NaNoWriMo Preptober: Questions to Consider Before Writing

Note: This month I’m reposting my annual NaNoWriMo Preptober series. Even if you’re not doing NaNoWriMo, it’s a great way to begin thinking about any novel you plan to write!

November is National Novel Writing Month – or NaNoWriMo. The premise is simple: write a novel in thirty days.  

Or at least, write 50,000 words of a novel (50K is not novel-length for any but Middle Grade novels). You can formally register at www.nanowrimo.org and get in on all the community aspect of things, which can definitely help during the challenge, because hello, 50K words in one month is more than most people write, myself included. It works out to 1,666 words per day. Which is doable, especially if you are writing fast and focused on just getting that first draft down. 

There are a few things to keep in mind if you’re thinking of participating: 

1.     It’s good to jump-start a writing habit, and perhaps push you beyond what you thought you could do. However, it might also lead to burnout. No point in knocking yourself out to write 50K in a month if you’re too wiped to write a word for the next 3 months. 

2.     Just jumping in with only a vague idea of a novel is a bad idea. It can lead to wandering around a muddled middle, with no idea who your characters are, or what they’re supposed to be doing. Preparation is essential. The website has a whole calendar of activities (which actually started in September) to help, but you can catch up.  

3.     It can lead to people thinking, on December 1, “Yay! I’ve written a novel! Better send it off to an agent, stat!” I’ve heard way too many agents say they dread December because of the flood of NaNo novels that are half-baked, poorly written, and in no way, shape, or form ready to be seen by a publishing professional. 50K words is a very rough first draft (and not quite even that, for most novels). What you have, on December 1, is a good start on a novel to finish or revise. And revise again. And get feedback. And revise again.  

Of course, you don’t have to do the actual NaNoWriMo challenge. You can create your own. My writer’s group often posts individual challenges that we want to take on during that month. We do a weekly check-in via email to see how we’re doing, and give each other support. It might be completing a revision draft, sending out 25 queries, completing a blueprint of your book – whatever makes sense to you, given where you are in the process and how much time you can realistically spend. It’s good to push yourself to do more than you usually would – that’s what a challenge is all about! But it doesn’t have to fit the NaNo mold.  

So, if you are interested in a November writing challenge, where do you start? 

1.     You can go to www.nanowrimo.org and sign up for that challenge. 

2.     You can create a challenge for yourself. Write it down, post it where you’ll see it every day. It can help to get a posse together to keep each other accountable: email, Facebook group, daily or weekly check-ins…  

3. Start thinking about your story. You may have one in mind that you’ve wanted to work on for a while. Now’s your chance. Whether you are actually doing NaNoWriMo or not, the NaNoWriMo Prep Area has tons of resources on idea generation as well as developing your character, plot, and setting (the world of your novel).   

For this week: 

Hone your idea: What’s the premise of your novel? Take your time with this. You may want to follow this formula:  

a.     Who is the protagonist?  

b.     What do they want?  

c.     What is at stake? 

Examples: 

A [character] who [has a problem] must [action] in order to/before [consequence]. 

When {problem occurs}, [character] must [action] before/or [consequence] 

Find your Why – Why do you want to write this book? Why are you the best person to write it? You have to have a strong motivation to carry you through not just the first draft but all the revisions ahead.  

What’s the Point? What are you trying to say about the world? This can be a cliché but it’s your novel’s North Star: love conquers all, cheaters never prosper, etc. 

 Jacket copy – Write out a paragraph that could be used for the back jacket copy of your book. This is a summary of the story as you see it now. 

Working title – Come up with at least ten. 

Genre – Be specific. YA Steampunk? Historical literary? Sci-Fi thriller?  

Ideal Reader – Who is the person you envision reading this book? Age, gender, occupation, hobbies/interests – go into detail. What other books do they like to read? 

When you can answer these questions clearly, you’ll know you have a solid foundation for your novel. Let me know how it goes in the comments!