Lessons from a NaNo Winner: #1 -- Have A Plan

Last November, I participated in the National Novel Writing Month and I won!

Yep, I wrote in excess of 50,000 words in one month.  In fact, I wrote just over 60,000 words.  

I'd never done that before, even in two prior attempts at NaNo.

Along the way to my NaNo success, I learned some things.  I plan to share them over the next couple of weeks.  Although I'm not participating in NaNo this year, because I'm already knee-deep in a manuscript, perhaps someone who is eagerly looking to get her NaNo badge this year may benefit.

NaNo Writing Lesson #1 -- Have a plan.

Want to start and finish NaNo successfully?  Have a plan.  It's that simple.  Everything else I tell you or that you pick up from other blogs or websites in preparation for NaNo won't matter if you hike the ball on this one.

To amass 50,000 or more words in 30 days is no small feat.  Whether you write full-time or part-time, and especially if you fall into the latter group, you have to know what you are going to write before you begin.

One caveat:  If it doesn't matter to you whether you have anything comprehensible at the end of the NaNo experience, then you may not need a plan.  But if you want to finish a readable and perhaps salable novel, you need a plan.

What does such a plan look like?

Well, you should have a story premise.  What is your story in a nutshell?

Then, you should know your characters, or at least the primary ones.  What are their names, what is their back story and what role do they play in the novel?

Finally, you should have a plot.  Yes, a plot outline.  What this looks like varies from 3-5 plot points to a multi-page, fully fleshed out synopsis.  Whatever works for you.  The point is to have something to guide you if you get stuck.  With only 30 days, you have no time to waste floundering around trying to remember what your story was supposed to be about and how you wanted to get from point A to point B.

Here are some links to help you with your planning:

How to Outline Your Story

Plotting Your Story Conceptually

Organizing Your Plot

A Solution for Pantsers with Plot Envy

5 Resources to Help You Plan Your NaNoWriMo Novel

A plan, no matter how brief or detailed, will come in handy.  Trust me.

Have you begun your NaNo plan?  Will you write full character sketches and a detailed outline or go with something less formal?

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia

Stay focused. Be deliberate. Believe.