I can’t believe it’s already October, and it’s time to prep for another NaNoWriMo! I sometimes get stressed when I see how quickly time passes, especially when I’m actually thinking about Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas presents! So in order to slow down my mind, I’ve decided to do NaNo again this year. Some years I “win” and some years I don’t, but the winning doesn’t matter. It’s the trying that counts because it’s in the trying that the writing habit is built. I personally believe that’s the entire point of attempting to write 50K words in one month.
So let’s get started! Some of what you see below is the same as last year (and the year before that), but I’ve also added links to some wonderful writing YouTubers who offer great advice–for NaNo beginners and for advanced NaNo writers. Many of these videos also come with links for free printables.
If you are serious about trying to “win” NaNo, one of the best ways to start is to be super-organized. I blog, am working on two novellas due in a few weeks, and am getting another book ready to go on submission. I also want to get a good chunk of my current Christmas book done before, well, Christmas. So I came up with a daily checklist. Although today is October 10, it won’t be hard to catch up. And if you need to double-up on days, do whatever you can. This list, the first in a series, is just a guideline to help you mentally prepare to write 50K words in November.
We all write different things in different ways, so change/add/delete whatever works for you!
I’m also working on an annotated bibliography here on the website that is available for free to anyone who is interested. While I would never presume to tell another writer how to write a book, I am a reference librarian who is good at organizing and making lists of resources for authors at all stages of their careers.
Now let’s get started!
- Announce your novel on NaNoWriMo.org. Choose the title, genre/sub-genre, and length of the story. (Here is a great YouTube video from Sarra Cannon at HeartBreathings, one of my all-time favorite writers, on how to actually join the NaNo website)
- Check your calendar/schedule for November and set aside days and times you know you can write. Do it now before your schedule fills up! (Here is another video from Sarra that offers a free Preptober Planning Guide with a full calendar)
- Set up your Scrivener or Word file. Play around with templates. (Alexa Donne, another great YouTuber and author, has some great videos on how to set up Scrivener for beginners and for Scrivener for advanced writers. Bethany Atazadeh, another great YouTuber and author, has this great tutorial on tips for setting up a Word document for NaNo.)
- Write a logline: Who, what, when/where, how, & why (See Hauge, Michael, Selling Your Story in Sixty Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Story Read, Michael Wiese Productions, 2006 for a great walkthrough on how to do this.)
- Decide on the type plot structure you want to follow and jot down the basics you already know. (Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheets, The Hero’s Journey, etc. See the annotated bibliography for more resources)
- Make a list of character names and roles they play in the story. (primary and secondary)
- Brainstorm your characters’ traits, personalities, etc. and create character summary sheets (Enneagram? Archetypes?)
- If you have any ideas of scenes you already know, journal about them quickly. Just get them down before you forget.
- Decide on a setting and do some preliminary research.
- Buy the perfect writing candle to light for inspiration while you write. (Not a necessity, but fun to do)
- Fill out a world-building questionnaire (especially if writing sci-fi or fantasy or paranormal).
- Research ways to build a series bible, if necessary for your story/series/world. (Here’s another video by Bethany Atazadeh on building a Story Bible)
- Create a writing music playlist or white noise.
- Research local NaNoWriMo write-ins.
- Plan rewards and reward system.
- Pre-plan easy meals for November, maybe even make some and freeze ahead.
- Choose a new writing craft book to read this month. (some suggestions below)
- Stock up on snacks/coffee/tea/treats for November.
- Find other NaNoWriMo friends/accountability partners.
- Clean and prepare your writing space.
- Buy whatever office supplies you may need (notecards, highlighters, colored markers, etc).
- Buy a new journal and begin brainstorming your story outline.
Abbreviated Writing Craft Bibliography
BELOW are a few books on my ONGOING LIST OF FAVORITE WRITING CRAFT BOOKS, ALPHABETICAL BY AUTHOR’S LAST NAME:
Bell, James Scott, Write Your Novel from the Middle, 2014.
Bork, Erik, The Seven Elements of a Viable Story for Screen, Stage, or Fiction, 2018.
D’Costa, H.R., Sparkling Story Drafts: How to Outline Your Way Toward Cleaner Rough Drafts, Reduce Your Revision Time, and Get a First-Rate Screenplay or Novel onto the Marketplace, 2018.
Hauge, Michael, Selling Your Story in Sixty Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Story Read, 2006.
Hauge, Michael, Storytelling Made Easy, 2017
Hayes, Gwen, Romancing the Beat, 2016
Henley, Jodi, Practical Emotional Structure: An Easy to Understand Plain-English Guide to Emotional Theory and the Transformational Character Arc, 2013.
Weiland, K.M., Outlining Your Novel, 2013.
Weiland, K.M., Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story, 2013.
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