NaNoWriMo Preparation
NaNoWriMo is a bit of a mouthful and kind of looks like a crazy chemistry molecule. No fret. It’s nothing complicated. Other than a fun acronym, NaNoWriMo is the celebration of novel writing. More formally, NaNoWriMo is the National Novel Writing Month hosted in November. All levels of writers band together for an entire month of writing their own novel.
Writing a novel in a single month is exhausting and just about as impossible as it sounds. But take courage, as some writers experience success during this month of writing. Others, like me, use November as a leap into writing a novel. I typically take about 2 to 3 months to draft a novel--that's the first draft, yeah. Then for the next month or two, I spend writing the next 15 drafts. I exaggerate. Or do I?
A novel, according to NaNoWriMo, should be at a minimum of 52,000 words. That's about the size of Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Your novel is custom to your work, your audience, and your genre, but there are some less than rigid guidelines for word count.
Typical word counts for each genre as collected by the Foster Grant Blog:
- Crime – 90,000 to 100,000 words
- Thrillers – 70,000 to 90,000 words
- Literary – 80,000 to 110,000 words
- Romance – 40,000 to 100,000 words
- Fantasy – 90,000 to 110,000 words
- Horror – 80,000 to 100,000 words
- Science – 90,000 to 125,000 words
- Historical – 100,000 to 120,000 words
You can participate in NaNoWriMo passively while writing on your own terms and tallying your own word count. Or you can connect with others in several online writing communities, and share your work with others. There is no right or wrong way to write. Find what is right for you. To find a band of writers to connect with over this month, visit NaNoWriMo’s dashboard (once you’ve signed up), and they'll direct you along. I also found instagram is a great way to find other writers needing a boost of encouragement and community during their month of writing. That’s where I’ll be. Come say hi :)
My Plan of Action
Before NaNoWriMo
- Craft the story
- Plot out character analysis and character arcs
- Jot down major themes maybe some subplots if feeling ambitious
- Plot or have an idea of the direction of the story
Books to read: before and during November
- The Writing of Fiction, Edith Wharton
- Henry James Essay, The Art of Fiction
- Some favorites that inspire me to write (Anne of Green Gables, Literary Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
Carve out time to write.
- I jam my mornings pretty tightly, so I think I’ll focus on writing 2-3 hours a day each evening.
- I’ll also use timers to prevent burnout--50 mins of writing, 10 mins of play/stretch/more tea, please. I learned this technique from Bryan. Thanks, Bryan!
Keep in mind, I’m only aiming for a first draft. I’ll be leaving additional drafts and editing for a different season or month.
This can be a grueling task, but remember it’s meant to stretch you, grow your writing and show you what you’re capable of.
P.S. You are capable.
Resources:
- Write Every Day app keeps track of your daily word count and cheers you on as you show up each day.
- Character analysis, trackers, etc
- Writer’s Digest on NaNoWriMo prepping versus not prepping
- Writing in November playlist - instrumental
Happy writing, friend!