NaNoWriMo 2017 starts November 1st. Are you ready? Or can you use some more ideas? Join me in my journey of NaNoWriMo Prep to get ready for THE writing event of the year!
The international event National Novel Writing Month 2017 is around the corner:
It seems like a long time (32 days at the moment of writing), but it’s here before you know it. This year I’ve decided to take the route of the PLANNER instead of the PANTSER/PLANTSER with a bit of pantsing built into it. Which pretty much means I’ve got a lot to do still.
What is NaNoWriMo?
But let’s start with what NaNoWriMo actually is. Basically the National Novel Writing Month is an international writing event where you write, in your own favorite writing place, 50.000 words of your novel. It starts November 1st, 12:00AM and ends November 30th, 11:59PM in your own timezone.
So, a NATIONAL event is INTERNATIONAL? How does that work?
Well, in the beginning….. there was a group of friends in the USA who wanted to challenge themselves to write a certain amount of words in 30 days. It didn’t take long before more people joined them.
And soon after it was a truly National event, it became an international event, because writers from all over the world joined in this event. They kept the name, but it truly is an international event.
Why Prep?
To NaNoWriMo Prep or not, that’s the question. For me, I’ve found I need some preparation to make sure I’ll be able to complete my NaNoWriMo goal. Even though the story I will be working on, if all goes well, will be a sequel to the story I’ve been working on this past year, I still have a lot to do. There are things I need to have in my possession to write, not limited to my computer, cause that’s what I’ll be using to write. And there are things I need to keep me going through November, be it food, inspiration or otherwise.
My NaNoWriMo Prep
A few things are important:
- Writing Stuff
- Food & Drink (you gotta eat and keep yourself hydrated during this event!)
- NaNoWriMo Survival Kit
I’m going to keep a checklist here to see how far I’ll get in my preparations.
| To do | Finished? |
| Outline 1st draft book I complete | |
| 1st draft book I complete | |
| Outline 2nd draft book I complete | |
| Outline for Book II complete | |
| Outline for Book III complete (preferably) | |
| Outline for Book IV complete (preferably) | |
| Outline for Book V complete (preferably) | |
| Get into daily writing habit | |
| Finish 30 Day world builder process | |
| Define names of all main characters | |
| Finish character interview Ayla | |
| Finish character interview Dany | |
| Finish character interview Séamus | |
| Finish character interview Mícheál | |
| Finish character interview Ruark | |
| Finish character interview Ciara | |
| Finish character interview Aunt 1 | |
| Finish character interview LotV | |
Create an Excel histogram with:
|
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| Make a Meal plan for November | |
| Pre-cook several things for November for in the Freezer | |
| Test Aeon Timeline | |
| Create NaNo Survival kit | |
| Create world map | |
| Make/buy a box for the NaNo Survival Kit | |
| Create Care package (after October 15th) (In the Dutch forum we’re doing care packages this year) | |
| Update Scrivener (last week of October) (If you use Scrivener, be sure to update it before NaNo starts!!!) | |
| Optional (loads of this is already in the back of my head. I just need to put it on my digital paper 🙂 ) | |
| Finish history of the Dragon Riders | |
| Finish history of the Protectors of the Realm | |
| Finish history of the first True Seers | |
| Finish the Parabataì history | |
| Finish the Soulmates basics & history | |
| Finish Seer Council Description | |
| Finish Dragon Riders Council description | |
| Create timeline based on outline (adjustable during writing) | |
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Make a start with the story’s languages:
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Conclusion & Accountability
Yeah, I know. I said I would report my daily word count and I didn’t. That was not good. Luckily I have been writing, but it was mostly world building and some small scenes for later books.
Now that it’s almost October, I’ve decided to allocate several hours a day for my NaNoWriMo Prep. And as you can see in the list above this also means writing.
I’ve got a lot left to do, but I’m confident I can do it. Now that the MyPeakChallenge gathering in Scotland is over and I don’t need to do any preparations for that anymore, I can devote my time to my writing. Now all I need to do is do all the preparations BEFORE I watch any of my favorite television series.
Leading up to November 1st, I will record my progress on my preparations here. Let’s see how far I can get before the writing frenzy starts! Are you with me?
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? If so, how do you prepare? Are you a planner or a pantser or perhaps something in between? What are you favorite writing tools? What are the things you absolutely can NOT do without during NaNoWriMo? Leave a comment below!
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Interior cleaner by day, Author & Game Designer by afternoon and night. Fantasy is my poison and I’m loving it. Dragons and magic play an important role in my world and to give it all free reign, I design my own worlds.
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