If you are unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and the goal is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. This is a challenge that comes around every year and has spun off some "camps" throughout the year for more opportunities to set writing goals. This averages to around 1,667 words each day. It's free to sign up, and there are local groups around the world that you can connect with.
Now, full transparency, I have never "won" NaNoWriMo. November is notoriously a busy month for me, and I've always struggled with making the time and then feeling guilty about it and then thinking well, I've already failed so... But I am feeling like this year could be different as I have actually taken time to prepare and make a plan that I have not done previously. I am a total pantster so plotting is not my thing, but I understand the value of it especially with a challenge like this. I have been researching more on plotting, and I can see areas where I could do a bit more to prepare. However, there is something about not knowing where you're going yourself that makes it fun for me during the writing process. And we need some fun, right?
I have downloaded Scrivener since they offer a free trial during NaNoWriMo (Abbie Emmons convinced me, and if you haven't watched her writing videos, they're a must!). I have set up my theme and my template, and right now, I am obsessed with it. I also recently was a part of a live with Katee Robert and Jennifer L. Armentrout who both said they used Scrivener to write, and since they are two of my favorites, I need to use it too lol. I did have to watch some tutorials on it, but it is set up to be so effective for writers. Get yourself a template to make it seem less overwhelming in the beginning. There are several free ones out there. I will talk more about Scrivener later.
I plan to finish preparing today, and tomorrow, NaNoWriMo kicks off! Wish me luck!
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