For those who don’t know, nanowrimo is national novel writing month, a month where lots of people try to write an entire 50,000+ word novel in just 30 days. I’ve tried nanowrimo and camp nanowrimo once each, one I won and the other I gave up part way through due to my dad dying. This year I’m getting prepped the way I did when I won though, and I’m pretty convince I’m gonna have the bones of a decent novel by the end of November. So I thought I’d share with you three ways I plan my novel!
First, and most important for me, I get my characters. I sketch them out (badly), write down what their life is like, what they’re like, what their goals are etc. and just get to know them a bit. So much of my writing is driven by the characters, I really need to make sure they’re strong and realistic, meaning I also give them flaws and normal human characteristics.
Once I have my characters, I write about how they ‘feel’. By this I mean what kind of environment they seem to fit in, any short scenes or settings they make me think of. Some characters give an immediate vibe of walking down a busy city street with their head high and shoulders slung back, others feel more like they’d be suited to a Scandinavian forest, their cheeks flushed and their breath misting the air before them. This is the part that makes a story start to appear.
From there i have a general plot and I start writing down point by point what happens. It might change or get rearranged, but at this point I essentially have what the plot of my novel is going to end up being. Once I finish this, I’m ready for November 1st!
Have you ever done nanowrimo? How do you prepare for it?
-Dana
Carry on Beautiful! 