Good morning! In a last ditch effort to prepare myself for Nanowrimo (which begins on FRIDAY—how did that happen?!), I’m pulling together my arsenal of writing tools together to get ready for the upcoming challenge. Wondering how to get ready for one of the biggest writing challenges of the year? Well, so am I.
For those of you who don’t know, Nanowrimo is short for “National Novel Writing Month.” Every November, millions of writers buckle down and take the challenge to write 50,000 words in a month. That translates, roughly, to 1,667 words every day, which is about what I’ve been averaging each week.
Nanowrimo is a big challenge for any writer, so today we’re going to prepare for it by cranking out dream boards and brainstorms, gathering up soundtracks and character aesthetics, writing a plot map and a synopsis, and then setting aside time to write every day. Our goal is to fall in love with our story idea so that by the time November dawns, we wake up with fiery imaginations and fingers itching to hit the open word document.
Dreamboard
Pinterest boards
I tend to picture my stories very visually, so when planning a new story idea I like to start by making a new Pinterest board and filling it with images that speak to the story’s aesthetic—the setting, characters, message, etc. Sometimes, I’ll find a picture and it will resonate with a scene that I imagine in the novel. If I feel like I’ve stumbled across a scene that belongs in the novel, I’ll open my planning document and jot a quick note (i.e. “scene that happens by railroad tracks” or “travel through ruins of a castle in mountains”).
Playlist
Next to visualizing the book, music is, for me, a pivotal aspect of dreaming a book into existence. The songs that shape a story tend to evoke feelings I want the reader to have when they enter the storyworld. Remember, we’re not here to smack the reader over the head with how awesome our ideas are. We’re here to write a story so vivid and compelling that it becomes a portal through which readers can escape for a while.
When I map out a playlist, I like to arrange it like it’s a soundtrack. Which songs fit the beginning of the story, or the middle, or the end? What’s your “closing credits” song? Do certain scores fit a pivotal scene? What are your character’s theme songs?
Don’t spend too long on this step. It’s easy to get lost in the planning process, but you’re just here to create a soundscape for your novel. If this is too overwhelming, there are plenty of ambiance videos and playlists already compiled on YouTube, which are just as helpful and take a lot less effort.
Map the Plot:
By the time I get a feel for the story’s visuals and music, I tend to have a pretty good idea of the story’s shape. Now, I’ll move over to my planning document, a mess of tangled thoughts that will eventually become the backbone of the story. I’ll usually have a working title by this point, so I’ll write that at the top of the document before moving to the nitty gritty stuff.
Single Sentence
First, I start by describing the novel in a single sentence. If you were to summarize your favorite books to a friend, you could probably come up with some intriguing one-sentence “hook sentences,” right? That’s because the author and publisher already did the thinking for you and came up with the tagline for the story.
What is the book about, at the barest level? Start with your main character, allude to the genre/setting, and set up an intriguing conflict in a way that grabs the reader’s attention. These usually follow this format:
When (inciting incident) happens to (main character), they must (story goal) before (mention a time limit) or else (the stakes).
Back Cover Summary
Now that you have a single sentence, expand it to a single paragraph (3-4 sentences) that would be like a back cover summary. Explain the setting, the stakes, and the conflict in more detail. What’s happening to the characters? Why now?
Synopsis
Now that you have a framework for the story, the real planning begins. At this point, I like to use the brainstorming ideas as a reference while I sit down and write a three to five page synopsis including all the details, plot threads, character backstories, and pivotal scenes—all spoilers included, even the ending. Tell the story from beginning to end, but abbreviated. This is my favorite part of the planning process, because you’re essentially mapping out your novel without having to do any of the tough work of writing it.
Scene Breakdown (optional)
If it’s helpful, take the synopsis and do a scene-by-scene breakdown so you have an intricate map of where your story is headed. It helps to think of the story in cinematic terms. How do we get from A to B? When will a scene be necessary, and when will a montage do?
Make a Plan:
Congrats! You now have your dreamy storyboards (aka Pinterest and a writing playlist) and your planning document (summaries, synopsis, and scene-by-scene breakdown) close at hand. Now, it’s time to look at your planner and make yourself a schedule. When will you write each day?
The average daily word count for Nanowrimo is 1,667 words. This usually takes me 2-3 hours, depending on the day. I tend to get my best writing done either in early morning or late at night, so on the days I don’t open at the bakery, I’ll get my writing done first thing in the morning. Other days, I might have to settle for writing in the afternoon.
When do you get your best writing done? Map it out in your planner and make sure you allow some time for mental breaks—a walk to clear your mind, yoga to stretch your stiff back, a coffee break, all that good stuff.
Thanks for coming along with me on our #Preptober planning together! May your word count and your coffee be abundant,
<3 Olivia Grace
