Preptober is here, and NanoWrimo is right around the corner. Which means if you haven’t already started, it’s time to start thinking about your story.
You might already know exactly what you want to write. You may be picking between different story ideas. Or you could have absolutely no clue what you’re going to write. No matter where you are in getting your story idea, it’s time to sit down and start planning.
Clueless?
Begin by making a list of all of the things you love. These things need to be what gets you passionate about life. For example, I am completely obsessed with romance dramas, my border collie Scout, and all things decorating. What excites you might be completely different from what excites me. So go ahead and write out about ten things you love.
Seriously. Break out your pen and paper and get to writing that list of what you love, because what you love is usually what you’re going to enjoy writing about. And trust me, when you write every day for a few hours, you’ll need to write about something you absolutely love.
Once you have that list ready, go ahead and pick anywhere from three to nine things from that list and see what sparks your interest the most. Narrow it down to just one of the ideas that you have written out, set a timer for about ten minutes and begin to journal. Journaling can help you explore the idea and allow the creative juices to flow. Use writing prompts to help you get started like these ones here.
If you get bored with what you’re writing about, time to scrap that idea and start on another. Now is the time to be picky and selective––not when you’re halfway through NanoWrimo and realizing that you don’t actually want to write your story.
Picking Between Two Brilliant Ideas?
I’m currently writing a long fiction series set in a fantasy world and I actually fell under this category. I have about six books that will be in this series, and I’m currently editing the first book in the series. Because I have five more books to write, I wasn’t sure which one I needed to write and was stuck for a few days. In the end, I decided that I needed to write the next book in the series as opposed to jumping around the series and figuring things out as I go along.
If you’re in a similar place (between a rock and a hard place) and choosing between two or three book ideas, I recommend the following:
- Pick whichever book makes the most sense for where you are in your writing journey. For me, that was continuing my series in chronological order. For you, that may be choosing your science fiction idea over your nonfiction biography. Just pick whatever makes the most logical sense.
- Pick whichever one will give you the most fire in the month of November. Again, you have to write 50,000 words in the month of November. You do not want to burn out. Figure out what keeps your fire going and pick that one.
- Still torn? Play eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Really. Go for it. If you’re truly stuck between great stories in your mind and really can’t choose, pick one at random and stick with it.
Already Know What You’re Going to Write for NanoWrimo?
Great! You’re ahead of the game. Start writing down some key points that you’d like to highlight, brainstorm a bit about your characters and the circumstances they’ll go through, and have some fun daydreaming.
Conclusion
No matter where you are in getting your story idea together, know that Preptober is supposed to be a fun time where you get your creative juices flowing and set your NanoWrimo experience up for success.
Elizabeth Yuen 