Gearing up for NaNoWriMo isn’t an easy thing. It’s not about being able to write, it’s about knowing what you’re going to write. At least for me it is. Each year when I jumped into NaNoWriMo with no clear idea of what I was going to do, I failed. Even when I knew and had plotted what I was going to write, I failed.

Why?

I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. I don’t want to have a repeat failure this year. I am doing what I can to curb distractions, increase productivity when I write, and stay focused during those writing periods. Here are some of the things I’ve done to get ready for NaNoWriMo thus far.
Researched Names or created names for new characters

Created location names (names really throw me out of writing flow)

Established the series of events and viewpoints

Thought about the overall plot of the story (I still need to actually plot the story)

Informed the Wife and My Favorite Daughter my plan for November.

Worked hard to try and Finish Of Gnomes and Dwarves Book 1 prior to November 1st.

With all that I knew I had to get Of Gnomes and Dwarves Book 1 completed prior to November 1st when NaNoWriMo starts. That to me is the most important at this stage. I want to hit the ground running and build up a good buffer before the month gets underway and I get bombarded by work, the holidays, and other obligations. Because I’ve been working hard to get OGAD done, I’ve written over 10,000 words in the past three days. Oddly, and without intending to, I cut out two of the three major scenes in the end. They didn’t fit, didn’t work, and needed to be cut. Everything fits together much better and there’s no severe drop in the action at the end of the story. I’m happier with the climax of the final battle now.

I’ve got probably three more chapters to write and OGAD Book 1 (first draft) will be completed. I’m excited about this. This was one of my big goals for the year. I’ll be able to let it sit for a month while I get to work on V&A II. I’ll be spending some time plotting so I have a better guide for November and won’t get stuck with what’s happened to be before where I’ll be cruising along and think “Well, what should happen next?”. I need to get all that thinking out of the way so I can just sit and actually write.

So did I spend my entire weekend writing? Heck no! That’s silly. I watched an episode of the World Poker Tour (I love poker). I watched 3 episodes of Mythbusters. The premier of Gold Rush (that show is so addicting). Went and took care of some shopping. Had dinner at Fred’s (I needed a good burger!) Read a good chunk of the Intrepid Girlbot, Dilbert, XKCD, a little Frankenstien, and a couple chapters of Mike Stackpole’s Of Limited Loyalty. Oh, and I solved all the levels of the latest Angry Birds Seasons.

Even though I did all that, I still managed over 10,000 words in the past three days. I’m happy with that number. I need to try and keep up that pace for a few days so I can get a good padding on my NaNo Novel and not get caught with needing to write 30,000 words at the end of the month. I’d rather have 30,000 under my belt quickly and then I can pick nits toward the end of the month. I’ve always been caught with the “I know I can write fast so I’ll do more tomorrow”. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that I need to keep going on a daily basis to achieve my goal.

So yeah, I’ve been pounding on the keyboard and I intend to keep doing just that. First I need to get the day job out of the way.

Until Tomorrow!

WOO WOO!