How to prepare for National Novel Writing Month

Face down Scrabble tiles with five tiles face up in the middle. These tiles read: R E A D Y — Face down Scrabble tiles. Tiles in middle are face up and read: R E A D Y. Image by WOKANDAPIX at Pixabay.

I can't believe we’re already part-way through October! Of course, October is also known as "prep-tober" for those who participate in #NationalNovelWritingMonth (#NaNoWriMo, or just NaNo, for short) in November. This means planning how you'll get those words written. Here are a few of my ideas for how you might prepare for NaNoWriMo.

Decide on your writing schedule

Will you write every day and, if so, at what time of day and for how long? If you'll only write on weekends and days off, then how long will you need to write for in order to reach your word count?

Of course, while National Novel Writing Month focuses on word count, you can also use it to simply get into the habit of writing every day, or on a regular basis. You might also choose to use it as a form of accountability and to help motivate you to rewrite a novel. I’m very much in favour of using it in whatever way helps you meet your goals.

Make sure you have everything ready for a successful month of writing (or revising)

This might mean:

Clearing your schedule of non-essential social activities
But consider too how having less social downtime might affect your creativity—while it would give you more writing time, would you remain as productive? Although writing is a solitary activity, it’s often fed by our interactions with others and the world outside of our imaginations. In other words, try not to let your creative well run dry! This could be a matter of experimentation.
Pre-cooking meals and putting them in the freezer
Or getting in lots of ready meals/TV dinners! But if you love cooking and find that you come up with your best plot ideas while preparing dinner, then you might want to give this one some thought.
Enlisting some extra help around the house
If you have a partner, could they pick up some of your chores this month, maybe in exchange for something else? What household tasks might you be able to skip/postpone?
Getting ahead on work deadlines, if you can, and if this would help free up more time for writing
Making sure you’re at least on top of your work responsibilities can help to reduce stress, which will also make it easier to be creative. Depending on your job and financial situation, you could also consider limiting any overtime you might normally do.
Doing a big grocery shop ahead of time
If you like to snack while writing then now is the time to stock up on your favourites. Buying in extra coffee and/or tea/other hot drinks could also be a good idea. I know I always have a hot drink to hand when I’m writing or editing in the autumn.
Simply making sure you have any notes, outlines, and character sketches to hand before you begin
This seems obvious, but it’s easy to forget where you put your notes, especially if you write by hand or started planning this book awhile ago. You might also take this opportunity to read through your notes, to make sure they still fit your vision for the story. Does any information need adding to your outline? If you like to work with mood boards, Pinterest pins or any other visual storytelling tools then make sure these are available and up to date before you begin writing.
And, of course, if you need any help with your outline, or you’d like some writing exercises to help you get started, then send me a message using the contact button at the bottom of this post and I’ll see what I can do to help.