Preparing for National Novel Writing Month

I love National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). I’ve participated – and finished – several times over the years, and each year as November is on the horizon, I am always wondering if I’ll do it again. And while I haven’t participated every year since that first time, I am planning to do it again this year. What I enjoy about it is that it gives me an opportunity to work on something completely different and play around with the idea.

Writing OutsideI might get an idea for a new story while I’m working on other projects (the current novel, different posts or photography plans), but for the month of November I can work on that new thing that has been cultivating in my mind and see what kind of potential it may have.

There’s a lot of freedom in that kind of play. If the story turns out to not be working so well, that’s fine. It’ll be something fun to write that I can explore and generate ideas for something else. Once the month is over, it can be put away for me to think on or expand in a different way. And if the story does turn out to work well, then even better. That’s one I’m going to keep working on once I hit my 50,000 words until I feel like the story’s ended. If it’s going well, it’s still going to take a lot of work.

Hemingway's writing space in Key West

Hemingway’s writing space in Key West

I have also used the month to rewrite a story. If I had started one and loved the characters and setting, but started having different ideas for the plot, I sometimes used November to start over from scratch. That “first” draft became my prep work to flesh out characters. The month becomes a playground to try a new direction. It’s a great way to exercise creativity.

Will you be participating in NaNoWriMo come November? Have you done NaNoWriMo before?

Patricia

Patricia returned to Texas after spending several years on both coasts. She's a writer, amateur photographer and traveler.

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