Welcome to Preptober, when plotters outline their characters and pantsers laugh nervously.
There's been a change in the Pee Dee Writers. Our Municipal Liaison moved to Tennessee (Ashley, we miss you!). For some insane reason, I volunteered for the job. Hi, I'm Suzanna J. Linton and I've agreed to manage this circus. Yes, those are my monkeys. Aren't they cute?
A little about myself: I'm a self-published author with four books. Hopefully, NaNoWriMo will end with a draft of a fifth novel. I've been participating in NaNo, on and off, for the past decade or more. I hope I can be half the ML Ashley was! When we get a little closer to November, I'll be posting the schedule for write-ins, both online and in person. If you're in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina and plan on participating in NaNoWriMo, then please join our Facebook group!
For the duration of October, I'll be posting helpful articles and tips on how to prepare for National Novel Writing Month. And don't forget to check the NaNoWriMo blog, as well.
To kick off Preptober, here's my first bit of homework for you to complete:
Announce Your Novel
The option to announce your novel is already open on the NaNo website. I can hear the objections already:
"But, Suzanna, it's only October. I don't know what I want to write!"
"I may change my mind!"
"It can wait."
It's okay that you don't know yet what you want to write. Changing your mind is fine because you can still edit the novel info prior to NaNo and even during NaNo. And yes, it could wait.
However, a huge part of National Novel Writing Month is accountability. It's very hard to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. NaNoWriMo provides a support system that holds you accountable to your goal. Announcing your novel, even at this early stage, is part of that accountability process. You're committing to this wild and wonderful venture that will teach you not only about writing but about yourself.
So, please, if you haven't announced your novel on the site yet, consider that your first Preptober task. Don't be afraid to put "Title To Be Announced" in the title section. Don't be afraid to put some vague, generic text that loosely describes the idea in your brain. Just take the opportunity to step forward and say, "I'm going to take part in this mad scheme!"
In the coming weeks, I'll be posting more about prepping for your novel. Hopefully, both pantsers and plotters will find something helpful. See you next week!