Wednesday, October 24, 2012

How Do Authors Prepare for NaNoWriMo? & Word Count Wednesday

Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking about NaNoWriMo and all your suggestions from yesterday.  I googled around a bit at what other people do to prepare for NaNo and I found a few blogs that gave me an idea of how it's done by others.

What Jordan McCollum does to gear up for NaNo

Writer's Digest & Four Steps for Outlining your NaNo Book

Preparing the Pantsless Way by Amber West

Preparing with Erika Liodice

What You Should Be Doing to Prepare for NaNo


For someone who's never done NaNoWriMo I found these and a lot of other blogs that were helpful in knowing what to expect if an author does choose to do NaNo and it also told me that everyone does it different.  So many people just dive in with no prep and others do a ton of prep!  It's just like the writing process I suppose---everyone does it different.

After reading through all of this I've decided to go ahead and try to do NaNo this year.  I signed up as JulieBellon and apparently you can friend people there, so if you want, please come friend me.  I'd still like to do something on the blog on a smaller scale and of course, let you know how it's going for me.  It's a bit scary to do NaNo for all the reasons I mentioned yesterday, but most things worth doing were a bit scary in the beginning I think.

I've decided to write Colby's story (from All Fall Down) for my NaNo story, and I have a few ideas for the opening chapters.  But so far, that's all I've got.

I didn't write at all this week, but I thought a lot about writing.  Does that count?  How did you do?  And if I'm doing NaNo does that change your mind at all about doing it, too?

11 comments:

Melanie Goldmund said...

I didn't do anything this week as I'm having a bit of a writing crisis. I won't be doing NaNo, either, no matter who else is doing it. That's just not the way I work.

Julie Coulter Bellon said...

Melanie, I just meant it might be helpful to have a network of support for those of us (like me) who are really nervous about trying NaNo, that's all. I don't think I can do this alone.

I'm sorry you're having a writing crisis. I hope it ends soon!

Anonymous said...

I am trying to prep like crazy for NaNo! This is the first time I've done such a thorough, chapter-by-chapter outline, and it's exhausting but I think I'm going to love it. :)

rebecca h jamison said...

Melanie, sorry you're having a writing crisis. Keep writing in your own way. That's the best way.

I wrote a little this week--around 1000 words. I'm kind of cheating with NaNo and writing a novel I already outlined but from the point of view of a different character. I'm trying to organize my life to have extra time, which means hardly any time online next month. Good luck! I'll friend you when I jump on that website again.

Melanie Goldmund said...

Thanks for the encouragement, Julie and Rebecca! Sorry if I sounded a bit curt before. I only meant that NaNo is not my preferred writing style. I invariably get tangled up in the details from the beginning of the story and have to stop and correct them before I can go on to the rest of it, otherwise it just doesn't work for me. Chalk it up to perfectionism. But I'm happy to cheer on anybody else who wants to try NaNo.

Writing "NaNo" makes me think of Mork and Mindy's "Nanooo, nanooo!" No doubt that shows my age. :D

Stephanie Humphreys said...

I've done Nano for six years, though I haven't been highly successful for the last few. I had just decided to try it again this year when I read your post. I've added you as a 'buddy'. My nano name is jessemma4, if you'd like to add me. Good luck. I"ll be cheering you on!

Debra Erfert said...

Yay! I'm glad you're doing NaNo. I've already scooped you as a writing buddy! I'm emdash50. Do a search and go to my profile and "buddy" me so I won't be so alone.

I've done a little bit of an outline on the story I'm doing, but I cannot, and will not do a true outline. I'm a semi-pantser. I find that works for me, otherwise I'll stifle myself trying to stay within those boundaries. And with NaNo, I want to write as many words as I can, even it that means I go back and do a rewrite later. I WANT MY CERTIFICATE!

I didn't get any new writing done, but I've edited 4 chapters of a manuscript I want to submit in January.

Jon Spell said...

I've added Debra and Julie as writing buddies.

I can't decide whether to pour all new content into my WIP, or set off on a completely new project just for this. (I should finish what I've started, shouldn't I?)

I don't actually expect to "win", but I hope it inspires me to write a little more regularly.

Melanie: Shazbot!

NaNo Profile: FaithHopeLove88

Jon Spell said...

P.S. Your 3rd link doesn't work. It should be:

http://withoutsushi.com/a-guide-to-preparing-for-nanowrimo-the-pantsless-way/

Debra Erfert said...

I "buddied" with you, Jon, and also with Stephanie Humphreys. (I hope you don't mind, Stephanie.) as well as Julie. I cleaned out my 2009 buddies since most of them are not signed up for this years NaNo. No sense in cluttering up the field.

Stephanie Humphreys said...

That's great Debra. I'll "buddy" you too.