the world accept the challenge of writing 50,000 words in thirty days. At the end of November they have the first draft of an entire novel!
So in honor of this exciting, stressful, infuriating month of planning, I've brought you a gift!
5 Tips for Nanowrimo Prep Month
1. Start a Scrapbook
Either virtually or material, compile your inspiration. That coffee shop downtown that sparked your novel idea? Take pictures of it or draw it and write a short description of the vibe it gives you. Imagine your character there and what kind of scene would take place. Write that down too! Throughout the month collect photos, music, snippets from books, and your notes, anything that inspires your novel's world and characters.
2. Create a Playlist
Your mood and your vibe are going to shift and inspire your story. You might have a few songs in your scrapbook, but what about when you're writing every day? Create a playlist that's going to last the entire length of your writing session. I suggest making one or two playlists based on the settings your story takes place in or that match the level of conflict that's happening. It's hard for me to write a cozy farm story if I'm listening to 80s goth music. My main character will end up a little broody.
3. Learn Who Your Characters Are
More to the point, learn who your characters are based on.
Are they based on a character in a book or TV show? Then take the time to study this character. What they love and hate, how they would react in a given situation, and how you can build on them to create your unique character.
Are they based on someone you don't like? Have you made arrangements to send this person a signed copy of your published novel? Good, you're all done here.
If a character is based on yourself just be prepared to go through a bit of growth and self-discovery as your character does the same in your novel.
4. Create Your "Grocery List of Desserts"
If you're an organized plotter who has a system figured out and can stick to it, then this one isn't for you (and also I'm jealous).
Plotting, at least loosely, is important because you don't want to come to the last quarter of your story and realize you've backed yourself into an ending you don't like or there are too many loose ends to tie up.
Instead, create a list of all the most exciting things you want in your story. You can go a little crazy here. Add conflict, twists, and lines you definitely want your character to say at some point. Step back for an hour or two and come back to your list. Now put them in order of how they'll happen in your book. Once everything is in order, start connecting the dots. How do you get from "1. Learning to control fire." to "2. Becoming queen of the lizard people"
5. Develop Some Self-trust
You said you're going to write a novel so dang it, you're going to write a novel!
Throughout this month take stock of your strengths and limitations. If you have a full-time job, a family to take care of, or maybe you have a different attention span or different mental energy levels from others, your writing process and daily word count might be different. Above all, don't compare yourself to others, but rather learn how to work with what you've got. For example, I'm way more motivated to write in the morning when I have the house to myself. I'm highly distracted by noise and movement. During November, my morning is for breakfast, brushing my teeth, putting on pants, and then three hours of writing before work. This gives me plenty of time to get distracted every 20 minutes and still hit my word goal. So switch it up! Shift something in your routine, use dictation instead of typing, or write on your lunch break. Consider your options now, in October, so you're not burning yourself out in November.
Above all NaNoWriMo is meant to be an exciting challenge in which you create something new and push the limits of your creativity! Hush that inner editor and let your imagination run rampant.
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