NaNoWriMo Prep!

Whether you're a pantser or a planner (or both, like myself), NaNoWriMo is worth some planning. Since my laptop charger went kaput, planning is the more palatable part of writing for me right now, but I'm not going to assume everyone is going into this already knowing what they're doing.

First of all, if you're doing it, add me now. AbsentGoddess. I'll be a cheerleader and an ear throughout the event, no exceptions! I love interacting and helping out fellow writers.

As for the topic (yup, still here!), this isn't just a good time to plan the book itself, but a good time to set up your page (sometimes they have a queue for new accounts so at least knock that out ASAP). Pick your user name and password and click through the links to see how badge work. Some you can 'award' yourself, some are milestones that go through when you claim your word count. It's an honesty based system so you can lie... But there's actually gratification in doing the work, so at least try.

(In the name of nabbing the winner's discounts, I do suggest fudging your winner count if you want the discounted programs at the end. I have no doubt you'll reach the word count eventually, so you're at least a runner-up in my book.)

What else? Go to the My Novel section. If you haven't planned this, it might be a good time to play here. Pick a title, a genre, and a 'cover image'. Write a synopsis, plug in an excerpt if you have one. Most people who reach the word count did so because they plugged in these details that made the whole thing feel more tangible and attainable. All of these details can be changed at any time. Change your mind. Continue a partial draft of something else. Write five short stories. NaNoWriMo isn't about quality. The focus is on quantity because the point is developing habits, methods and creative flow cognition. There are after-camps for refinement so let this be your opportunity to challenge yourself not to self-edit.

**Prepping is mostly about seeing what is available on-site, getting familiar with any changes, building your buddy list and checking out guest writers. You'll get personal messages and site-wide messages of encouragement during the event. Make the most of it so you can decide your plan of action and focus.**

I won't lie. I self-edit. But I also attempt to stick it out for the word count goal. It's actually simpler than you think if you do it in the spirit intended. Ideally, you're going to just aim for the best output. 

If you're a 1K word per hour writer at best, this should be where you aim to race for that goal. I believe the average word count per day sets your minimum daily count at 1,666 words (1,667, if you have some superstition about three sixes in a row). Assuming you having a full-time job then an hour and a half of free flow writing is probably a pipe dream during the work week. Set up your deficits for weekends. If you only nail half of the minimum each day, then you're looking at some modest chunks of hours to catch up on weekends. 

Too much? Give yourself an early bump. Again, it's an accountability system that doesn't get suspicious if you claim 50K words on the first day. If 50K words in one month isn't possible, consider starting a couple weeks/month early and maybe claiming the 10K-20K you prepped with.

I've never seen this community look down on anyone for 'cheating' or 'lying'. Some people adhere to the strictness for their own goals but ultimately, this is only about writers writing. It's about encouraging everyone to start that one book they swear they have inside them. Poets, fanfic afficionados, short story writers all participate (so even the Novel-Writing part is not a rule). This is more like a writing camp where the content, the criticism, the confidence-- none of it matters. We're in it for the camaraderie, the challenge and the courage to begin! (Alliteration... Imagine that...)

Pass my name along to your circle of writers! I want to see new and old faces and keep up the tradition of passion for the craft. Also, feel free to subscribe to all of my social outlets and toss me yours. I've met some amazing people through these sorts of events and I'd love to keep that up.

For your convenience, you'll find all my links on the footer of my website HERE.