How To Prep for NaNoWriMo


What is NaNoWriMo? It stands for National Novel Writing Month and it is a fun event where participants try and write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. I've done it 3 times before. In 2010 I wrote Gizmos of the Apocalypse (50,015 words), in 2011 I wrote I Was A Teenage Nerdfighter (50,048 words) and in 2014 I wrote Everlast (50,018 words) I am participating again this year and I have no idea what my story is going to be about...at all.




Plan vs. Pants
You have to decide if you are going to plan out your story before November or if you're going to just make it up as you go along. I've done a variety of both options in the past and for me it really does not matter...I end up having problems my story either way. This year I am pantsing it with a vague idea and hoping for the best!

Time Budgeting
Even though I'm not planning my story, I am planning my month. I work from home so already I have to plan out my days in advance to make sure I get enough work done each day, November will just be extra planned out. We are having company for Thanksgiving so I have to make sure those day's word counts are taken care of in advance. If I aim to write more than the minimum daily word count (1,667 words a day to finish on time) and double or triple it on Thanksgiving-prep days then I should have no problem.

Shopping
This is something I plan to do this week before November starts. Healthy snacks, easy lunches, coffee, all of it needs to be here and waiting for me because the grocery store is not walking distance. It's about being prepared and saving time.

Document
Ok, this is not something I really need to prep,  just remember to do throughout the month. Last year I filmed little updates each day and the video was so cool to watch afterwords. I want to do that again I just have to make sure to remind myself each day. Here's last year's video:






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