NaNoWriMo Progress Tracker

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NaNoWriMo Progress Tracker

Welcome
Welcome

Dan Demers

Maria Marquis

How to Participate in NaNo Prep 101

Every week, tackle one straightforward preparation exercise.

If you feel like you can do even more, check out that week’s additional resources… then come discuss how your weekly NaNo Prep is going on our forums.

The Course Outline

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Develop a Story Idea⁠

(September 19-25)

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Create Complex Characters⁠

(September 26-October 2)

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Construct a Detailed Plot or Outline⁠

(October 3-9)

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Build a Strong World⁠

(October 10-16)

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Organize Your Life for Writing!⁠

(October 17-23)

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Find and Manage Your Time⁠

(October 24-30)

Once you’ve completed the entire course, celebrate with

the official NaNo Prep 101 certificate of completion⁠

Want to do it all at your own pace? Download our entire handbook here!

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Download the complete NaNo Prep 101 Handbook.⁠

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Check out the “Prepping & Outlining” forums.⁠

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Week 1 Additional Resources

💡

Sparking an Idea⁠

: To fill it out, click “File” in the top left corner, then select “Make a copy.”

📚

Plot Generator 1⁠

and

Plot Generator 2⁠

: Silly… or brilliant? Or both???

🎬 Video:

Get Ready to Write a Novel⁠

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🎬 Video:

What Should I Write My Novel About?⁠

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🎬 Video:

Make an Inspiration Board for Your Novel⁠

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🎬 Video:

When You Haven’t Chosen a NaNoWriMo Idea Yet… (feat. The WordNerds!)⁠

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💬

Adoption Society Forum⁠

: Hop into any “Adopt a Plot” threads to get inspiration from other Wrimos.

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Week 2: Create Complex, Believable Characters

(Strong enough to shoulder a novel and hold your interest)

Week 2 Exercise: Character Development and Questionnaires

Characters are the active drivers of your story, and a huge part of a first draft is getting to know the characters you’re creating. Get a head start with this exercise!

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Try the exercise: Character Development and Questionnaires⁠

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Week 2 Discussion

How’s your idea generating going? Want some help choosing between a couple ideas? Or do you have a spare plot bunny that’s up for adoption? Join the discussion on our forums.

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Join the character conversation on our forums!⁠

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Young writers, join the conversation on the YWP forums!⁠

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Week 2 Additional Resources

💡

51 Questions You’ve (Probably) Never Asked Your Characters⁠

: Check out some more questions you might ask about your characters if you’re on a roll!

📚

Character Generator⁠

Check out this great resource from our blog.

📚

Choosing Your Protagonist’s Gender⁠

How do you decide your characters’ genders?

📚

Writing With Color‘s Resources about Writing Characters of Color⁠

The great blog,

Writing With Color⁠

, shared several blog series about things to consider when writing characters of color.

🎬 Webcast:

Games to Develop Your Characters (with the Society of Young Inklings)⁠

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🎬 Video:

Five Situations to Deepen Your Characters⁠

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💬

Adoption Society Forum⁠

: Hop into any “Adopt a Character” threads to get inspiration from other Wrimos.

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Week 3: Construct a Detailed Plot or Outline

(That will keep you on track with your story)

Week 3 Exercise: Pick a plotting method and experiment with it!

There are a million different ways to plot a novel, and it can be overwhelming to figure out which one will work for you! Take our extremely scientific quiz to get some suggestions on which plotting method might work for you… then find the associated exercise in this week’s NaNo Prep 101 materials and test it out!

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Try the exercise: What kind of a plotting method might work best for you?⁠

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Know which plotting method you want to try out? Get the details below:

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The “Jot, Bin, Pants” Method.⁠

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The Plot Rollercoaster.⁠

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The 9-Step Plot Dot.⁠

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The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet.⁠

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Katytastic’s 3 Act/9 Block/27 Chapter Outline.⁠

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Week 3 Discussion

Join this week’s discussion on our forums.

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Join the plotting conversation on our forums!⁠

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Young writers, join the conversation on the YWP forums!⁠

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Week 3 Additional Resources

💡

How to Start Small⁠

: Author and past Camp Counselor Sona Charaipotra shares a simple way to approach planning on our blog.

💡

Outline Your Story Like a Subway Map⁠

Here’s another plotting method for you folks who are juggling several plot threads.

🎬 Video:

3 Tips to Avoid a Soggy Novel Middle⁠

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🎬 Video:

6 Ways to Add Suspense to Any Story⁠

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📚

5 Tips for Fast Drafting⁠

“Writing is such a personal thing and each storyteller has their own process, but in the event getting the first draft out is the biggest hurdle for you, like it is for me, I’m going to share five tips for knocking out that first draft in record time.”

📚

How to Go From Plotless to Polished ⁠

Just taking an hour before November 1 to answer some basic questions can help you win!

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Week 4: Build a Strong World for Your Characters

(That your readers will want to explore, too.)

Week 4 Exercise: Exploring your setting!

Settings aren’t just a backdrop for your novel… they can establish moods and reveal details about your characters. Try out this week’s exercise (excerpted from our Young Writers Program workbook) to develop settings that add real depth to your story.

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Try the exercise: Create and explore settings for your novel.⁠

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View all the resources in our World-Building Camp Track.⁠

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Week 4 Discussion

Join this week’s discussion on our forums.

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Join the setting conversation on our forums!⁠

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Young writers, join the conversation on the YWP forums!⁠

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Week 4 Additional Resources

🎬 Webcast:

Build Your Fictional World with Games (with the Society of Young Inklings)⁠

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🎬 Video:

How to Reinforce Your Characters with Detailed World-building⁠

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🎬 Video:

A World-Building Exercise Every Writer Should Try⁠

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🎬 Video:

3 Tips for Writing Magic in Fantasy⁠

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💡

A Guide to Grow Your Novel’s World⁠

Excerpted from our Ready, Set, Novel! workbook, check out this way to go from micro to macro.

💡

20 Questions to Ask Yourself When World-building⁠

If you like checklists, try this one out to flesh out the world of your novel.

📚

3 Tools for Your World-builder’s Toolkit⁠

“World-building is a long, sometimes tedious, process, but it’s well worth the work.”

📚

World-Building a Diverse Landscape⁠

If you’re working on making a big and immersive world for your story, here are some tips for building different kinds of landscapes into your novel.

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Week 5: Organize Your Life to Support Your Writing Goals

(And get your community involved.)

Week 5 Exercise: A pre-NaNoWriMo checklist!

Getting ready for National Novel Writing Month isn’t just about outlines or character work. It’s also about making a little room in your life for this massive creative undertaking… and rallying your support system to help you through it.

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Try the exercise: Your Pre-NaNoWriMo Non-Noveling Checklist.⁠

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Plus, NaNoWriMo staff and volunteers offer tons of events like Virtual Write-Ins, webcasts, community meetups, and more to help you prioritize your writing goals and get involved with the NaNoWriMo writing community.

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Browse and RSVP to upcoming NaNoWriMo events!⁠

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Join your local region for virtual, in-person, and/or hybrid events!⁠

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Week 5 Discussion

Join this week’s discussion on our forums.

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Join the life preparation conversation on our forums!⁠

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Young writers, join the conversation on the YWP forums!⁠

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Week 5 Additional Resources

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Curious about writing groups? Get all the support you need here.⁠

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📚

Lonely Writer Seeking Writing Group: A Quiz!⁠

Not sure what kind of writing group might work best for you? Check out this quiz to find out.

📚

A Somewhat Binding Magical Contract⁠

Want to make your writer/supporter relationship very official and not at all silly? Check out this contract with a friend!

📚

Graphics to Share With Your Community⁠

From an infographic on caring for a NaNoWriMo writer, to official requests for accountability, check out these graphics made for social media.

🎬 Video:

Taking Care of Your Wrimo⁠

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🎬 Video:

Those Pesky NaNo Distractions (feat. The WordNerds!)⁠

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🎬 Video:

5 Tips to Start NaNoWriMo Strong (feat. Rachel Writes!)⁠

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💡

What Should I Expect at a NaNoWriMo Write-In?⁠

Curious about going to a local write-in? Find out about your events by going to “Community → Find a Region”, and prepare for a write-in with this handy one-sheet.

💡

A Letter to Explain NaNoWriMo to Your Friends or Family⁠

Send this letter on to anyone who’s clueless about NaNoWriMo and why you’re writing for a month in November.

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Week 6: Find, Schedule, and Manage Your Time

(So you can write as much as possible.)

Week 6 Exercise: What’s the Best Writing Schedule for You?

Writing 1,667 words a day can be a challenge we know… but it’s a challenge made easier if you can find the writing time in your schedule right now. Make regular dates with your creative self this November, and give yourself the space and attention to accomplish your goals!

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Try the exercise: The “What’s the Best Writing Schedule For You?” Quiz.⁠

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Week 6 Discussion

Join this week’s discussion on our forums.

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Join the time management conversation on our forums!⁠

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Young writers, join the conversation on the YWP forums!⁠

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Week 6 Additional Resources

📚

How to Win NaNo with a 40-Hour Work Week⁠

“I know it might sound daunting, but NaNoWriMo has helped me so much with relieving stress after a long workday, I couldn’t imagine a month without it.”

📚

3 Unconventional Ways to Make More Time to Write⁠

Here are a few tips that might help you make more time to write… without having to wake up at 4 a.m.

📚

How to Balance School and Writing⁠

For writers who are in school, November can be a heavy exam, test, or project month. Here are a few tips to help navigate the chaos of school and writing.

💡

@NaNoWordSprints on Twitter⁠

Follow @NaNoWordSprints before November for writing prompts, and quick, timed writing exercises.

💡

Figure out your voting plan ahead of time!⁠

Elections in the U.S. often happen in November, so planning ahead for how, when, and where you’re going to vote will help you manage your writing time. Some states even let you vote early or by mail! Check out the guide above from author and YouTuber Hank Green for how to vote in every U.S. state.

🎬 Webcast:

Find the Time to Write⁠

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🎬 Video:

Tips on Finding the Time to Write⁠

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🎬 Video:

How Do You Make Time to Write During NaNoWriMo?⁠

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WelcomeWelcome

How to Participate in NaNo Prep 101

The Course Outline

Week 1 Additional Resources

Week 2: Create Complex, Believable Characters

Week 2 Exercise: Character Development and Questionnaires

Week 2 Discussion

Week 2 Additional Resources

Week 3: Construct a Detailed Plot or Outline

Week 3 Exercise: Pick a plotting method and experiment with it!

Week 3 Discussion

Week 3 Additional Resources

Week 4: Build a Strong World for Your Characters

Week 4 Exercise: Exploring your setting!

Week 4 Discussion

Week 4 Additional Resources

Week 5: Organize Your Life to Support Your Writing Goals

Week 5 Exercise: A pre-NaNoWriMo checklist!

Week 5 Discussion

Week 5 Additional Resources

Week 6: Find, Schedule, and Manage Your Time

Week 6 Exercise: What’s the Best Writing Schedule for You?

Week 6 Discussion

Week 6 Additional Resources

Welcome
Welcome