NaNoWriMo Approaches

November is coming everyone! You know what that means right?? NaNoWriMo!! AHHH! IT'S COMINGIT'SCOMING!!

*ahem*

I will pause my freaking out to give you an inkling of what this grand adventure is. In a nutshell, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing (writers? I never know which) Month. It occurs in November when thousands of people take on the challenge of writing an entire 50,000 word novel in only 30 days. Impossible you say? Not even a little bit.

It's a blast and I would encourage everyone to try it at least once. Writer or not, you can learn a lot by undertaking such a feat.

But it IS quite difficult. This will be my third year doing it and honestly, I'm not very good at it. I've "won" on the Young Writer's website but my goal was only 20,000. I blame my lack of laptop but that's another story.

Also, the only novel I ever worked on during November was To Save the Lost. (Which still isn't done yet. *pounds head into wall*)

But this year is going to be different! I've thought up and *mostly* plotted my novel and I'm super excited for it! It's going to be a blast having a new novel to work on!

I've learned a lot about prepping for NaNo from reading lots of blogs and also from doing it myself.

Below are my favorite ways to prep for NaNo mixed in with some practical things that may not be my favorite. I'm by no means an expert, keep in mind. These are just ways I've succeeded in the past. They may not work for everyone so please don't smother me in my sleep if something doesn't work for you.

Regarding your novel:

1. You need an idea. You cant write a novel without one can you?

2. Characters. Along with an idea you need some strong characters to put in your story. Try writing out what their stakes are in the story. What are their roles in the MC's life? What's their favorite type of fast food? (Important questions, you know?)

3. Setting. Where are your dear charries to live?

4. Plot. By now I have you bored. Chances are you're thinking, "well duh. All this stuff is obvious. Of course I have a plot." But do you really? Sometimes what we have is an idea or something the character needs, but not a plot. Not having a plot can lead to some problems later that you probably don't want to deal with.

5. Outline. Now, you may be a pantser. That's fine, you can skip this part if you wish. But having at least an idea of where your novel is going can be very helpful for that point in the middle of the month when you've hit a wall. I've used little to no outline in the past and I ALWAYS get stuck somewhere around November 15th. So this year I'm trying a new method. The snowflake method to be exact. It's extensive but I think it's going to be invaluable.

So now you know all you can know about your novel without actually writing it. How are you actually gonna make it through November?

Regarding your survival:

1. Make sure your friends and family know why you're going to disappear for a month. They could get quite disappointed in you if you just vanish without a trace.

2. Word wars. These are magical. I love word wars. In the past I've only ever done them with my sisters. So I can't tell you how to actually do them online. But they're super valuable for finishing word quotas.

3. Write or die. I love this site. SO. MUCH! It's absolutely priceless when you need an extra push. Use it often!

4. Sleep. This is super important. People don't realize how burned out they can get with little to no sleep. They go into November with the idea of: "Sleep is for the weak!" But in all reality, without sleep, your creative muscles are going to curl up and die. So get lots of sleep. (You can pull all-nighters on occasion. Just not every day.)

5. Decent meals. Fuel up! And not just on coffee and chocolate. A good meal can keep you refreshed. 

6. Strategy. Go into NaNo with a strategy. Some way to say: "This is how I'm going to win." (And then follow the strategy.) Mine this year is Reverse NaNoWriMo. I'm pretty excited about it!

So there you are! My tips for NaNoWriMo prep! Stick around and you'll get to see my NaNoWriMo survival kit and how to construct your own!