NaNoWriMo Prep - Find your writing nerd

NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. What’s that you ask? It’s shorthand for National Novel Writing Month. Each November since 1999, participants have attempted to write a 50,000 word novel. That’s a lot of words!

Resources: Word Tracker

NaNoWriMo’s website at NaNoWriMo.org is chock full of helpful resources. There’s a word tracker to show progress toward your word count goal. It’s set up as a graph. With days on the X axis and word count on the Y axis a target slope gives you a daily word count goal. Your actual progress shows where you stand in relation to the target slope. If you write every single day with no weekends off, the daily goal is 1,667 words. Sounds daunting but in reality it’s very doable. Last year I set a goal of 2,000 words a day which I met in two to four hours each morning. Those extra daily words allowed me to take a few days off.

Resources: Announce Project

When you sign in you are given the option to announce new project. Don’t skip this step! It is an opportunity to think about your project-a working title, genre, and plot summary. Use this as a framework to guide your writing. This is also the place to tell the NaNo community a little bit about yourself. This can lead to the next resource.

Resource: Buddies and Pep Talks

I haven’t tried this option yet but I absolutely see its value. You pair up with people who support each other through the ups and downs of committed writing. This community can give constructive encouragement that you won’t get from non-writing members of your family. They also share tips and tricks to stay on track.

Another feature on NaNoWriMo.org is regular pep talks. Be inspired by industry professionals who know the trials of writing to a deadline. Check out past pep talks here.

Prep

Take the month of October to plan for NaNoWriMo. If you’re a planner, write an outline, interview your characters, and research your setting. Get all your ducks in a row so on November first you are ready for your 50,000 word adventure.

If you are a pantser—one who flies by the seat of their pants—you can still do some pre-planning. Thinking about what you will write is a good start. Do you have a premise? Think about the character or characters that will serve your story. What are their strengths and weaknesses, and how will they enhance your plot? Maybe think about your character’s name. Perhaps develop some flaws that will challenge your character meeting their goal. What is your character’s goal, anyway? These are all things that will help you once you start writing on November first.