Prep-Tober: Preparing for NaNoWriMo 2022
I have always dreamed of publishing a book. I love telling stories and have ideas floating through my head constantly for stories that I’d like to read, so I’ll have to be the one to write them. I started doing NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, in 2019. I was on a work trip with Nick in Texas for a whole week and I got my first taste of what the “work from home” life would be.
I love every second of it. Nick would leave for work and I’d bring my book to the dining room for breakfast. Then I’d change into workout clothes and have the gym to myself for an hour. It was the first week of November so Hallmark had their cheesy Christmas movies on 24/7. I’d do a couple hours of work and then settle into writing.
At 6pm, I’d go to the lobby for a glass of wine and wait for Nick to come home before we got dinner and explored the area.
It was wonderful and really helped me explore my creativity. Little did we know that a couple months later, it would be our reality (minus the gym, bar, and exploring bits). But that was when I realized the dreams I had of writing could come true, but that I also needed a lot of space in order to achieve them.
I’m a perfectionist so the book I started in 2019 has gone through many different drafts before It all finally clicked. Publishing is a slow, slow, SLOW process so I feel like I’ve been the girl that cried “I wrote a book!” for a ridiculously long time. But I hope that if there are any other writers out there, maybe this helps you feel less alone. We so often only get to see the wins. The publisher’s marketplace deals posted on Instagram and Twitter. The interviews telling you that it was a long, slow, HARD process…but not often the everyday pressure.
I got through spurts of creativity and productivity on my writing. I’m someone who compartmentalizes my life and sometimes, try as I might, there just isn’t always room for everything. But every year, I commit to NaNoWriMo and I love it.
Last year, I daily vlogged the entire month on TikTok. I don’t think I’ll do that again but it did really help me to stay accountable to write at least 1,000 words every day, so I think I’ll instead to a Daily word count update.
Emily Henry told me this year that sometimes it’s better to hold things close to your chest and once that first draft is done, your reward to shout it from the rooftops that you did it. I think that’s the approach I want to take. I love talking about writing but I’m also really struggling with imposter syndrome and comparing myself to some of my contemporaries on their wins and my losses.
If you don’t care about this, don’t worry, it definitely won’t take over! But if it helps you, even a little, to realize that no matter how others perceive us, creativity is a personal journey and that’s okay.
I’ll be spending this month getting ready for Nano by getting ahead on work, building a realistic writing schedule, and fleshing out my outline. I’ll be starting a new project for the first time since 2021 and I am so excited.
Resources
NaNoWriMo HQ—The website has TONS of resources and lots of authors offer advice via interviews.
Abbie Emmons—I follow Abbie on YouTube and love her writing sprints and videos!
Writer to Writer by Gail Carson Levine—We all know Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite books! I love this book of wisdom.
Save the Cat—A classic and one I revisit often! If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend it!
Romancing the Beat—If you’re writing Romance, this is also a fantastic book to check in with! It’s short, simple, and to the point. I’ve found it to be wickedly helpful.
Accountability
I can’t recommend having an accountability partner enough. I’m so lucky to have had Amber for two years now and this Summer, we added the iconic Alexa Martin to our group! It’s been so helpful to vent to them, cheer each other on, and have them to read my work and give me edits/help along the way. I’m indebted to them!
Happy Writing if you’re jumping in on NaNo and if not, hopefully I’ll report back with a finished draft come December 1!