A Preptober Welcome
Hello Mighty Pens!
*In my head that came out a la Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam*
It is my unending joy to be welcoming you all back for NaNoWriMo 2022. Now don’t panic, you’ve still got time to plan that novel, figure out if you’re going traditional or working on something you’ve already started, and potentially push off any thoughts of what might be coming in a few weeks.
But, if you—like me—need to actually have an idea of what you’re going to be attempting to crack out this November, you might like to join us for Preptober. This is the time before we are generally panicking at trying to crank out 1,667 words a day. Perhaps a bit less stress and a bit more freedom with how you approach your novel / project. I’m here with a slew of links to folks who have great recommendations on how to approach your novel, hone your craft, and make a game plan on getting to 50,000—or whatever goal you’ve set for yourself!
Now without further ado, on to much more qualified folks to help you take that idea and polish it into a final, finished story:
Of course we have to start you out with the traditional NaNoWriMo Prep 101, enough prep work to cover six weeks and if you finish you get the NaNo Prep 101 certificate of completion!
Are you looking for books to help you hone your craft? A checklist on what you should do to get your story from good to great? You’ll want to check out The Great Novel-Writing Checklist by K.M. Weiland.
Lost on how to give yourself an outline to follow so your story doesn’t go off the rails? K.M. Weiland has something for that too! Check out Preparing for NaNoWriMo: Your Guide to Outlining Success.
Need help with writing your middles, figuring out how to turn you characters internal lightbulb moment into the catalyst for the book? James Scott Bell can help you with his self-interview The Mirror Moment: A Method for Both Plotters and Pantsers.
Rachel Stephen ran Prep_tober from 2016 to 2018 and has an archive of great prep resources and videos that you can find here.
Have you read Story Genius by Lisa Cron? Or maybe you, like me, are a Scrivener junkie? Gwen Hernandez walks you through how she used Scrivener while utilizing the Story Genius process and helps you get organized for November!
Calling all Romance writers, Gwen Hayes has an entire book called Romancing the Beat which might help you structure out your novel. Additionally, if this speaks to you she’s got a free Scrivener template, which yes can be downloaded as a PDF if you want to go analog.
If you’re looking for a few books that I swear by for craft advice, or NaNo hacks I’d recommend:
- Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
- Write A Novel in 30 Days by Megg Geri (free on kindle unlimited & it comes with printable worksheets)
Maggie Stievfater has a great workshop that you can buy, and it comes with 8 hours of videos and a 140 page workbook to go with videos! You can find it here.
Finally, don’t forget to check out all of Sooz’s writing advice on her blog and craft books she loves, additionally here are a few of her misfits and daydreamer newsletters that specifically talk about NaNoWriMo, outlining, drafting, and backstory. Did you know? Her top tier substack is free to Mighty Pens through November!
