Are You Ready For NaNoWriMo?

As NaNo draws near, it’s really only a week away, I know I’m asking the question: Am I ready for NaNo? And maybe you are asking this question too, because, are you ready?

You don’t want to jump into NaNo unprepared, you want to be ready to write 50,000 words in the month of November. So I’ve looked over my NaNo outline, and come up with a list of questions I ask myself when preparing. Questions that will help you be ready for NaNo.

1• Do You Have Your Plot?

I seem to talk about plot in every post I make. Why? Because plot is important. And it’s especially important to have a plot outlined for NaNo, otherwise, you have nothing to go on.

What do you need for a plot outline?

Good question. You need to know a few simple things at least, or you could write a very detailed description of every scene in your novel, but there are a few essential things you need to know.

1• The Major Plot Points

The major plot points include The Hook, The Inciting Event, The Climax, etc. These are the most important things to know about your plot, they keep your book moving and your pacing on point. Once you know these key points, you shouldn’t have a problem with writing your book (hopefully 😁).

2• Specific Scenes

If you have any specific scenes that you know you are going to write, and they aren’t any of your major plot points, go ahead and put it in your plot outline. That way you won’t forget them in your writing frenzy.

2• Are Your Characters Ready?

This is a big one for me. I’m not great at staying true to a character unless I know them well before I start writing. But when I know beforehand, things go a lot smoother.

But how do you get to know your characters?

Well, I’ve come up with a checklist that I use, just to give me a raw understanding of my character, so I have a guide to build from.

This is a really quick, brief way to discover a character, but it works. You may not know everything about the character, but it’s enough to know how they should act, react, and interact. It’s simple, it’s not perfect, but it will tell you what you need to know, and you’ll have a guide to follow and stay true to.

3• Background, Backstory, and Theme

When writing a story, you usually have a backstory that fuels your plot. It is the clever details that help the story along, and it’s really important to know before you start writing.

Of course, there are things that develop WHILE writing, but it’s nice to have an idea of what the background for your story is before you start. Brainstorm for a little while and discover your backstory. Because cleverly inserted backstory gives your novel a whole new layer of depth.

And once you have your background/backstory, you need to know what your theme is.

Theme is a very big thing. You need to know your story’s question. Why is your story important? What message are you trying to convey?

It could be something big, like love or hope, or good conquers all, or it could be something quiet, like family and peace. It could be anything, but it needs to mean something. Theme is what makes your story worth reading, it tells as something beyond the plot, and it effects us at our core (hopefully).

But really, theme is important. All your favorite stories, the ones that stick with you forever, they all tell you something beyond what plot can. They have a message, an idea. Something that shows us what we need to know, tells us something we need to hear. Because theme effects who we are and what we do. Theme is powerful, it can change us. You just have to know how to use it.

These are the questions I ask myself to prepare a story. Is there anything you do that helps you get ready to write your novel? Comment below↓.

Have a wonderful night!