Hey!
Nanowrimo is here tomorrow!!! Preptober practically flew by.
If you didn’t see on my Instagram, I finished my outlining process early! So that gave me the last week of October to rest up, plan a November writing schedule, and do some fun things for inspiration.
If you’re sitting in bed wondering what to do the day before Nano, maybe these will help.
We’ve already talked about how to take care of yourself mentally, physically, setting boundaries, making time for your writing, and getting organized. If you haven’t checked those out, everything is on my home page!
Now let’s talk about some fun stuff.
1. Pinterest Boards
I made a secret pinterest board, and categorized it by characters, and kingdoms, and a general feed for the mood of this book. It has been so much fun.
If you’re wanting to do this too, and want to stay organized. I recommend starting with a board named after your Book. Then each section within that board will be for different things like a character, the setting, the mood, a kingdom/town etc.
Pinterest is great about organization because you can reorganize again and again until you’re happy with it.
2. Aesthetic Boards
If you follow me on Instagram you’ve already seen a couple of the ones I’ve made. I took some pictures from pinterest, just for fun and worked on trying to capture the feel of the characters in images, or the mood of the novel. It was a blast, turned out amazing, and started getting me even more inspired for my book.
3. Schedule
Boring, yes but I wanted to mention this, and would it be me if I didn’t some how work in a schedule?
There’s a time change November first, we fall back an hour. So get plenty of rest the next few nights. And plan your writing schedule realistically.
4. Cleaning the House
Didn’t she say this was supposed to be fun?
Well, maybe I said it with a hint of sarcasm, alright? This may sound ridiculous but hear me out.
Clean space = clear mind.
Cluttered space = cluttered mind.
If you can’t get to anything else today, organize your go to writing space. Make it nice and tidy, so you can simply sit in a nice clean area and write.
You know that feeling when everything is in order, and you can just sit down without running through your to do list of: laundry, dishes, etc. Or maybe that’s just the organizational freak in me?
5. Motivation
I see this so much. ‘How do I stay motivated to write?’
The truth is, there is not a correct answer that suits every writer.
I know, probably not what you’re wanting to hear.
BUT, I do have a solution, and it’s not hypocritical to what I just said, I promise.
Its not about the “motivation”, its about your purpose. If you can break things down, and make them smaller, simplifying it. You will get to the root of your purpose.
That is with anything. For example, what is the purpose of putting socks on your feet? Because, maybe your feet are cold? Or you don’t like naked feet? Or you want to keep them clean? Or maybe you’ve been told by someone that you’ll get sick if you don’t always wear socks?
Several different motivations behind wearing socks, but all serve a purpose to the person wearing them.
So take your book, your creative project, and get to the root.
Why are you creating? Why are you writing this book specifically?
Let’s dig deep, and I’ll tell you something personal about myself. My current WIP for nano 2020 is book one in a fantasy series about revenge. It features two siblings who grew up in the same house, facing very similar problems, but ventured down two very different paths.
It will explore the complexity of abuse on a child’s psyche, and how every individual in an abusive home takes and handles that same abuse differently. It also will explore the ‘evil isn’t born, its made’ discussion, and how who we are is not what happens to us but the choices we make in reaction to them.
Now what does this have to do with me?
Well, I grew up in an abusive home as the oldest of five children. We all took the abuse differently, coped differently, and reacted differently to the fallout. So I wanted to explore this concept.
I also wanted to touch on how, though inexcusable as the abuse was, the abuser himself was abused, and how that rippled down and affected our family.
This may be a fantasy novel with magic, Gods, and sword play, but it has a deeper meaning to me.
Thats the purpose of this book.
What’s your purpose behind writing?
When you know it, and you’re writing with a set intention, and with truth behind it, it will fuel you. It will drive you, and you won’t let anything stop you.
So I hope these little nuggets are helpful to you this nanowrimo! I hope it gave you some new perspectives.
Let’s get creative, and write those 50,000 words!
Thanks for reading,
Taylor Duarte
Aimlessly On Point 