Preparing for NaNoWriMo

With just under two months left to prepare for National Novel Writing Month, I thought I’d talk a little about what I did to prepare the last couple of years.

This is obvious, but the most important thing you can do for the contest is to be prepared.  I failed miserably the first year I tried it because I basically went in cold.  I sat down on November 1 and said, "I like aliens.  I'll write about aliens and see what comes out."

After about a week, all I had was 5,000 words and a convoluted plot involving Roswell, Marilyn Monroe and the Pope.  I also had no idea what I was doing and during that week decided that writing was no longer fun.

Going into a story cold can still be fun and will often create a great result, but when you need to put out 1,667 words each day, you need some sense of direction, or you just get lost, frustrated, and ultimately give up.

By the time year number two came around, I decided that I'd finish a novel no matter what, and started with a much better plan.  I'm not the type of writer who uses a detailed outline or synopsis, but I did spend a good chunk of time in October going over things in my head.  I came up with the basic setting and a few major plot points.

By the time I sat down to start on November 1, I already had the first few scenes written in my head, as well as a list of some of the major characters and their personality traits.  With a general idea of where the story was going, I was able to stay focused and the words kept coming out.  I finished the novel on schedule.

The next year was even better and with the same basic preparation, I finished the contest a few days early.

So if you're planning to enter the contest this year, start your planning now and set yourself up for a successful November.