The stores are full of holiday decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don’t bother with any of these. Instead I start with NaNo preparation in September.
What Is NaNo?
NaNo is National Novel Writing Month. It started as something of a dare between three men who talked about writing novels, but never did. They challenged each other to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.
The challenge was fun. It was hard. Soon others wanted to give it a try.
Now NaNo is international with hundreds of thousands of people writing furiously for 30 days. The only prizes are some digital badges, a winner’s certificate and a rough draft for a novel. For anyone who loves to write, these are enough.
My NaNo preparation
This year is a bit different for me because of the ArtsRolla writing contest. Usually I spend September making up characters and plots, searching for one I want to pursue.
In October, I start creating lists of possible plot points, outlines of characters and descriptions of settings. I’m not what is called a plotter where every detail is fully developed and stated in the outline. And I’m not usually a pantser who takes an idea and just writes to see where it leads.
I fall on the spectrum between the two. Each novel moves me one way or the other, depending on the complexities of the plot. With “Dora’s Story”, I needed great outline details as there were several goat shows involved over more than one year with the contestants and their goats aging through the years. And Dora had a timeline too.
“Capri Capers” was closer to pantser. All I needed was a list of possible cliff hangers. That is, that’s all I needed for NaNo. Rewriting the novel required making a map and changing the story to fit the map.
For NaNo preparation this year
As I’ve gotten older, my novel ideas have moved from upper middle grade to adult to older adult this year. Lots of things change as you get older. What is it like to be old?
Only an older person can really write about this. A senior citizen was once young and can remember many of the issues a young person faces which may change forms, but not the underlying issues. However, a young person has never been old. There are so many considerations a young person can’t know even with interviews about what an older person feels both physically and mentally.
My first chapter is drafted and will be entered in ArtsRolla. I need a good working title. And then there is the outline of plot points, scenes and characters to write down so I don’t forget them before November when the novel draft will get written.
