Ready or not, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is coming up as it always does on the first of November. The goal of this event is to write a 50,000 word novel within the month. You could sit down and start on November 1st, or you could prepare yourself for the daunting task through careful planning.
Create a NaNoWriMo novel worth a second look
Cheat
No, planning ahead is not cheating, get that idea out of the way first. It is not cheating to prepare. Develop your idea into something worthy of working on throughout the month of November. Create an outline. Determine your characters, setting and basic plot before the calendar page turns. The best novels have foundations in place. A great idea is not enough. Lay out your idea, look at it from different angles and determine the end before the beginning.
Throw yourself into the story
If you are struggling with characters, consider using yourself. Now, you do not need to reveal this juicy detail, but when you use yourself as the base for your character you will already be intensely familiar with the characters tendencies and idiosyncrasies. Tear yourself into multiple characters if need be using different facets of your personality.
Frame it
Build the story around something that happened to you, or something that you would like to happen to you. Injecting a piece of fantasy into your novel, and using yourself as the model for the character, creates a firm base for the novel to stand.
Plot the steps
Once you have your idea and character, set up the path the story will take. The journey or desire, oppositions and consequences, and a satisfying ending. It can be full of high drama and adventure, or not, but either way, you should know the direction before writing it all down.
What if?
What if you do not know where to go next? In that case ask yourself, “What if?” at every turn until you figure out the right direction. Setting up the overview to your novel before proceeding will do wonders for your finished piece.
Block it
No, not the dreaded “writer’s block,” but instead the outline. Break your story into distinct sections; the intro, the first plot point, the second plot point and an ending. The end can be a surprise, but should still be completely logical so that the reader is satisfied in the end.
Finally, write, do not simply type
Fall in love with your concept, idea and characters. You will be spending a lot of time with them over the month so be sure they can hold your attention. In order to fall in love with your story, you need to know the story. If you do not have any idea where you are going, you will most likely end up with a lot of words, not a completed first draft manuscript.
Resources:
Personal experience
NaNoWriMo