Are You Planning to Write a Novel in November?
Your minimalist preptober care package to help you succeed at this year's NaNoWriMo
November marks National Novel Writing Month — or NaNoWriMo — the yearly event that challenges writers old and new to write a 50k-word draft of a brand new novel project during the month of November. Perhaps you've been gearing up for this year's NaNoWriMo ever since the last one finished. Or maybe you're still on the fence about whether to even participate.
Either way, NaNoWriMo is no easy feat. Writing a 50k first draft is a marathon challenge, and it's not for the faint of heart. But no matter whether you tend to plan your novels (planners) or chase the muse (pantsters), you may find NaNoWriMo more manageable if you dive in with at least the basics of your story figured out. Here are the three vital elements you'll need in order to start writing (and hopefully finish) a 50-thousand-word novel draft this November:
Character
The heart of any story is character. If you know your characters well enough, you'll often find it easier to either follow the intended plotline of your novel, or to keep putting down words despite those surprising situations that sneak up on you over the course of writing. But you don't need a 100-question character sheet to start getting to know your characters. Instead, try this:
Pantsters: Start by writing character sketches or a series of vignettes that follow your characters through the course of a day before the story starts. Try to incorporate their unique voice, as well as their perspective on life and the world around them, demonstrating what makes them tick.
Planners: To start coming to grips with your characters in a way that helps shape your story and can inform your plot, focus on your characters' story elements in addition to the basics of name, biography, and appearance. What are their motivations? Their goals? What are their most desperate wants, and how might this conflict with what they truly need? Also think about what sort of change they're likely to undergo by the end of the novel.
Plot
As I discussed last time on The Venture, nothing gives a story shape and weight more than it's ending, so it's a good idea to have at least a vague idea of where your story might end up before you start penning the beginning. Once you've figured out where you plan to go, here are a couple ways to keep yourself moving in that direction, whether or not you're a hard-core planner.
Pantsters: Get your pen and paper ready, and set a timer for fifteen minutes. Think about your characters, their conflicts, and the relationships between them. Now, start the timer and write down every scene, image, and possible event that comes into your head. Continue until the timer goes off. Whenever you get stuck, you can reference these ideas to either move your plot forward, or use them as a freewriting prompt to better understand your story.
Planners: Start with a quick five-point-plot beat sheet. The most important events to consider when you start planning your novel outline are the Ending, the Beginning Hook, and the Midpoint (usually the most impactful plot twist). Once you've got those three major beats figured out, take a moment to think about the Threshold: what event kicks your protagonist out of the world of normalcy, and into the major action of the novel? Finally, the Climax often involves an important choice for the protagonist: what will they learn or discover that will help them overcome the final obstacle to the ending?
Theme
I like to think of theme as more a guiding principal than a invitation for literary analysis. Basically, theme comprises the big ideas that you can come back to whenever you're stuck or indecisive.
For both planners and pantsters: spend a few minutes writing down the core conflicts of your novel, the big questions your characters are struggling with, and any of the major pieces of inspiration that made you decide to write this story.
When that's done, pick through what you've written for repeated ideas and for words and images that resonate. Often these will indicate two or three themes. Whenever you can't decide what happens next or how a plot event should unfold, go back to these big, guiding ideas and see which resolution aligns with them best.
So tell me, are you planning to write a novel this November? If you are, share what it's about in the comments, and let's cheer each other on through the NaNoWriMo website!
Other Updates From the Editor's Desk
Work Update | I'm currently on hiatus until January, but happy to hear what you're working on if you want to get in touch. I'll also be mentoring with Round Table Mentor this year — submissions open this Halloween if you'd like to work with me on a specific project in YA or Fantasy!
Latest Blog Post | The Science of Magic: How to develop a speculative element for sf/f - Let's take a look at the basics of creating new technologies or magic systems for your writing.