For the uninitiated: NaNoWriMo is the creative abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month.
Every November hundreds of thousands of people commit themselves to writing 50,000 words toward a new work of fiction all during the month of November. They should be committed… to an insane asylum!
Yes, November can get a little intense. It can be a wild, creative, thrilling ride but never a lonely one. We form a creative community of writers to support one another and keep one another motivated. Some “wrimos” (as participants are sometimes called) are professional, published authors. Others are housewives, high school kids or anything but a professional writer. During the month of November, we all give ourselves the chance to be novelists and see what comes of it.
Now “wrimos” come in two flavors: “Plotters” and “Pantsers”
A “Pantser” is a “wrimo” that writes by the seat of his/her pants. They may have a novel idea, a cool setting, or a character in mind but no story for them. They just start writing and let the magic happen free-form. Bully for them. This blog post is not for them. They can just stop reading and go do other things until November.
If you’re still here, it’s probably because you are a “plotter” like me. Plotters need some lead time before drafting a 50,000 word novel. We like time to map out the basic points of the story, time to draw up character sketches of the interesting fictional people we will be spending November with, and time to do some background research. Speaking for myself, what I need most is the time to psychologically prepare myself for 30 days of sustained, focused effort. Here’s an example of my NaNoWriMo preparations:
1. Fall in love with your story.
Thinking of a story has never been hard for me. I have three story ideas in my head right now. But if I’m going to commit 50,000 words and 30 days to one, I want it to be something I adore. Just like romantic love, sometimes it just hits you. Other times, a story grows on you as you learn about it. Either way is fine but make sure you invest your positive energy into it so you are prepared for an intense, exclusive relationship in November.
2. Research!
Some of my best plot twists have come from learning incidental, little-known factoids loosely associated with my story. The relationship between salt deprivation and Haitian zombies, what kind of gypsies lived in Romania during the Romanian orphan crisis and might have been adopted by American families, what happens if you default on payment of a rental storage locker, all incidental things that ended up as key points in some of my past stories.
3. More research!
I don’t just research the things associated with my story idea. I also treat myself to reading the latest on author strategy, writer inspiration or story structure. Each year, I experiment with a new creative approach, different structure strategy, writing platform, app or gadget. By the time November comes, the creative juices are flowing and my technological platform is set up.
4. Scope out the best writing locations.
The local groups and community NaNoWriMo forums can really help with this. You will find you get some nice invitations to write-ins and creative events. But sometimes you just need a change of location to refresh your focus. Call around to see how late your favorite coffee shops are open. Check out what kind of writing space is available at your library or place of worship. If you live close to any hotels, many hotel lounges will let you hang out even if you are not a guest as long as you buy a beer or something. Once you discover the best writing spots, it’s up to you whether or not to share them with the rest of your local NaNo community.
5. Plan a trip.
It’s no secret that I like to read fiction with a strong sense of place. To write like that, you have to be there. I got in the habit of planning a week of vacation every November. It’s a great time to catch up on my word count but also it’s so fun to get away and write somewhere else. My first NaNoWriMo novel was set in New Orleans. Guess where I went that year? Yep, the city care forgot. I wrote a scene for that novel sitting in William Faulkner’s home. There is nothing like being there to inspire writing about it.
6. Address known obstacles in advance.
There will be unexpected barriers between you and your writing goals but not all of them are unavoidable. Look ahead and give yourself space to make room to write. I make it a general habit to request some PTO during November to lighten up the career load temporarily. It doesn’t have to be a whole week. Just give yourself a long weekend or two or take a mid-week day off as a word-count-catch-up-day. Teach your kids to pack their own school lunches and stock the pantry with bake-n-eat meals to cut down on food prep. Step down from some of your usual activities for the month or ask for coverage. (For example, you will be seeing a few guest posts on WanderLit during November.)
7. (for luck) Make a donation to the Office of Letters and Light.
For me, this is an annual sacrament to the muse of NaNoWriMo. The great folks who organize and maintain the NaNoWriMo platform deserve our support. They don’t just pull off a free, global, writing adventure (though that alone deserves a donation) they also support educational writing programs in classrooms and libraries all over the world. Everyone has a story inside them. The OLL works hard to be sure everyone has the support they need to draw it out into text. That’s the kind of good karma you can ride all November long.
Will you be participating in NaNoWriMo this year? How are YOU getting ready?
Read ~ Write ~ Wander
~Angie
(NaNoWriMo logos and badges displayed under fair use though this blog is not officially associated with the Office of Letters and Light or any of it’s programs. I just really like them.)