I've Been Thinking About....Nanowrimo and Prepping For the Novel

For those of you writing a novel in November

Oct 29, 2024

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Herewith is the second edition of my new, I’ve been thinking about… series. It’s a semi-regular column (as in I publish when I have something to say, no set schedule) for the random bits and bobs that clutter my writerly mind. The hope, as I set them to paper, is that they may be helpful to you as well.

Today’s topic is the approach of Nanowrimo and prepping for the novel writing on the horizon.

But first of all we need to get the elephant in the room out of the way. We can't really do Nano on the official site this year, because: controversy. This article very nicely points out the damage done by the Nanowrimo organization in it's endorsement of using A.I. to write novels. It points out that on the surface, it's a seemingly inclusive stance, but read farther and you'll see it's not. And for a deep-dive into even more Nano issues, we turn to Reddit for the win.

But here’s the deal—you don’t have to sign up for the Nano website or take part in any of their events to write your 50,000 words in November. You can declare to yourself that you are doing it, and quietly absorb the energy of the masses who are writing along with you. Or, as my friend Terry advises, set your own goal and do it. Maybe you want to finish something that’s been hanging around on your computer or complete a revision.

And others are offering support for it. Sara Cannon, who always amuses me with the five thousand planners (slight exaggeration) she uses each year and is also an indie novelist, is hosting a Rough Draft Challenge. I think she’s setting up a website but that is not finished yet. Caroline Donahue features what she calls Novel Possible, which is a prompt a day for paid subscribers.

So even though Nanowrimo the organization has been canceled (EDIT: the organization is still going, still sponsoring the event, but many are stepping away from it), it’s still a fun thing to participate in. And with that in mind, let’s discuss prepping for the novel. When embarking on a novel-writing adventure, I think it's good to have some basics down. For those of you who are saying, “But, Charlotte, there are only a few days left before the madness starts,” know this: prepping, in my world, goes on continually. How I wish it could be a one and done thing but my brain doesn't work that way. If yours does, please give me some tips on how to corral mine.

My prepping consists of learning about my characters, my setting, and that hoary beast, the structure of the thing. I like to have at least a rough idea of all of the above before I start. But I’m also notorious for jumping in to projects without a lot of forethought and if I get excited about an idea, I often just start writing. Which means that at some point I get stuck on what is going to happen next, or what my main character’s problem really is all about, or exactly what the house she lives in looks like. And that’s when I to back to my prepping and freewrite and sidewrite and journal until I gain understanding.

And so it is in that spirit that I offer you my thoughts on prepping. Last year in October I had not just returned from a month in Europe and so I was able to offer a series of classes on the subject for paid subscribers. Thus, this year, since November is nigh, I’m including the PDFs of those classes for all, free and paid. (But of course, if you feel like becoming a paid subscriber, I would welcome it.) So here you go.