License to Daydream

Preparing the writing itself for NaNoWriMo is probably the most important thing I can do in October. Planning my life to accommodate the increased writing hours and the decreased “everything else” hours is important, and we’ll talk about that next week, but the writing… ahhh. 

The best part about this kind of planning is that you can do it while you sleep, while you shower, when you’re driving (turn the radio off this month), when you’re watching TV, even when you’re reading someone else’s novel! The more you’re thinking about your novel, the more everything around you gives you ideas on characters, plot points, and funny situations.

I always got in trouble as a kid for daydreaming in school. My parents finally took me to the ear doctor because they thought I had hearing problems. I always seemed to be saying, “Huh? What’d you say?” But it wasn’t that I couldn’t hear the people around me. I just wasn’t listening to them. I was listening to the far more interesting people in my head. This month you have permission to ignore everyone else and listen to the voices in your head! (If you’re dating, try to pay attention to the other person anyway, just in case they’re “the one!”) Plan time to sit and stare out the window, or to cuddle under the blankets and stare at the movie screen in your head. Go for walks alone without your music, or with someone who’s willing to listen to you talk about your potential story. (Dogs are great for this.)

But there are other things I have to do besides daydream. I need to decide if this month is for work or play. Last year, my first NaNo, was for play. I wanted to see if I could do it. Now that I know I can, I want to seriously buckle down and come out on the other side with an excellent first draft. Making the decision for work or play will help you decide what else you need to do.

Decide what story you want to work on. I decided to try my hand at writing a Harlequin American Romance. I’ve wanted to do so for a couple of years – NaNo is a good time to give it a try. Because I really want to work it this year, I’ll spend time with critique partners coming up with a plot and refining my characters. As of today I only know it’s in Michigan and there are motorcycles! LOL! I’ve got a lot of work left to do! I’m a huge fan of FIRST DRAFT IN 30 DAYS (Welcome, Karen!) so I’ll be spending the next couple of weeks filling in those fabulous worksheets.

That reminds me – I’ve got to get my computer files organized this month. I’ll want a fresh copy of the worksheets, a new file in Scrivener, and new tabs in my Scrivener file to separate notes from outline from research. I’ll also take time – when not daydreaming – to listen to my favorite writing lectures and skim my favorite writing books, reminding myself of all the bits and pieces of things I know about “how” to do it so that when November 1 comes around, I’ll start writing with confidence.

One of the best parts about doing all this prep work is that I get more and more excited to get started! Lots of writers and writing teachers believe that if you can get the story bubbling so that it seems it’s about to boil over, then start writing, you’ll find much more energy and enthusiasm for the work. I think there’s a lot of truth in that.

I’m excited! What about you? What are you going to do to prepare yourself for a big writing push?