Gearing Up for National Novel Writing Month- How You Should Prepare

Song of the Day: Watch Me Shine by Joanna Pacitti

   Hello all! I apologize to those of you who actually listen to the song of the day. I couldn’t find the full version of the song. I didn’t want to change the song because it’s perfect for today and I always try and match the song to the mood of the post. If you still have a burning desire to listen to the whole thing (and I recommend it, because it’s AMAZING) then check out the youtube link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ6aiImPxuI 
    I’ve been reading some very helpful advice about preparing for National Novel Writing Month and thought I’d share them on this post. I came across an article on theblueinkwell.com written by guest blogger Michelle Devon. Some of the points are silly, but I still found the majority of them helpful. Here are her tips:

1. Buy Lots of Coffee

    I actually don’t drink coffee, but I have the feeling I might start during November. I wonder if this will actually work for me. I don’t really function well due to lack of sleep. We shall see.

2. Buy a Shower Cap

    Devon says that you will need a shower cap to keep you from pulling out your hair. I must admit this scares me. Is it really that bad?

3. Lock up All Fire Arms

    According to Devon, this is in case you want to shoot your computer screen at 5am after no sleep and “a character decides to take the storyline in a whole new direction.”

4. Buy Headphones

    You will need to drown out noisy people in your house, the coffee shops, etc.

5. At 11:59 pm on October 31- Promptly disregard and temporarily forget anything and everything 
    you have ever been taught about writing.

   This is the one piece of advice that I hear over and over. Writers are advised to “just write” and keep in mind that they are just supposed to produce a draft of their novel. Can I just say that I’m looking forward to this one? I know. That’s probably easier said than done.

6. Learn How Not to Edit
 
   Again, easier said than done. Especially for the perfectionists out there.

All Fun and games aside, there are some things that I’ve read repeated by writers who have participated in the past. Here’s what sticks out in my memory most.

1. Outline Your Novel

    An outline will give you a general direction of where your novel is going. After all the years I’ve been writing, I’ve never really tried outlining. I think I’m going to give it a whirl, instead of trying to proceed blindly into a novel. I’m hoping this will also ease up some of the writer’s block. You should probably also get to know your characters, but I think that might go hand in hand with your outline.

2. Develop a Word Count Schedule

    You have to write at least 50,000 words right? That’s roughly 12,500 words a week, or 1,667 words a day. Each writer is different. How long will it take you to write that daily? Make sure you set aside that amount of time each day to write. I predict that that many words will take me somewhere between 1-2 hours to write. So plan ahead.

3. Try Not to Schedule too Many Things in November

    Don’t make plans, unless it’s absolutely necessary. I read somewhere that you should even freeze food ahead of time! I don’t know about that one. However, I would suggest trying to plan your life around your writing time, instead of the other way around. For example, I know that I won’t have time to blog as much. I’m going to have a few posts written out ahead of time, that way I’m not completely gone for the entire month (Besides, I would miss you guys too much!).

So there you have it! Are you ready?