October is coming to an end and if you’ve ever thought about writing a book then you may be familiar with NaNoWriMo. In November, in honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), thousands set out to write a 50,000 word draft in 30 days. In my last post, 5 Creative Skills I’m Learning this Fall I wanted to brush up on my writing skills and take a class. Below are other ways on how I’m preparing for NaNoWriMo 2019 (because this year I am going to be participating!)
How I’m Preparing for NaNoWriMo 2019
1. Getting ahead
If I were to write the minimum amount of 1,667 words everyday, I would need to write for 3 hours every day. That’s 3 hours I’m typically doing other stuff everyday like, for example, homework. I’m working full time and in school full time so my spare time currently suffers. My goal is to get ahead where I can this week in school (reading textbooks, completing writing assignments) and for the first part of the month (meal prepping, grocery shopping, cleaning). That way I can hopefully focus on getting ahead on my writing that first weekend when I have more free time.
2. Plotting
This is probably what I’ve struggled with the most the last week. I didn’t do a huge Preptober which some people do to prepare for NaNo. I basically just want to get down my plot and main characters. Abbie Emmons on YouTube has released a video each week this month in a mini-series on preparing for November that has been very helpful. My problem, however, is that I can’t get a plot down and stick with it. I have 5 different ideas for plots and genres that I’m wanting to pursue, and I can’t outline until I figure out which one I’m going to choose. Basically this week I just want to select a plot, plan out my main characters, and outline the 3 act story structure and call it good.
3. Prepare the Ambiance
I’m going to be spending a lot of time writing so I want to prep my space for max creative juices flowing. That means a playlist that I want to have a similar theme to my story (I’m thinking Beach Boys), buy a candle for max hygge, etc.
Basically, that’s how I’m preparing for NaNoWriMo 2019…
This November instead of posting whatever I normally do on my blog, I am going to be posting weekly updates on the progress I’m making, the experience as a first time writer and all that good stuff. I’m going to a couple of “Write Ins” where people from your area who are also participating write together at a coffee shop or library or wherever. The NaNo group in my area is actually pretty big and I’ve joined a couple Facebook groups too that are perfect for if you get stuck or need opinions from other writers.0
Good job getting ready for NaNoWriMo! I will be joining in this year as well, I think it’s my eighth year doing it. Good luck with your writing!
Author
Yay! Good luck to you as well! 🙂