Prepping for NaNoWriMo?

October 24, 2022

October is one of my favorite months of the year! It’s time to pull out the cardigans (Librarians, rejoice!), anticipate the start of the holidays (find cookbooks), decorate the stoop with pumpkins and mums, and celebrate spooky season. But perhaps most exciting of all? It’s time to start prepping for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)!

The concept is simple: For the entire month of November, inspired writers come together to challenge themselves to write 50,000 words in 30 days. And October means getting together your ideas, preparing your space, chatting with other authors, and positioning yourself at the starting line of this 50K challenge.

For more than 10 years, I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo, and even though I haven’t quite hit that 50,000-word marker, I’ve come close. It’s a great sense of accomplishment!

It’s perfect for established authors and newbies alike. So, whether you’re a “Pantser” (flies by the seat of their pants!) or a “Prepper” (has all the key points laid out!), we all have a story inside us. So why not fire up the laptop, get out your notebook and pen, and write your story this November!

And thanks to support from The Story Center and the vast selection of books available on writing at MCPL, prepping for November is easier than ever.

Some of my favorite NaNoWriMo prep books include:

No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty – By the founder of NaNoWriMo, this is perfect for writing a novel in just 30 days! Each chapter is broken down into weekly strategies, with tips from past participants and exercises to help your challenge progress smoothly.
Book in a Month: The Foolproof System for Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Victoria Schmidt – With scheduling ideas, worksheets, and instructions, this book will show you how to create a structured plan.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody – This book helps support the building of essential plot points in a way similar to screenplay creation. If you’re a visual learner like me, these processes will work well for you!