The REAL Prep You Need to do for NaNoWriMo

I am on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram a lot, because that’s where the writers are, and where I make and maintain a lot of business connections. I have started to notice a huge uptick in the number of authors who I see making apologetic statements around their book launches. They say things like this:

If you have nothing better to do, come to my book signing….

If you’re around tomorrow at 10, I’m doing a Q&A about my story…

If you happen to be in the area, drop by for my event….

If you were thinking of reading it and haven’t purchased it yet and don’t want to spend a lot, my book is on sale for $1.99

If you have some free time, can you write a review for my book?

Well, I guess I’m really doing this Facebook Live thing …

I can’t believe I got a book deal…

I can’t believe my book is really real…

I can’t believe my book won this award…

Working hard to bring a book idea to life usually takes years of hard work. You have to build your skills, hone your idea, land on a structure that serves it, determine a process for writing that works in your real life, get the words on the page, revise them, test them, and then figure out a way to get them into reader’s hands. After all that, why would anyone apologize for what they have wrought, equivocate about its value, or downplay its worth?

Because they are ashamed to have dared to raise their voice?

Because they are afraid they put their ideas on the page for all the world to see?

Because they are embarrassed that they spent time and effort and energy and money to follow their dream of writing something that might have an impact?

If you are thinking those kinds of thoughts, and you are planning to use National Novel Writing Month to start a new novel, or to finish one you started, or to revise one you have already drafted, or to work on nonfiction and feel the energy of the writing community while you do it, the very best prep you can do is to shift your mindset.

Own your power as a writer.

Believe you are capable of making an impact with your work.

That’s the first and most important bit of prep most writers really need to do.

If you need to hear that mantra in a visceral way before you start, go see A Star is Born with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The movie is all about raising your voice, claiming your power, and believing you have something to say. I mean it’s about a lot of other things, too, but it’s definitely about that. Here’s one juicy quote I loved:

Jackson Maine: Look, talent comes everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it so that people listen to it, that’s a whole other bag. And unless you get out and you try to do it, you’ll never know. That’s just the truth. And there’s one reason we’re supposed to be here is to say something so people want to hear. So you got to grab it, and you don’t apologize, and you don’t worry about why they’re listening, or how long they’re going to be listening for, you just tell them what you want to say. Don’t you understand what I’m trying to tell you?
Ally: Yeah, I do. I don’t like it, but I understand it.
Jackson Maine: Oh, I think you like it a little bit.

The next most important thing you can do for NaNo prep is to take some time to plan before you write. Set your intention, know your purpose, know your point. Separate out the work of deciding what to write and the work of actually writing it. That is the fastest way to better writing.

If you would like some strategic exercises to help you plan out your NaNo work, tune in to listen to my conversation on Monday, October 22 at 12 PST with Grant Faulkner. I’ll be talking about my Two-Tier Outline, the One-Page Book Summary (excellent for fiction and nonfiction alike), and offering those as downloads on that day.

Click HERE for details.

Thanks for taking the time to read. If you enjoyed this article, please hit that clap 👏 button to help others find it!