National Novel Writing Month is officially around the corner, and I’m excited even as I scramble to finish my preparations. I am a plotter. I can’t go without a detailed outline. But I must say, for the first time, I feel more confident about my ability to deliver a much more substantial first draft. This is my third time participating in the challenge, and this time, I took additional steps to create a more robust outline that I hope will alleviate problems I’ve had in the past.
I’ve developed a new perspective on writing that makes even the most challenging parts enjoyable.
Originally, I lamented having to rewrite drafts repeatedly without feeling as if I wasn’t making progress on them. My editor was right on the mark to assume the missing piece was the character arc.
After using K.M. Weiland’s “Creating Character Arcs” workbook (with the book as a reference), and in hindsight, I can see missing this key element was the problem with my other novel drafts, too.
Despite my somewhat haphazard way of working through the workbook and book, I am pleased with the results. I can see all of my character’s actions (and my editor’s feedback) coming together to form the plot in a new, better way.
For example, one of the comments my editor made on my outline was character motivation. Why did my character decide to make a particular choice? She pointed this out because she later caught another decision that conflicted with the previous one. Details such as what was it my character wanted, what was it that my character needed, and what lie did my character refuse to face, prevents backtracking and inconsistencies in the story. Keeping this all in mind while creating scenes surrounding obstacles my character faced meant a much more orderly draft, and especially, a much neater ending. Usually, my stories fell apart toward the end, and it was because there was nothing that connected the pieces. The character arc was the skeleton of my novel, not the plot as I originally imagined.
Even primed with this knowledge, I know I’ll make mistakes, and there will still be some headaches and frustrations. But I’ve developed a new perspective on writing that makes even the most challenging parts enjoyable.
Right now, as the countdown to November 1 continues, I’m putting scene cards into Scrivener. I’m starting to develop a workflow that is productive and consistent. I’m mentally prepared and physically prepared as best I can be for an amateur fiction writer.
In November, I will maintain the same pace as in previous years. I write between 5,000 to 10,000 words a few days a week. My goal, as it’s always been, is to write at least 15,000 words each week for the first two weeks to cushion the final stretch, which is usually the hardest feat.
I will end this by saying that I find it courageous when I see comments like “I decided to do NaNoWriMo, but I have no idea what I’m going to write!” Pantsers just hop right in and many still accomplish their goals. That doesn’t work for me, but two thumbs up for those who can do that. There’s no right or wrong way to approach NaNoWriMo, which is why I’m curious about your method, too. What did you do (or not do) in preparation for NaNoWriMo? Do you have a plan for when you start to write?
