All About Preptober
Can you believe it's October already? Where does the time go?
October is my favorite month - not just because it's my birth month - but because it's a time of scary movies, tasty treats, cooler weather, and funny costumes. (And I have an excuse to dress in all black.)
It's just a great month all around, but what makes it even better? Preparing for NaNoWriMo in November!
Every October, writers partaking in NaNoWriMo spend the month planning, detailing, and outlining their 50,000 word novel.
Since I'm outlining my November novel, THE GIFT GIVER, I thought I'd give some tips on how to plan writing a book.
Technically, I am a pantser - a word invented for writers who make the story up as they go along (like Indiana Jones, but less cooler). I use very minimal outlines, but it's still nice to have one in case things go awry.
What's a good way to plan your novel, you ask?
1. Note Cards. Note Cards EVERYWHERE.
2. Worksheets and Schedules.
3. Storyboarding (because drawing pictures is really fun).
4. Loose/Rough outlines. (This is what I tend to go for.)
5. Brainstorming sessions, where you write down every word you can think of pertaining to your novel (This one is also really fun, and lets the ideas flow).
6. Three-Act Structure (I use this one a lot. It helps to focus on the big picture and main plot points.)
Even though I'm currently writing an 80k word science-fiction novel called GENESIS HOTEL, I always have my next project on the brain. I've never written a children's novel before - nor have I joined NaNoWriMo - so I'm really excited to begin!
I know I've shared it before on this blog, but I thought I'd post my synopsis for THE GIFT GIVER again:
"Everyone in the small town of Springfield, Michigan knows Leroy Schmidt as the kind old man down the road. For the past fifteen years, he's been handing out gifts to the entire town - gifts he makes in his small workshop.
While some residents think he's odd, twelve-year-old Sarah Dixon is his biggest fan. At the annual cookout, Leroy hands Sarah a music box before he disappears into the night. The entire town searches for him, but he's vanished without a trace - until Sarah realizes that the gifts are clues left behind by Leroy.
If Sarah can find all of his gifts and unlock their secrets, they just might lead her to Leroy before something terrible happens."
THE GIFT GIVER was just a fun, quirky idea I thought of a few months ago, but I think it has some potential. I wasn't planning on working on it this year until I heard of NaNoWriMo, and it suddenly climbed to the top of my list!
(Sometimes books just demand to be written. They're funny that way.)
And I found out that some of my favorite novels were born with NaNoWriMo! Here's a quick list:
-The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
-The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill
-Wool by Hugh Howey
-The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
And many, many more! NaNoWriMo is wonderful for writers with an idea that need some motivation and encouragement.
If you're a writer, how do you plan out your novels? Are you a pantser, a plotter, or somewhere in between? Are you entering NaNoWriMo this year?
If you're a reader, get ready - thousands of writers will be penning new novels next month. You never know - some of these could go on to be best-sellers, so stay tuned!
I'm off to write a (rough) outline of my next novel and then eat dinner. Best of luck to everyone who's joining NaNoWriMo! It's going to be so much fun!
Sincerely,
Dana
October is my favorite month - not just because it's my birth month - but because it's a time of scary movies, tasty treats, cooler weather, and funny costumes. (And I have an excuse to dress in all black.)
It's just a great month all around, but what makes it even better? Preparing for NaNoWriMo in November!
Every October, writers partaking in NaNoWriMo spend the month planning, detailing, and outlining their 50,000 word novel.
Since I'm outlining my November novel, THE GIFT GIVER, I thought I'd give some tips on how to plan writing a book.
Technically, I am a pantser - a word invented for writers who make the story up as they go along (like Indiana Jones, but less cooler). I use very minimal outlines, but it's still nice to have one in case things go awry.
What's a good way to plan your novel, you ask?
1. Note Cards. Note Cards EVERYWHERE.
2. Worksheets and Schedules.
3. Storyboarding (because drawing pictures is really fun).
4. Loose/Rough outlines. (This is what I tend to go for.)
5. Brainstorming sessions, where you write down every word you can think of pertaining to your novel (This one is also really fun, and lets the ideas flow).
6. Three-Act Structure (I use this one a lot. It helps to focus on the big picture and main plot points.)
Even though I'm currently writing an 80k word science-fiction novel called GENESIS HOTEL, I always have my next project on the brain. I've never written a children's novel before - nor have I joined NaNoWriMo - so I'm really excited to begin!
I know I've shared it before on this blog, but I thought I'd post my synopsis for THE GIFT GIVER again:
"Everyone in the small town of Springfield, Michigan knows Leroy Schmidt as the kind old man down the road. For the past fifteen years, he's been handing out gifts to the entire town - gifts he makes in his small workshop.
While some residents think he's odd, twelve-year-old Sarah Dixon is his biggest fan. At the annual cookout, Leroy hands Sarah a music box before he disappears into the night. The entire town searches for him, but he's vanished without a trace - until Sarah realizes that the gifts are clues left behind by Leroy.
If Sarah can find all of his gifts and unlock their secrets, they just might lead her to Leroy before something terrible happens."
THE GIFT GIVER was just a fun, quirky idea I thought of a few months ago, but I think it has some potential. I wasn't planning on working on it this year until I heard of NaNoWriMo, and it suddenly climbed to the top of my list!
(Sometimes books just demand to be written. They're funny that way.)
And I found out that some of my favorite novels were born with NaNoWriMo! Here's a quick list:
-The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
-The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill
-Wool by Hugh Howey
-The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
And many, many more! NaNoWriMo is wonderful for writers with an idea that need some motivation and encouragement.
If you're a writer, how do you plan out your novels? Are you a pantser, a plotter, or somewhere in between? Are you entering NaNoWriMo this year?
If you're a reader, get ready - thousands of writers will be penning new novels next month. You never know - some of these could go on to be best-sellers, so stay tuned!
I'm off to write a (rough) outline of my next novel and then eat dinner. Best of luck to everyone who's joining NaNoWriMo! It's going to be so much fun!
Sincerely,
Dana
Comments
Post a Comment