Do you plan your NaNoNovel?

I'm taking the lazy way out and just writing about a "fictional" exchange student in France (though I AM writing this in French...haha.) I've planned out a rough outline of the whole plot. It's subject to change, of course, but at least I have some idea of what I'm doing!

DramaDork,

Glad to see you're going to do NaNoWriMo again. You may be setting a record for doing NaNoWriMo from three countries in four years!

We'll miss you and your panda hat at the Blue Moose!

Lucretia

Haha, there's a record for that? I can't believe it's been so long since I lived in England...it's definitely my preferred country to write in. x3 The ambiance there is amazing. Here? No coffee shops. It makes for a very sad Anna. And there's always next year! I'm not sure if I'll be visiting Morgantown over my Thanksgiving break at all, but if I do, I'll definitely hook up with you guys. ;)

You know, I've tried many different approaches to this thing every year. Some times I write just off the cuff, with no palnning, not even an idea to start with floating in my head, while others are based off small ideas that I've had, and some have been fully planned out. This year, I'm doing only a minimal amount of planning (just finding three or four of my key scenes) and then letting my characters dictate what's ging to happen after that. Should be fun to let the inmates run the madhouse, so to speak. :)

I didn't plan anything for '06 and failed miserably as a result. Last year, I had a general idea of what I wanted to do but nothing recorded. I didn't finish that either. So this year, I did some brainstorming, bought software that supports comprehensive character development, etc. and am still working on the outline and plot development. Hopefully this will aid in keeping my mind on what I'm trying to accomplish here. It seems I need at least a broad outline to complete a story. While writing off the top of my head in high school was OK for then, I can't do it now it seems.

I definitely do a TON of planning. Before I found Nano, I used to just go at it without really planning anything, and that's probably a big factor in why I hadn't finished anything in years. These days I spend a lot of time planning out what I want - I do very detailed plot summaries, research my characters, map out how I want their development to go, etc. Especially this year, since I'm setting my story in Wales, I've been doing lots of research on the country. I love planning the story out because it motivates me to write - but I do remember how much fun I used to have letting the story lead me.

Last year was my first NaNo attempt and I just winged it. Some of the things I'd tried before got bogged down in the planning stage, so I thought taking a freer approach might work better. This year, I plan on having a lot more done ahead of time - some character sketches, a loose outline. etc. We'll see how it goes this way.

I am a one-time NaNo (I did it last year.) The day before (or perhaps more) I stopped what I was doing and took time to construct a storyline out of thin air. Later I wrote it down, a good, "complete" outline of the story (I may have worked out two outlines.) I and someone close to me also worked out what the time estimate for me writing this novel would be: 2 hours of consistent, good-speed typing for 21 days - thus my novel's working name "21 days."

Overall I followed the outline pretty well, digressing and adding other things, but still keeping in mind my end goal - an invaluable tool for the wandering and creative writer. Sadly I did not complete my novel last year.

I hope to complete "21 days" before this year's NaNoWriMo in November - fat chance if I don't work on it, but a possible endeavor.

This year for my NaNo novel I want to continue the story, ushering in the series "21 days". I will not be continuing straight off from last year's novel, and if I do, I will be weaving it in "magically." This year's novel may be set in present day, first person, whereas last year's work was fantasy, third person... an interesting mix this will be, but hopefully wonderfully rewarding and a special read... I hope to add a sci-fi novel to the series (maybe next year.)

I look forward to the days ahead!
Best wishes,

-b
www.forestquest.org
minosafilms.wordpress.com
artislight.deviantART.com

I'm planning. When I participated before, I didn't plan, and I only got roughly 17,000 words written.
This year I'm writing a vampire romance. The old '60s gothic/occult soap "Dark Shadows" is my inspiration.
http://ravenbloomingrosenano2008.blogspot.com

My main method is to have a general idea, but not know where it will end. This year, I was debating on several ideas that I already had worked one, to increase my chances of getting farther than in the past, but then I had a burst of inspiration and decided to go with it instead.

Good for you! I wanted to push the decision to the end, trying to simulate what happened last year... not really a good idea... I still have to stop, brainstorm an idea, and write it down... though I may go pell-mell into my novel with absolutely no outline... :D

God bless,
Best wishes,
-b
http://minosafilms.wordpress.com/

P.S. ...ahhhhhhhh! ... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I'm OK, really... :D jk

I had a pretty rough outline going. But i had more details in my head that just kept expounding. I work better with an outline anyway, I think.

It's gone now, lol. I've exhausted it, and I'm at the point where I'm relying on writing prompts to get my word count in. Scary territory. (=