It’s almost that time again, when many writers around the world focus on writing a novel in one month… otherwise known as NaNoWriMo. 🙂
The goal for writers during this writing month, is to write 50,000 words by the end of November. This works out to an average of 1667 words a day for 30 days.
In today’s blogpost, I’ll share with you 6 steps I use to get my romance novel ready so that I can write the first draft. This is a process I’ve developed over a few years and it’s something that I use to prepare for the first draft, whether or not it’s the month of NaNoWriMo.
As you read through the steps I take, I hope you’ll be inspired to create your own way to plan your novel. Remember, every writer has their own unique way that they plan their novel, there’s no one size fits all.
How to Plan Your Novel for NaNoWriMo
Whether you like your whole novel outlined or if you’re ready to begin writing with a simple summary of your novel — discover the freedom to explore what works best for you.
I hope these six steps that I use to plan my novel help you too.
STEP ONE: CHOOSE THE TOOLS YOU’LL NEED
For myself, I love to start with a notebook and colorful pens to write down my ideas. Normally I start writing my ideas down in a notebook and then I transfer those ideas to Index Cards or a Whiteboard so I clearly plan a summary of what’s happening for each plot point of my romance.
STEP TWO: FREE WRITE YOUR STORY IDEA
In this step, I grab the story idea that’s been percolating in the back of my mind and I write down what’s come to mind so far. I write down as much as I can think of in my notebook. If there’s questions about the story that come to mind, I’ll add those in brackets as something for me to mull over and find answers to.
There’s no right of wrong way to do this. Writing down the summary of your story idea is simply a way for you to get your story out of your head and onto paper. I like to do this the old school way… with pen and paper. I find my creative juices flow a little easier when I’m writing by hand. But, do what works best for you. The most important thing, is get your ideas written down!
STEP THREE: BEGIN BRAINSTORMING YOUR MAIN CHARACTERS
I like to start by brainstorming details about my main characters. I’ll write down their gender, nationality and a few setting details that make them who they are. But then I get to the fun part and begin really getting to know them. Their fears, flaws and basically their backstory that has made them who they are today.
Usually from digging deep into my main character’s flaws and begin to flesh out what their goals and motivations are. Since I write romance, I’ll do this for both the Hero and Heroine. By brainstorming these details, I can dig really deep into who these main characters are. Often by doing this, I’ll discover the minor characters who are important to each the Hero and Heroine. Bonus!
STEP FOUR: FIGURE OUT THE MAJOR PLOT POINTS
I like to figure out what the most important plot points will be in my novel at this point. If you’ve read Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica 
- Opening Image(before snapshot of your Hero and their world). I like to write down my Hero’s ordinary world and really solidify what they’re struggling with, or their flaws and fears.
- Catalyst(inciting incident or life-changing event that catapults the Hero into a new world or new way of thinking). I like to know what will cause a change for my Hero and Heroine that will force their lives to change(and in a romance novel, whatever that change is, will also force them together).
- Break into 2(the moment the Hero decides to accept the call to action, leave their comfort zone and venture into a new world). This is the decisive action that creates an ‘upside-down’ world for your Hero, quite different from his/her ordinary world in Act 1.
- Midpoint(this is where the fun and games lead up to a false victory or false defeat and something happens here to raise the stakes and push the hero toward real change). This is an important character arc change for your main character(s). This is where their values begin to shift toward learning the theme of your story.
- All is Lost(the lowest point of your novel. An action beat where something happens to the hero that pushes him/her to rock bottom). Basically this is the dark moment where the Hero thinks that life is over and something metaphorically dies or it could be that someone dies(like a mentor, etc).
- Finale(Hero proves they have learned the theme and enacts the plan they came up with in the Break into Act 3). This is an important resolution as this is where the bad guys are destroyed, flaws are conquered and the lovers are reunited. The Hero’s world is saved and it’s a better place than it was before.
STEP FIVE: FILL INDEX CARDS WITH YOUR STORY SCENES
This step is where you write down those scenes you’ve figured out and leave some cards blank in each Act for scenes that you’re still trying to figure out. I usually try to work with 7 to 8 scene cards for each of Acts 1, 2 and 3.
Add those scenes from Step 4 that you already know, and then continue to brainstorm your ideas for the rest of the scenes that are missing in each Act. Once I’ve finished that, I like to spread out the index cards on the living room floor or kitchen table so I can see each scene clearly and figure out what is missing. Think of it as a story roadmap from the start to the finish of your novel.
STEP SIX: EARMARK SCENES FOR EACH WRITING DAY
You can set aside scenes for each writing day during NaNoWriMo, for example. This might seem too detailed for some writers and that’s okay. Do what works for you. However, if you wanted to you could plan out of your 50,000 words in 30 days(with an average of 1667 words each day), that you could be finished Act 1 somewhere between Day 10 through Day 12. Your word count at that point would be somewhere between 16,670 – 20,004.
By doing this you would see daily how far along you are in reaching your goal of 50,000 words in November. For some writers this will be motivating and to others it will seem daunting and discouraging.
If this sort of detailed planning seems overwhelming, then just leave this part out in your novel planning.
So those are some thoughts on how to plan your novel for NaNoWriMo. But, you can also use this process for any time you’re planning and writing your novel.
I hope these ideas help. Have fun writing your novel!
What are some of your novel planning tips? Please share! I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below 😉
