Setting. World-Building. It's what makes you drool over Science Fiction, what gives us that repellant fascination in horror, what makes us long to visit a certain country after reading a novel set there. A sense of place.
Where are the events of your novel going to take place?
Why? Do you need to evoke a mood, a time period? Take 20 minutes and create a list of words that evoke those emotions, that capture that sense of epoch you're after.
Are you using the setting because you're familiar with it? What particular areas and places do you think you'll use? Take a few minutes to imagine those areas in all four seasons, and jot down mental notes about senses: smell, tastes, textures, visual images, sounds you associate with that place. Make it a long list. Sensory references make mental images come alive for readers, but not everybody reacts to the same ones. (And besides, come 30,000 words, you'll be looking for all the wordcount filler you can get.)
Who populates this place? Why? What is its history, its future?
What is special about this place, or what aspects of it do you want to use? Why?
(This is my weekly planning post. Because nothing says "wordcount" better than a nice notebook filled with detailed ideas for the coming novel.)
And as long as you're on the site (and because I'm genetically incapable of posting about single topics), check out the various topic forums if you haven't already -- plot doctoring, reaching 50,000, newbies, and the genre forums, to name a few. You'll find a lot of conversation from other excited writers, and some word prompts and challenges if you're up for some advance writing.
Check out the "fun stuff" tab for free wordcount widgets and icons, and don't forget the donation/store to get your very own halo for as little as $10, or a mug or T-shirt if you'd prefer. If you're broke, there's a page on how to get sponsors. Remember, you can participate in NaNoWrimo for free, but it isn't free to put it on, so if you can help out, please do.
Explore! Enjoy!
Maeve
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One keystroke after the other. Fifty more words. C'mon, you can do at least 25 more words.... twice...
