Preptober 2018

Okay. Here’s something I’ve wanted to share with you all for a while. Not only am I a giant bookworm, but words in general are a passion of mine. Now as the leaves start to turn, it’s perfect timing to add in my new section, Writing Wednesdays.

I’ve felt nervous talking about writing, it’s something I’ve done for years, but I’m extremely private about it. This week, we are starting with Preptober. For those of you who don’t know, November, for all those crazy enough to want to write a novel, is also known as NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month.

The goal? 50,000 words in a month. Generally, that is the minimum for a novel. Not all novels mind you. It depends on genre, age, and personal preference. What it boils down to though is 1,667 word a day. Not bad right?

Well if you’re on Word, that boils down to two and a half pages a day. For those who type at superhuman speeds, good for you!! However, I think my peak was close to a thousand words in half an hour. It takes more stamina than you’d imagine.

Which is why I wanted to share Preptober with you. I’ve done NaNo for the last two years. However, I’ve never “won” (made it to 50,000 words). I hit just over 30,000 my first year, and around 25,000 last year. This year, I have the added stress of being in grad school, on top of my full time job. Normally, those are fine. Add in the attempt to hit 50,000 words? Maybe not so much.

This is where Preptober comes in. Some people can come into NaNo cold. Sit down, open a blank page, think of a new idea, and run with it. I am not those people. My last two NaNo’s were one WIP that has spiraled into a behemoth. It’s currently the size of Mt. Everest and growing, and it needs to sit a while and figure out where it’s going. So I’m starting with a new idea.

By new idea. I mean one I’ve been playing with since January. However, it isn’t 100 percent ready to turn into a book yet. After learning about me as a writer from my first two NaNo attempts, I need a lot more prep. I need if not a full outline, a picture of the world, the people, the religions, the languages. I need to not be able to write myself into a corner I can’t back out of. For me this all comes down to knowing my story and the world I’m playing in.

I’m following the guidance of Prep_tober as deigned by Rachael Stephen. She has a plethora of writing resources like videos, brainstorm twitter sprints, and more. I’m excited to see how this goes.

I’m following along on Instagram with the #prep_toberchallenge and will be answering those challenges in my story! I’m also setting a goal of writing 100-150 words a day. Just to get me back into the habit of writing daily. I’m also going to be going back through How to Write a Novel in 30 Days by Megg Geri to help me prep!

Is anyone else doing NaNoWriMo? Is anyone doing Preptober? What are your tips to surviving?

*Also Cheers if you made it this far! I know it was a long post. Thanks for indulging me on this journey. xx ~K