It's Preptober! | 15 Ways I'm Prepping For National Novel Writing Month
Happy Preptober! Next month is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and October is the time to prepare!
NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write an entire novel in one month, and while I don’t necessarily think I’ll finish in a month, I love taking November to really hone in and focus on my novel.
Here are 10 Ways I’m Prepping for NaNoWriMo
1- preparing my space
I touched on this a bit in my last blog post! I have plans to turn one of our rooms into an office/ closet next month! Our dining room is currently functioning as a make-shift office, but since it’s open to the rest of the downstairs, it doesn’t make for a very zen space to write in. Having a designated writing haven for myself is crucial for me in being productive.
2- Shrinking my November workload
I’ve been working hard behind the scenes to prep blog posts for the next couple of months, so I can focus all of my effort on my novel in November. In the past I’ve been stressed out about getting alllll of my work done (blog, social media, side hustles, etc), which takes away from focusing on my novel. This time, I will be scheduling posts ahead of time, so I don’t need to worry about spending extra time on the blog. You can apply this to any extra work you have- home projects, things you’re working on, etc. By doing them ahead of time, you free up November for your novel.
3- choosing what novel to write
Let’s be honest, most aspiring authors have a ton of ideas floating around in our brains- choosing WHICH novel to write/work on is the most important thing to do before NaNoWriMo. I have three main ones I’m planning on writing, so I picked the one I thought would do best as my first novel.
4- doing research for my novel
Now that I’ve got my idea figured out, I need to research! This includes locations that will be mentioned, concepts, etc. Part of research includes gathering data that will be used in my reference guides, as mentioned below.
5- creating google doc reference pages & visual references
A few years ago I started using Google Docs for everything writing related. It’s simple, it’s free, it’s easy to format, and you don’t have to worry about your computer crashing and losing all of your hard work. It’s also super convenient to use if you’re working with a team (editors, etc) because you can just give them access as needed. You can also look up a lot of different tutorials on formatting a novel for google docs online, which is really convenient.
Before starting a novel, I like to create several documents to use as “reference guides”. I have one for characters where I include detailed descriptions, likes and dislikes, characteristics, family history, major life events, etc. I also create one for locations where I include specific details about my character’s houses, places of work, details about their town or city, and descriptions of any locations they frequent often. Creating these guides will help me avoid any continuity errors.
I also need visual guides, so I print out photos of specific types of buildings, vehicles, etc that I’ll be using in my novel. For example, the novel I’m working on requires a houseboat reference in detail, so I’m printing out photos and floor plans of the specific houseboat I’m referring to. Having a visual guide for very specific items makes it easier for me to reference it while I’m writing. I know I’m going to need to reference the houseboat multiple times during the novel, so being able to look up at photos of it on my wall while I’m writing will make the writing process SO much easier!
6- Plotting my novel
I’m a plotter! I can’t write a novel without first plotting out my chapters, and when you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, plotting is important. How else are you going to pump out 1667 words per day without plotting first? First, I write a rough draft of my chapters out in a notebook, then create a Google Doc, and print it for my wall. I like to write out a brief paragraph about what will happen in each chapter, major events, etc. This step is essential to me staying on track.
7- prepping my body and mind
NaNoWriMo is a journey, and every journey must have a certain amount of mind and body prepping beforehand. This month, I plan to focus a fair amount on meditation and healthy habits to get myself into the right head space to write a novel.
8- Taking Writing courses & workshops
A little refresher course never hurt anyone! If you search for it on social media, chances are you’ll find a lot of different free writing workshops and courses. Usually these are meant to pull you into a certain writing coach’s paid services, but the free content can still have valuable information and advice. I’ve also been obsessively online stalking the leisure courses from one of our local universities. I’m a HUGE fan of continued learning, and leisure courses are a fun way to gain valuable skills without having to actually go back to school. If you’re local, UNB has a ton of awesome leisure courses to choose from, including a good selection on writing and publishing!
9- deciding on a format
Different authors will format their novels differently, and this is always something you can change in the editing process, but I personally like to work this out ahead of time! I usually do a quick Google search of what format publishers are accepting most these days and go from there.
10- creating a writing schedule
This is another key thing that will be needed for success. If I don’t schedule time to write beforehand, I just won’t do it. I’m a procrastinator, and I will always “just do it later” if I can. I haven’t figured out what kind of writing schedule I’ll have yet, but I’m thinking it will be an early morning 5am kind of thing. In the evening, I’m usually busy with figuring out supper and spending time with my family, but early morning before everyone rises may be my time to shine.
11- Connecting with other nanowrimo-ers
Any time I’ve taken part in NaNoWriMo, I’ve always loved connecting with others who are also doing the challenge. There are usually a few Facebook groups for it, and you can also find people by searching the NaNoWriMo hashtag on social media (I’ve been seeing some NaNoWriMo TikToks pop up lately and it makes me want to make some of my own!)
12- brain dumping
I do this with EVERYTHING. Seriously. I buy the one subject Hilroy notebooks by the dozen and have them stashed everywhere for brain dumping throughout the day. I just write down whatever pops into my head- blog post ideas, novel ideas, lists, plans, etc. Brain dumping during preptober is crucial for me because sometimes I’ll have an amazing idea that I would forget if I don’t write it down.
13- buying / preparing supplies
This goes hand in hand with “preparing my space”, but buying supplies, or taking stock of the supplies I have is an important part of being prepared for NaNoWriMo. Aside from my actual laptop (I use a Macbook Air), I like to make sure I have the following items when I write:
printer paper (for printing my visual reference guides)
my favourite pens (papermate 1.0 in blue)
Hilroy notebooks for working out ideas during the writing process
a desk fan
my daily planner for marking off word count each day
highlighters for dividing my reference guide topics (currently obsessed with the Stabilo BOSS Original Pastel Highlighters.)
my water bottle (I just bought a hydro flask and I’m loving it so far)
snacks- I plan on doing the majority of my writing early in the morning or late at night, so I most likely won’t be needing snacks, but it’s nice to have a little stash of granola bars/ other quick snacks just in case.
Extra: These next few points don’t necessarily need to be done during preptober, but I wanted to include them. Any of the following can be done once the novel is written.
14- Researching book agents & publishers
This step technically doesn’t need to be included in preptober, but I like to be prepared, and it makes me feel better to know what book agents and publishers are currently accepting books in my genre. I’ve also been researching the concept of self publishing on Amazon because a lot of people find success that way, and I like the idea of being in control of how my book gets published.
15- brainstorming marketing ideas
Again, this step doesn’t need to be done before the book is written, but I often have random marketing ideas pop into my head, so I like to keep a running notes list on my phone (to be moved to google docs later) of fun ideas. A lot of people don’t know this, but whether you self publish or have a publisher, a lot of the marketing often falls into the author’s hands, so it’s nice to be prepared.
So, that’s what I’m doing this month to get ready for nanowrimo! Are you doing nanowrimo this year? DM me, I’d love to connect with you!
D