We’re already a week or so into the new month of November! That means it’s time for NaNoWriMo! If you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it’s a month dedicated to writing 50,000 words of a novel, or whatever you want to write. I have participated in both NaNoWriMo in November as well as Camp NaNoWriMo in April and July since 2012. It’s great for writers all around the world to come together to reach a world goal together.
But, whenever March, June, or November is near, I’m always scrambling to finish preparation, going to many resource sites to find things to help me succeed in reaching my goal.
I’ve compiled a list of things I have done to prep myself. Maybe some of these will help you or someone you know out.
- An idea. Okay, yes. In order to write something, you need an idea of what you want to do. A series of poems? A trilogy? It’s good to know what you want to do. It is also okay to switch ideas whenever you want. Back when I wrote fanfiction (an awful phase…) I’d end up switching in the middle of the month to work on something else. It's totally okay if you feel this way.This month, I'm writing my novel. I'm sticking to this, even if another idea pops up. Or if I really want to do both, I'll make a separate NaNoWriMo tracker dedicated to that other idea.
- Playlist. I like to have my songs on a nice playlist in order to inspire me while I get to sit down and write. My recent playlist is filled with kpop and movie instrumentals, along with a few musical numbers. Sometimes, I like to separate the orchestral music from the rest, but I have not done that in the past year.
- Resources. Knowing what you're talking about in a story is so important. For example, I've got references about different terminal illnesses and their treatments in my notebook to go back to if need be. In my fanfiction days, I had character traits written down and specific backstory points to refer back to when I needed to keep the character as original as possible.
- Inspiration. I like to go on Pinterest and tumblr to look for outfits for my characters, scenery, houses, and rooms. Sometimes, I go to look for quotes to keep me going.
- Planner. I'm a big planner freak. I like to track my appointments and events and plan writing time around them. I also keep track of how many words I need to write that day as well as how many words I have written that week. I use a bullet journal to keep track of these.
- Prompts. Sometimes, when I've hit a rock, I quickly do a small prompt and either find a way to incorporate it into my story or use it to get back into the groove.
- Character pages. I really love to have spreads and pages dedicated to my characters. I just started doing this in the summer and I have no regrets. I put their names either in the middle or top and write little things about them, including relationships, favorite colors, little things they enjoy, and significant events throughout the plot. I do it in a web format or even a scattered little list, changing font sizes and colors. I also use these pages to note their MBTI personality.
- Support. I have my friends, family, and the online support to help me keep going. It's always nice to send people little bits and get feedback as well! The NaNoWriMo forums are a great place to go to. I'm also in many Facebook groups which help me. People post articles and reference pictures as well as links to resources and their writing.
- Books. I own a lot of books. I'm unfortunately not reading much anymore, as I have little time to even write anymore, I do like to sit and read other people’s works every now and again, especially after writing 2,000 words or more that night.
- Time. I make sure I have some form of time to write. I write in sprints when I can't fit a day of writing in. I'll write on the bus, in the car, during a meal, before bed...anywhere and anytime.
- A goal. My goal is 125,000 words. I already have ~96,000. But it's okay if I don't reach it. Writing a novel is hard. So remember; whether you're writing a novel, fanfiction, a series of poems, a play, or anything else, just remember it is okay to not hit 50,000 words. Just remember that you wrote. You took that step. Some people cannot but you did and you should be proud of yourself.
And this is my NaNoWriMo prep list. So for everyone planning on participating or already participating, good luck!
