Writing Update #3

NaNoWriMo & Prep-tober

It’s October! It seems like October is one of the most magical months. It’s when things get cozy and we prepare for the holiday season. If you know me, you know I LOVE the holidays. I love Summer, but the air is just more inspiring this time of year, isn’t it? 

I wanted to share a bit about my preparations for NaNoWriMo. What’s NaNoWriMo? November is National Novel Writing Month. It’s a program that helps give you some structure if you’re have a work in progress. My friend Amber and I are working together to be each other motivation and yours! We started a series called “How Novel” on our instagrams and we hope you’ll join us this Saturday at 7pm EST for a Q&A about NaNoWriMo. 

So, beginning November 1, my goal will be to write 1500 words a day and finish my first draft of my novel. For the month of October, I am shifting my focus from writing to plotting. I have never been much of a plotter or planner when it comes to my Work in Progress, but I think this is the time to try it. 

I’m going to be outlining my novel in extreme detail so that I know the beats well and where I want the story to rise and fall. Right now, I’ve been writing scenes and moments, with a clear beginning and climax, but I haven’t figured out the ending. Amber is definitely a planner/plotter, so it’s been fun to share our processes. 

I wrote about NaNoWriMo last year and had a really successful month. The structure is so important and lots of fantastic authors wrote their novels within it! It’s a really fun community and it feels simply magical that we’re all creating at the same time. 

Here’s to Prep-tober!