So far in Preptober, we’ve tackled your health, support system, and writing goals. By now, you should have six goals in mind for NanoWrimo (two for health, two for your support system, and two for your writing goals). But now it’s time to tie all of those together with your accountability goals. Your accountability goals should be the glue that keeps everything together.
We have the best intentions with goals. We strive to follow through. We make plans to exercise, schedule time with our family in our week, and are determined to reach our daily word count. But at the end of the day, what is holding you to those goals?
Having something or someone holding you accountable can help strengthen your resolve when it comes to your NanoWrimo goals.
Find a Writing Buddy
Writing buddies give me the warm fuzzies. They check in on your writing, see how you’re doing and volunteer to meet up at a cute little coffee shop for a warm cup of tea and a writing sprint. But finding someone like that can be a bit of a challenge.
Ask around your friend group if anyone of them is participating in NanoWrimo. Chances are you might find a kindred spirit looking to finish NanoWrimo.
If you’ve asked around and haven’t found anyone to partner up with, don’t fret. Search in your area or online for a writing buddy. You can always look me up on NanoWrimo.org as well. I’m more than happy to connect.
Your Writers Group
In addition to being a part of your support system, your writers group can also be a part of your accountability goals. Set a date to meet once a week so you can actually get your writing done. The very act of setting up a specific date, time, and location with others means that you know you need to show up. Knowing that you have a group waiting for you can help motivate you to complete your daily word count.
Social Media
If you’ve ever tried waking up early to write before, you might find that it’s difficult to drag yourself away from the comfort of your warm bed and over to your cold desk where a blank page is staring at you. Or maybe you’re working on your novel into the wee hours of the evening where not a single person is awake.
It’s moments like these that I tend to rely on social media as my accountability check. I usually snap a photo of my lit candle and the time or a quick video of my desk set up so others can see that I’m doing what I said I was going to do. Doing a daily post of yourself writing or sitting down to write can help you stay on course.
For my social media accountability, I’ll be using YouTube for daily write with me sessions. I’m debating whether or not I want to live stream them or just record them and put some theme music to each of them, so I’ll need to give that some thought. Regardless, having a channel solely focused on keeping me accountable throughout November is going to help me in my NanoWrimo goals.
Write down two accountability goals of your own and add it to your list of goals for the month. Join me tomorrow for a post on how you’re going to reward yourself regularly for all of your hard work throughout NanoWrimo.
So far in October, we’ve covered your health goals and your support system goals––now we get to the heart of NanoWrimo: your writing. There are many writing goals you can achieve in the course of one month, including a 50,000 word count goal. But I want you to take things a step further and dig deeper with your writing goals.
My first couple of NanoWrimo years, I was completely disorganized and easily shaken by huge goals. Whenever a large goal would come my way, I would chill out in my pajamas all day and zone out, letting life pass me by. That lack of fearlessness and total inability to plan ahead spilled over into my writing and other areas of my life. Even though I knew I wanted to complete NanoWrimo, I didn’t have any bite-size goals to get me to the end.
50,000 words over the course of a month is a lot. It takes a lot of time, effort and preparation. All of which, when I first started NanoWrimo, I did not take into consideration. As I matured, I realized that in order to finish NanoWrimo, I would need to start with smaller, more attainable goals.
Your Daily Word Count
One way you can break down your NanoWrimo goals is through your daily word count. If you’re like me and you’re starting up a whole new book, then you’ll probably want to go the old fashioned route and track your daily word count.
Figure out your daily word count by looking at the month ahead and marking which days you’ll be taking off. Then, from there, determine how many days you’ll actually be writing. Take the 50,000 word count and divide it up by the number of days you’ll be sitting down to write and you’ve got your “daily” word count that you’re aiming for.
So, for example: There are 30 days in the month. I know I’ll be taking off two days for Thanksgiving and Black Friday to focus on spending time with my family. That means I have 28 days in total to get 50,000 words written. Divide 50,000 by 28 and I have to write 1786 on the days that I do write.
Take stock of what days you’ll be taking off in November and calculate your word count from there.
Some people do not doing daily word counts. It can feel stuffy and suffocating, causing your creativity to dwindle. For those who do not want to do a daily word count, consider doing a weekly word count instead. Same rules apply where you figure out what days you’ll be taking off and adjust your weekly total accordingly.
Logging Your Hours
You might consider hours written as one of your writing goals. If you need two or three hours every day to reach 50,000 words, you’ll want to start tracking those hours.
The time where you sit down and write is not going to magically appear in your schedule. You need to take the time to plan out your day so you can get your writing done. If you’re an early bird like I am, you might consider making it a part of your morning routine to write.
I know that in November, I’ll need to be up at five in the morning every day to accomplish my goals. That’s why I’m starting to get into the habit now of not only waking up earlier, but also writing first thing in the morning when I wake up. Is it hard? Yes. Am I getting it done? Also, yes.
Think about where you can carve out time for your writing. Do you need to give up television during NanoWrimo and only turn on the tube once you’ve completed your writing for the day? Instead of scrolling through social media on your lunch break, consider that time as a chance to get your writing done.
Whatever you need time-wise for your writing, make it happen.
Chapter Breakdown
If you’re a planner like me and are getting your chapter breakdowns ready in advance, you might want to think about using those chapter breakdowns as a part of your goal. For example: day one of NanoWrimo, you might want to write the entire opening scene of your first chapter. Day two: you focus on the second scene of your first chapter. Day three: you focus on the third scene of your first chapter. Day four, you focus on chapter two’s opening scene. So on, and so forth. Each part of your chapter should be written out in full with as much detail as possible in order to not only reach your goal but also allow you to explore your world a little bit more.
When choosing your writing goals for NanoWrimo, focus on what is attainable for you. Do not bite off more than you can chew. Think through these goals in further detail and tailor them to what you need for the month of November. Let me know in the comments below what your goals are for NanoWrimo.
The act of writing can be very lonely at times. As writers, we are the creators of worlds that we will never live in. We can visit there for a time, but we are only visitors in the worlds that we build. The characters that we write may feel like our friends and our family at times, but at the end of the night when it’s time to go to bed, we are left wanting for more than the fictional creatures we have conjured up in our minds.
This is why it is so important that we have a support system in place––especially during NanoWrimo. The month of November will already be hard enough with attempting to write 50,000 words in a single month, but the thought of facing that alone is daunting. A support system will help carry you through this journey and cheer you on while you do it.
Everyone should know who’s in their corner when they step up to take on NanoWrimo. Do you?
Friends
Letting your friends know about NanoWrimo can be intimidating. For the longest time, I would avoid talking about my writing with my friends because I thought it was just a silly dream that I had. I would listen to everyone else’s dreams with amazement and wonder. I’d cheer them on saying, “You got this! You can do it!” And, at the same time I was telling them they could do anything they put their minds to, I was hiding my own dreams and letting them stay in the dark. I watched in jealousy and envy while other people in my life shined brightly, embracing their true calling while I tucked my dreams away in a drawer never to see the light of day.
I was so afraid that if I shared my dreams with my friends that they’d tell me I would never make it. That I wouldn’t be able to do it. And, honestly, any real friend would never say those things. True friends don’t laugh at my dreams. And neither will yours.
Your friends should be lifting you up. And you, in turn, should be lifting them up. There is no room for jealousy or pettiness when you’re friends. Their victories are your victories; their defeats are your defeats. And vice versa.
They are your chosen family––the ones who grew to love you simply because of you being your most authentic and real self. Do not tarnish the bonds of friendship by keeping your NanoWrimo goals a secret. Let your friends know what you’re trying to accomplish and how they can support you.
Do you need a friend to drop by with some delicious home cooked food once a week? Ask for it.
Worried that your sanity might break if you don’t get out and breathe in some fresh air? Designate a walking buddy from your friend group.
Whatever you need from your friends during this time, ask for. But in December, when NanoWrimo is over, make sure that you have a way to thank them for their support. Bake their favorite cookies, host a party at your place to celebrate the end of NanoWrimo, or even give them actual thank you cards––make sure that you give back to them and show them that you appreciate what they have done for you.
Family
Love ’em or hate ’em, your family can be a part of your support system as well. When I was a kid and just getting into writing, I used to hide my writing from my family. My parents would come into the study where we had one computer for the whole household and I would quickly shut all of my tabs. My parents, of course, would give me weird looks and ask, “So…what are you doing?”
I’d give them some vague answer and hope they didn’t realize that I was writing. I was caught a couple of times and I may as well have been caught for looking at something inappropriate with the way that I acted. My parents? Didn’t. Care. One. Bit.
As I got older, I grew more comfortable with writing around my family. I still wouldn’t let them see my writing, but I wasn’t hiding it so fiercely anymore. I would spend hours writing in different notebooks and dreaming up different worlds to explore. My family, although confused about my absolute passion for writing, encouraged my interest.
They didn’t realize at the time that it was more than a hobby for me. It wasn’t until I became an adult, got out into the world and knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a writer that they understood the full scope of what I was aiming for.
While they still don’t understand where my path is headed quite yet, I know that they have my back. And wherever you might be with your family in your writing journey, you might have someone in your family that has your back. And while they might not understand your fierce passion for writing or why you’d take on NanoWrimo, you know they’ve got your back.
Open up to family members that you feel comfortable with sharing your goals with. Have a dinner with them once a week just to blow off some steam. Talk through your ideas over dessert. If you aren’t sure you’re comfortable with talking to your family about your NanoWrimo goals, then pick a really close friend and talk things through with them.
Point is: reach out.
Writing Community
The writing community is huge. In nearly every big city there are writers meetings and writers critique groups available. Full week conferences and writers retreats are available at our fingertips thanks to the power of the Internet.
I recently moved to the Charlotte area and immediately started researching for my local writers group. I managed to find one that meets once a week and just writes. Which is great because sometimes I just need to sit and write amongst my peers.
Writers meetings are also great because it means you’re tapping into a network of people who are most likely going through NanoWrimo with you. Meeting others who have the same goal is a fantastic way for you to talk through strategies and support one another.
Don’t be afraid to look online for local writers groups in your area. If you’re having difficulty finding one, try to find one through MeetUp.com.
Your Support System
Writing might be a solitary activity, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. Tapping into your support system throughout NanoWrimo to keep your head in the game is important. Know who’s in your corner, and set aside two of your top ten goals this month for your support system whether it be your friends, family, or your writers group.
In a previous post, I mentioned your health as one of the five categories that will help you conquer your NanoWrimo goals. As a refresher, those five categories are: health, support system, writing, accountability, and fun.
Health should be at the top of your goal list for November because you can’t complete NanoWrimo without it. Oh, sure, you may be able to power through a cold or exhaustion, but what about your mental, spiritual, and physical wellbeing during all of that?
Anytime I’ve ever tried to ignore my health just to get my other goals done, I’ve failed in some form or fashion. Learn from my mistakes. Do not go into NanoWrimo thinking that you need to power through and ignore your health. Taking care of your health during November will help improve your chances of finishing NanoWrimo strong.
Get Your Body Moving
If you have writing as your career or your side hustle, then you’re most likely sitting for the majority of the day. I know that when I find myself sitting for an entire day with no real movement, my body starts to feel restless and I can’t focus on my writing. Studies have shown that moving your body can actually get your creative juices flowing.
Every day in the morning, I have carved out time to workout. It varies by intensity from walking the dog to attending a HIIT workout class at my local gym. I do this because I know that if I do not do my workout first thing in the morning, it is not going to get done. It’s not a lazy thing or a lack of willpower––I just know myself. Come five o’clock after a workday and my NanoWrimo writing still needs to get done, the last thing on my priorities list is going for a workout.
I recommend writing down what works for you. Your exercise goal may be setting a timer every hour to get up and go for a two minute walk to stretch your legs. It could also be to go for a lunchtime jog just to break up your day.
Point is: get your body moving so your creative juices can flow.
Fuel Your Body
Something else you may want to consider is fueling your body. I know a lot of people resort to ordering takeout during the month of November just to get through it, but takeout is not usually what’s best for your health or your wallet.
I recommend planning out your meals for the month in advance and meal prepping. Both of these combined will help combat what is known as decision fatigue. Your decision making and focus should be on your writing during the month of November, not what you’re putting in your mouth or how you’re going to make sure your fridge is fully stocked.
If you already do most of the cooking in your household, then you’re already ahead of the game. You’re in the position where you already know your grocery budget, what to make that is quick and easy, and you may already have a meal plan in place that is ready to go.
For those of you who are not used to planning out your meals, take it step by step. When I first started getting my meals together, I used to make only enough for one or two servings. Now that I’m a seasoned cook in the kitchen, I try to make enough servings to feed myself for days on one meal alone. That doesn’t mean I’m eating the same thing every day, but when I make my meals, I am looking at them not only as my dinner but also my lunch for the next week.
Put your planned meals in a calendar. I use my iCalendar on my MacBook so I know when exactly I’m going to be eating. I plan out what I’m eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner in addition to any snacks I’ll be munching on during the day. Again, the goal here is to take ourselves away from opening the fridge door and wondering, “Hmm. What am I going to eat today?” and moving that thinking power towards our writing.
I want to make it clear: there is nothing wrong with ordering takeout. If you do plan on ordering takeout during the month, make sure you map that out in your plan and make the decision of what you’re ordering ahead of time to take away yet another decision.
If you’ve never meal prepped before, don’t worry. You can take your regularly cooked meals you do throughout the week and instead cook them during the weekend. If you’re worried about freshness, I recommend at least chopping up your potatoes and vegetables and then putting them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.
Since my weekends are usually packed with writing, I tend to do my cooking during my lunch break every day. I use a lot of meal recipes from places like Green Chef and HelloFresh so I know I’m getting a starch, vegetable and protein at every meal.
Once you’ve planned out all of your meals, you can take things a step further by getting your weekly grocery lists together for the entire month of November now. Then, designate someone in your household to go pick up the ingredients on a weekly basis for you while you write. Those two hours you usually spend at the grocery store could go to writing your novel if you plan it out right.
The key thing when fueling your body is this: keep it simple, eat foods that will make you feel good during NanoWrimo, and plan everything out in advance. Your future self will thank you.
Sleep is Your Friend
When I first started doing NanoWrimo, I didn’t have a plan. Every night, I was up until two in the morning trying to get my daily word count in. I burnt out. Fast. I was groggy, my ideas weren’t organized, and I found myself running into writer’s block all the time because I just couldn’t think. It’s because I didn’t make sleep a priority during the month of November.
Our creative minds cannot function if we’re only getting four or five hours of sleep every night. Oh, there are the few people that can do that. But they are very rare. If you’re one of those rare birds, skip this section and jump to the next.
But if you’re like me and need at least seven hours of sleep on a regular basis to keep functioning, then keep on reading. Sleep is where dreams are made. No. Literally. It’s where our minds our free to rest and can gently process what happened during the day.
Our brains need sleep in order to operate properly. Have you ever gotten less sleep than you need and then have to rely on coffee all day to get you through the day? Then by the time three o’clock in the afternoon roles around, you find yourself in a slump. You drag yourself to the end of the day, look down at your to-do list, and realize you’ve only checked off maybe one item that didn’t even matter that much to you.
Before November hits and we’re in the throes of NanoWrimo, I recommend you write down your ideal sleep schedule. Maybe you want to go to bed by midnight every night after writing for hours because you’re a night owl and are most productive late at night. Or, if you’re like me and you’re a morning person, then you might need to shift your sleep schedule a bit so you can wake up before the sun rises to get your writing done.
Write down the time that you want to go to sleep at night and the time you want to wake up in the morning. Then look at how your sleep schedule is right now.
Recently I’ve been staying up later than I’d like to during NanoWrimo. Instead of going to bed around midnight, I need to get back to a sleep schedule where I’m in bed by eight o’clock at night and falling asleep by nine. Around now, when it’s the middle of October, is when you should start adjusting your sleep schedule to meet your needs during NanoWrimo.
If you’ve ever had to adjust your sleep schedule because of time changes when traveling, then you know the first time you are forced to make that adjustment can be the hardest. Suddenly forcing yourself to go to bed earlier when you’re not tired after getting used to staying up until all hours of the night can seriously mess up your energy levels.
Which is why now, when it’s the middle of October, is the perfect time for you to adjust your sleep schedule. If you’re a couple of hours off like me, then adjust your sleep schedule week over week by thirty minutes to an hour. So if you want to go to bed at nine o’clock like me but you’re usually up at midnight, set a goal for yourself this week to go to bed by eleven every night. Then, the next week, go to bed by ten every night. By October 30th, you should be able to go to bed by nine and you’ll be aligned with your goal.
It’s also important to start setting your alarm for when you want to wake up. Then, actually wake up when you say you’re going to wake up. Just like how you’re adjusting your evening sleep routine by half an hour to an hour, you should adjust your morning sleep routine accordingly.
Mental and Spiritual Well-Being
Let’s say you have your physical needs met through your daily form of movement, your meals, and your sleep schedule. How are your mental and spiritual goals looking?
Maybe you need to meditate to get in tune with your spiritual well-being. Or maybe you have a therapist you see once a week for a mental health check-in. Is journaling more your thing? Do that.
Just like your body needs some love, your mental and spiritual well-being need some love too. Make a plan for how you’re going to take care of yourself during NanoWrimo based on your needs. Be honest with yourself and make sure you have exactly what you need.
Remember to take care of yourself throughout NanoWrimo. With your physical, mental, and spiritual needs met, you’ll find that your creativity will skyrocket.
I used to tackle NanoWrimo with one goal: reach 50,000 words by the end of November. In previous years, I didn’t actually accomplish my goal and would wind up feeling defeated and frustrated by the time November 30th came around. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but each year I would look at my word count that was maybe 10,000 words short of where I wanted to be and feel so disappointed in myself.
The Low Point
The great thing about hitting a low point is that it can be where change happens. So if you’re in this place where you’re looking at November feeling sick and tired of not making it to 50,000 words every year, I want you to know that you are not alone and that this is the point of transformation for you.
What used to happen to me was by the end of the day, the week, the month––I could not tell you where the time went in November. There were full days that I would look back on and wonder, “What did I even do that day? Did I even write?”
And not knowing that is crazy to me now. Like, how can you not know if you wrote or not during a month where you’re supposed to be attempting to write a novel? What I was doing seemed so random and left me feeling like I was on a roller coaster. One day I would gain momentum and dedicate entire hours to writing. The next day I would lie on the couch watching television and saying, “Oh, I’ll get to writing tomorrow.”
I kept saying, “Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.” Well, tomorrow never came. And I didn’t do the things I needed to in order to move the needle on my goal of finishing NanoWrimo.
Let’s talk about that: moving the needle on your NanoWrimo goals and actually figuring out what those goals are for you.
Setting Goals
Every day I write out my top ten goals for the month based off of a five category system––a method I discovered from Angie Bellemare. My goal setting isn’t just during NanoWrimo––it’s for every month of the year. I re-write them out every day so that I can keep those goals at the front of my mind on a daily basis.
When you write the same thing over and over again––what happens? That’s usually the thing that you’re going to think about the most. And the thing you think about the most should be what matters to you the most.
A lot of time what happens in life is that we don’t give ourselves time. We give time to everyone else: our jobs, our family, our friends––even the haters out there that try to bring us down. But the person who deserves our time the most is ourselves.
Take the time to list out what is most important to you and set your goals. I’m not talking about goals that you think would look good or society tells us we should strive for. I’m talking about your goals. Goals that are personal and actually mean something to you.
Don’t just say, “I’m going to write 50,000 words in the month of November.” Be specific, like: “I’m going to write 2,000 words every single day during the month of November” or “I’m going to wake up at 5 in the morning on weekdays and carve out two hours before work to get my writing done.” Your goals should be measurable––they should have numbers attached to them so you can look back after November is done and know exactly how you wrote those 50,000 words.
Don’t overthink these goals. Do think about them, but don’t overthink them. These goals should resonate with something inside of you and speak to where you are in life right now versus where you want to be.
For broader goals that don’t necessarily have to do with NanoWrimo, I recommend watching this video by Angie Bellemare.
Writing Goal Categories
Divide your goals up into different categories. When working on writing specifically, there are five categories you’ll need to focus on. These are: health, support system, writing, accountability, and fun. Feel free to comment down below with your notes and let me know what your brainstorming in terms of goals for each of these categories.
HEALTH
The first category is always going to be your health. This includes your physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Being a writer means you’re sitting down for most of the day creating worlds and characters for your readers to enjoy. It also means that you’re probably not moving as much as you should be during the day and not taking mental breaks every couple of hours to keep you going. I am very much so guilty of this myself.
Jot out a couple of things that you’re going to do for your physical, mental or spiritual well-being during the month of November. You cannot write properly if you do not take care of yourself first.
You also need to consider meals during NanoWrimo––this would also fall under the health category. How will you be eating throughout NanoWrimo? If you’re ordering Uber Eats every single day, write that down. If you’re meal prepping on Sundays so you don’t have to think about it throughout the week, write that down. Write down whatever works for you in terms of making sure you’re properly fueling your body throughout the month of November.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
The second category is meant for your support system. This includes your relationships like your family, friends, and writer’s group. How are you going to nurture those relationships during the month of November? And how will you let those relationships nurture you? Are you going to set aside one night a week to spend with your family doing something other than writing? Will you attend a weekly writer’s group so you can be surrounded by others participating in NanoWrimo?
Writing may be a solitary act, but it takes a village behind the scenes supporting you. In order to accomplish our big goals, we need to be willing to accept support from others. Do not neglect your support system during NanoWrimo and you’ll find that they help fuel you throughout the month.
WRITING
The third category is writing. A lot of you may be surprised at how low this is on the list, but taking care of your health and your support system will help clear any distractions for your writing. This category is where you’ll write down your actual writing goals. This could include your daily word count, what time you’ll be writing during your day, what section you’re going to write in your story––anything you need it to be in order for you to get your actual writing done.
Figure out what needs to happen in this category for you. What works for others might not work for you, so dig deep and be honest with yourself here.
ACCOUNTABILITY
The fourth category is accountability. This category is what is going to keep you honest during the month of November. For me, my accountability is posting regularly on social media so people know that I’m getting my goals done. It could be something as simple as you checking off that you wrote for the day and sharing that with your friends.
The important thing here is to hold yourself accountable in some way.
FUN
This is the category where you are going to blow off steam. List out your hobbies and what you enjoy doing in your spare time. I know that I like to read and watch movies, so I’ll need to carve out time to do a little bit of that every single day. Maybe you like to hang out with your friends or take a bubble bath. Whatever will let you wind down from being super productive during the day should go here.
Set Your Own Goals
Now it’s time to set your own goals. Go ahead and brainstorm using the five categories listed above and use them as a guide for your own NanoWrimo goals.
You have your story and your characters. But now it’s time to start tying the two of them together with character arcs. Some of your characters might not change throughout the story, but at the very least your main characters need to have their own story arcs.
Character arcs are what help your readers understand and relate to your characters. Your writing may be full of action, romance and adventure, but nothing will kill a story faster than a lack of a character arc.
Types of Character Arcs
There are plenty of articles on the different character arcs out there, but the bottom line is you have a few different types of character arcs: moral ascending, moral descending, transformational, and flat.
Moral ascending character arcs give your readers the warm fuzzies. These character arcs are when your character starts out as hugely flawed but then by the end overcomes their own flaws through the power of love or friendship.
Moral descending character arcs tend to give your readers the chills. These characters start out okay and spiral downward into the pits of despair.
Transformational character arcs leave your readers feeling motivated. These character arcs are similar to moral ascending character arcs, but focus on turning a nobody into a somebody.
Flat character arcs are usually done when the world around the main character changes, but the main character remains true to who they are throughout the book. Characters wind up exactly where they started at the beginning of the book.
How to Write Character Arcs
When writing character arcs, you’ll want to focus on tackling your characters desires, motivation, and challenges.
Figure Out Your Character’s Goal
Your character’s goal usually appears in the first couple of chapters in your book and is typically drawn from a desire for change of some kind. For example: Ariel from the Little Mermaid wants to explore the human world.
Make sure that it’s not an easily attainable goal since you want to hook your readers and keep them wondering, “How is this person going to reach their goal?”. Obstacles in the shape of other characters, the nature of the world you’ve created, or even your own characters’ shortcomings can help draw the reader in.
Characters That Help and Hinder
Figuring out what characters are going to help your hero achieve their goals or hinder achieving their goals can be tricky. Of course you’ll have a villain of the story of some sort, but the side characters around your hero need to be thought of as well. Will they help or hinder your main character?
An Impossible Decision
There comes a point in your story where your hero will set their mind to achieving their goal no matter what. The desire was a dull roar in the beginning of your book, but now it becomes a core part of your hero’s journey.
Typically this is done in the case of an “impossible decision.” This decision puts your hero in a situation where they have no choice but to follow through on achieving their goal. If they don’t accomplish what they set out to do, what will the consequences be? Make sure your readers are fully aware of what those consequences are. For example: if Harry doesn’t defeat Voldemort, what will happen to the world?
Character Growth
Cause and reaction. This is the basis of character growth for any story. A situation happens and your character must react to it. How they react, however, will change throughout the story as things progress. Understand that who your character is at the beginning may be very different from who they are at the end.
A part of this character growth is focusing on what their lowest point is in the story. This point is where all hope is lost, there is no light to be found, and the world is about to end. Dramatic, but true. Usually this is a pit of despair for the readers to go through because they are so invested in seeing your character succeed.
Figure out how your character’s growth will help them overcome the lowest point. Have they been training the whole story for this moment? Do they have a secret power that they can wield against their enemy? Dig deep here.
Conclusion
No matter where you are in your Preptober journey, make sure that you have an idea of what your character arc will be. You may have multiple character arcs to juggle during NanoWrimo, so make sure to map them out properly to keep track of everything.
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 