Fall brings cozy sweaters and yummy coffee, the perfect combination to cuddle up with words. It also brings NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, where writers from all around the world compete with themselves to write 50,000 new words on their novel in 30 short days. It's a writing marathon that requires commitment, energy, and dedication to your story. It's crazy and amazing. NaNoWriMo starts November 1st.
To successfully prepare for NaNoWriMo, the writing community has also created Preptober. A portmanteau of prepare and October, this month-long retreat gives you the time to plan your story, create your characters, write an outline, and manage your obligations outside of writing so you can focus and succeed during your writing marathon. The month of October is all about doing what you need to do to prepare to write-write-write in November. Preptober starts October 1st.
I've attempted NaNoWriMo in the past, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing. I've attempted plotting my novel beforehand, as well as flying by the seat-of-my-pants to explore the story in the moment. I've tried setting strong intentions and going in blindly.
What I've discovered is that preparation is key to success in writing a full 50,000 words I'm proud of. I don't have to know everything about my story, but I have to know enough to get started, to keep going, and to care enough to put words on the page. I have to plan ahead of time in order to create a story I care about writing.
This year, I plan to conquer NaNoWriMo and draft 50,000 words on a new novel. Throughout this journey, I'm going to share my novel writing process as well as the tips, techniques, and resources that will help you plan, plot, and write your novel too.
To achieve that, I’m hosting a Fall Novel Writing Workshop for Preptober and NaNoWriMo! Throughout the coming months, I’m sharing my best resources, tips, and inspiration to help you succeed in planning, preparing, and writing your novel this fall. This workshop is a masterclass in helping you plan to write with Preptober and get the writing done for NaNoWriMo in November. It’s time to write your novel!
Want to join? I’ve got all the important details for you below!
Get the Resources and Lessons:
You can check out all the details of our fall workshop (including Preptober and NaNoWriMo) right here! This page will be our online hub to keep track of all the resources and assignments to get you prepped and ready to write your novel. I will keep updating this page throughout the coming months with new links and posts as they become available. Check this often for all the novel writing resources you need!
(And make sure you scroll all the way through -- there are additional resources from other Preptober and plotting sources at the bottom!)
This page has blog posts, resources, deadlines, and actionable checklists to ensure you’re prepped and ready throughout Preptober so you can succeed with your writing marathon during NaNoWriMo in November. This is the spot to gather your Preptober materials.
Chat with the Community about Novel Writing:
The Real+Good Writer's Club is our free Facebook community to discuss all things about your novel writing journey. I'll be giving prompts and asking you questions to think deeper about your novel, sharing resources, updating you on my own novel writing process, and answering your questions about your novel. I'll also give you deadlines and resources you need to complete your novel writing prep in a timely manner. This community is completely free. Please join us!
Purchase the Plan Your Novel Workbook:
To stay on track, purchase and download your copy of The Real+Good Writer's Plan Your Novel Workbook! The 147-page workbook is your guide to planning and prepping your novel in October so you can succeed with your writing marathon in November. There are 4 chapters (1 for each week of October) to guide you through the process. The chapters take you through step-by-step how to commit to a novel idea that will sustain your sanity and 80,000+ words, craft character-driven plots, create an outline that provides structure and flexibility, and prepare for a major writing marathon.
This workbook contains all the checklists, worksheets, and inspiration you need to plan your novel during Preptober.
This is the exact process I use to plan my own novels and I'm so excited to share it with you! This workbook has a pay-what-you-can pricing system, which means that the recommended price is $25, but you can purchase your copy for a minimum of $12 -- simply name your price in the box. Purchase your copy now right here!
I’ll be plotting and writing a brand new novel and sharing my progress along the way as well. I'm SO looking forward to undertaking this novel writing journey with you!
Happy Preptober!
♥
Have you participated in Preptober before? What do you do to plan and prep your novel? What are you favorite techniques? What would you like to learn more about in regards to novel prep?
