If you follow the "rules" then you will not write a single word of the actual text you write for November before the witching hour of midnight ending Halloween. HOWEVER, there is plenty you can do before the flag drops and the race begins.
- Browse the topical fora here on the NaNoWriMo website. There is a plethora of information and it is more than appropriate to begin discussing issues you know you will have once you begin writing. Start sharing now. Ask how others have resolved problems in the past. Present possibilities from which you struggle to choose and ask the opinions of other writers.
- Routinize a healthy diet. You certainly are not going to be compelled to eat properly while you're madly writing. In fact you will probably find yourself wanting to eat a lot of junk food. So now is a good time to develop some habits of eating easy to prepare but healthy foods, e.g. carrots and hummus.
- Make sure those around you understand you're not completely mental. You need fewer distractions and maybe even a little support in the form of a slightly lighter chores load. You probably should not change too much because it will make it harder after November to keep up your good writing habit. Still, it may be best if the partner or kids cook more often, or you stockpile tamales and nukeable veggies from Trader Joe's.
- Plan your world. This point may be more obvious for fantasy and scifi writers, but the reality is that every novelist should consider the details of the world in which they plan to set their story. Spend a few minutes each day learning about the cultural habits of real people who endure the natural and social climates you will want to invoke. Consider how your characters will organize work, religion, family, sexuality, eating, etc, into their lives. If you need to design a whole world, now is the time to make sure the components work together and make sense.
- Write. Yep. That's correct. Write. Put down some words about some of the places and characters you have in mind. Don't start getting into the story and prewriting. That's not what I mean. This exercise is about planning and finding your characters' voices. See what makes them tick. Write a short episode of something in their childhood that matters to them. How would they answer one of those lists of questions people keep sending you in email so they can "get to know you better." What are their grandparents' names?
- Outline a plot. Make a list of plot points that each chapter should accomplish. You've probably had bits and pieces of the story stuck in your head. Now you can start filling in the missing parts and defining the events that connect A to B and C.
- Organize iPod libraries of the background music you want while writing. Maybe you have a particularly romantic setting and want to hear something sensuous. Maybe a character suffers heartbreak and goes on a drinking binge, losing control. What music helps you enter the frame of mind you will want to invoke. You may have to go to the library or bookstore to get just the music you know you need.
- Read a copy of Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem! It is designed to be read both before and during your month of writing.
See, there is a lot you can do already without "cheating." Get prepared mentally and emotionally for the story you will write. Be prepared to have your story emotions affect your everyday life. Prepare your family and/or friends for the author monster. And prepare a few good meals to stick in the freezer.
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You're new Municipal Liaison (ML) for Santa Cruz County
