My New & Improved NaNoWriMo Prep Guide

Last year, I shared my NaNoWriMo prep guide in this blog post about planning NaNoWriMo when you work. (It’s also available on my freebies page, along with pretty much every other printable and guide I’ve ever made.)

As I’ve been preparing for NaNoWriMo this year myself, way later than usual, of course, I found myself turning to my own guide and making small changes that have made a huge difference in my planning.

Here’s what has changed:

• The design: pages are now easier to print out and read, as well as write all your notes

• A New Goals Page

• Brainstorming pages for ideas, names, motivations, and more

• Improved outlining pages that let you map out your stories climactic scenes

I’ve been having so much fun recreating my NaNoWriMo guide. Even better, this guide is not gated (no signing up for my mailing list to receive it!)—however, starting January 1, it will be removed and only available for purchase! I’d love to know your thoughts if you download it… which you can do so HERE:

Thank you again! Happy NaNoWriMo—it’s getting close.

Check In: NaNoWriMo Week 3

Has November been a month or has November been a month? The longest month ever and yet, somehow it was just November 1 and now it's the 17th? And next week is Thanksgiving? And I'm really behind on my Blogmas posts? 

The plus side: I am actually not behind on NaNoWriMo. My outline process (that I wrote about last week) has been a huge help, especially as things happen and I have to get ahead while I can. On Tuesday, I hit over 35,000 words, meaning I'm at least a week ahead... which is good. 

There are always going to be days where I don't want to write or can't write. On Wednesday, I was dealt a pretty serious blow; I can't talk about it yet, just know that it has to do with work and it has surprisingly not sent me into an absolute anxiety spiral. However, Wednesday evening, I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do less than write. After I went to the gym, I lied on the couch and ate Goldfish crackers, watching the Great British Bake Off on my phone. It's all I could bring myself to do; I'd expended all my nervous and creative energy on keeping myself together the entire day. 

Thankfully, I was several days ahead, so taking a day off felt ok. I am a little nervous about writing further than where I am in the story, because creativity wise, I do feel a little spent after this week (especially Wednesday). I'm hoping a little relaxing this weekend will help me get back on track creatively (and also start Blogmas posts, because I am so, so behind on Blogmas). 

How are you doing on NaNoWriMo? Any tips for getting back on track?