Why am I talking about preparing for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in September when it doesn’t take place until November?
Because now is the time to begin preparing, especially if you work a day job and fit your writing in late at night or in the predawn hours of your day or are haphazard in your writing time.
When I first heard about NaNoWriMo, I thought it was a writing contest where they’d give you an opening line and you had to write a story from that line. I couldn’t have been further from the reality.
NaNo is simply a month dedicated to getting your book written. A focused time to write that you can share with thousands of other writers.
But you’re aiming for 50,000 words, whether that completes your story or is only a portion of it. That means you must write 1,667 words per day for 30 days or 12,500 in a week to meet that word count.
Are you putting out that kind of word count now?
Are you dedicating at least one day a week to your writing?
If neither of the above apply, you’re going to have a hard time writing 50,000 words in November.
So, now is a good time for preparing for NaNoWriMo. At the least, you can make the determination that you’ll use that month to develop better writing habits for yourself.
The NaNo website offers a wide variety of helps, from writing tutorials to online groups you can join for connection to local groups and events. It’s not that you sit and chat at these local groups, it’s just that you have other people around you focused on writing, and that community helps you stay focused and feel less isolated.
Preparing for NaNoWriMo
If you want to get 50,000 words written in one month, you’ve got to start the month with your story planned. That is, unless you’ve already proven to yourself that you can write that many words in one month as a seat-of-the-pants writer. If not, then I suggest you plan your…
- Theme
- Plot
- Setting
- Characters
- Characters’ Arcs
- Top 10 scenes
This will allow you to do nothing but write when November arrives. You don’t want to sit staring at a blank screen because you don’t know your plot or the protagonist’s story goal or how the antagonist is going to hinder the protagonist.
If you write fantasy, this planning becomes even more critical because you’ve got to build your story world.
Plan Your Menu
Planning your participation now also allows you to also think about food—yes, that all important sustenance that will keep you writing (and your family happy).
I always encourage participants to prepare and freeze meals prior to November so you aren’t spending time cooking every day. (OK, I admit, I’m not crazy about cooking, so planning ahead helps me.)
Do you have a slow cooker? Use it! Can your spouse or teenagers in the house do the cooking one night or more?
For 10 ideas on how to prepare your meals and an easy lunchtime recipe, read my post “Grocery Shopping for NaNoWriMo.”
What Do I Win?
Do you get a prize at the end? No, but you can earn personal achievement badges along the way. Your biggest satisfaction comes in having 50,000 words, or more, of your book done.
Here is link that tells you all about NaNoWriMo and how it works. They even have a page called NaNo Prep (which began yesterday) that offers resources to plan your novel.
If you have some doubts about participating, read my post “Lessons from NaNoWriMo” to discover what I learned about myself and my writing, and how it might help you do the same.