If you’re still reading, 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.