[Writers] TECH: Prep for Nanowrimo?

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting Sept. 24, 2016

Aha! Over here, Janice Hardy provides a four week plan...

http://thewritelife.com/prepare-nanowrimo-4-week-success-plan/

A four week plan (October! Only one more month, and we'll be headed into Nanowrimo!) Let's take a look.

Number one, in a few sentences, describe what this novel will be about.

First week (Oct 1-7) focus on your novel's setup. What is the beginning going to look like? You need to introduce the characters, story problem, and setting, and set up the rest of the novel. So think about:

-- How are you going to introduce the protagonist? Traits and qualities? How will you show these up front?

-- What problem does the opening scene deal with? This may or may not be the big driver for the whole story. It's not unusual to use a small, interesting problem to get us involved and set up things. How can you hook the reader and lead the plot to the core conflict?

-- What is your inciting event? This is the driver for the novel. It may start things off, or it may bridge from the opening scene (which often sets up normal life) and the start of the middle. Whichever, make sure it is clear and exciting!

Second week (Oct. 8-14) how do problems get solved in the middle? This is where characters run into try-fail cycles, working away at their problems, and learning. What should you consider:

-- How does the setup lead to the middle (opening scene, inciting event, and here's the middle!).

-- What major problem or event does the middle reveal?

-- How will the middle lead into the ending? Usually, the protagonist is down and reeling, things look bleak, but... This is when the protagonist figures out how to come back. What is going to push them to make that last effort?

Third week (Oct. 15-21) how will your novel end? This is the climax, the big showdown with the antagonist. What is it going to look like? You may have started with an idea about it (many people fit useful to think about this first) but now you really need to figure it out. Things to consider:

-- How does the protagonist I plan to defeat the antagonist? What steps do they think they are going to take?

-- How will it end? What will happen to resolve the core conflict?

-- How does this experience change the protagonist? Better, worse, what changes, what are they going to do next?

Fourth week (Oct. 22-28) what are the major turning points of your story? Go ahead and walk through the whole story, fleshing out details, adding notes.

Character-driven? What is the character arc, and what is the internal journey your character is going to take?

Plot-driven? What are the major plot points, and how are your characters going to react and solve the plot problems?

You probably want at least three major points in each of the three parts (beginning, middle, end) so nine or more points.

Final days (Oct. 29-31) write a pitch! That's right, Janice recommends writing a query or pitch for your novel. There's a link to another article about how to write a one page pitch, with a template and questions to help make sure you cover everything. Doing this before write your novel will help make sure you know who your characters are, what the plot is, and can point to holes before you stumble into them.

Okay? So ... Time to get planning!

Before Nanowrimo comes barreling across the calendar!

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