National Novel Writing Month – or NaNoWriMo – is a month-long challenge throughout the month of November to complete a 50,000 word first draft of a novel. You cannot begin writing until the first of November, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start preparing now!
1. Are you a plotter or a pantser?:
In other words, do you plot your stories chapter-by-chapter, or do you just wing it? Either way, take some time to get some inspiration for your story. Take a walk, catch a movie, listen to your favorite artist. Go to the nanowrimo site and read a few articles. Figure out what you want to do, and how you plan on doing it.
2. Tell the world!:
If you haven’t already, announce your novel on the website. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell the barista at starbucks! Even better, find a writing buddy who is also participating this year.
3. What’s your plan?:
Even if you are a “pantser,” it will be helpful for you to figure out your setting and characters before you start. Take some time in October to figure out where you are in terms of worldbuilding and characterization. Who are your characters? How do they interact with each other? What are their deepest darkest secrets? What is their favorite flavor of gum?
It may be helpful to think of some form of writing schedule in order to stay on track. Figure out when your exams and school projects are and try to fit your writing time around them, or even finish them early.
4. Prep:
This is the fun part. Make yourself a nice playlist of writing music. I recommend non-lyrical songs such as movie soundtracks – they are not as distracting. Take advantage of Spotify premium, now only $4.99 for college students!
Figure out what else you’re going to need. Do you plan on typing your draft, or writing by hand? If you are typing, do you have a backup plan if your computer crashes? Make sure you have all your bases covered before November begins!
5. Write:
Save the editing for December or later. Just sit down and start writing. If you face a particularly nasty case of writer’s block, move onto another idea and keep going. Don’t let anything stop you from reaching that 50k!
6. A Few Last Words:
Nanowrimo is a challenge. If you manage to write 50,000 words, that is wonderful! You have achieved something amazing, and you should be very proud of yourself! That said, you should never feel as if you “have” to finish in a month. Many authors take a lot longer to write their first draft. You are a busy college student. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are any lesser of a writer if you do not manage to “win” this month because of exams, projects or most importantly your mental health.
Good luck to those who are participating!