Wendy Ogilvie NaNoWriMo -3 Days to go!
This is the final week of prepping for my novel before I have to actually start writing. So what have I done to prepare?
- I worked out a basic plot and my main character
I made sure I had a beginning, middle and end. Actually, that’s a lie because I didn’t have an end….but I knew it would have when I finished! Well it would wouldn’t it?
- Once I had a story to tell, I needed to know where to set my novel.
This took quite a bit of research. I knew I didn’t want it to be set in Britain. I wanted to explore somewhere I had never been. Being outside the UK automatically gives the book a different atmosphere. Plus, a good excuse for a holiday! Sorry, ‘research trip’.
- I then set about researching.
This included everything from the American political system to international rituals and hallucinogenic drugs. (That last one was for getting through NaNo)
- My next step was to fill out the story with more detail.
I am sure there is a great way to do this on the computer, but I prefer something I can take anywhere and scribble upon at my leisure. So, my outline now consists of six pages of A4 Sellotaped together. The left side outlining the main event of the scene with more detail on the right.
Actually, it is now rather full, I may need to get the Sellotape out again.
So this is basically how I set about planning my novel ready for action on the 1st November. I can’t wait to start.
Good Luck to all other nutters attempting NaNoWriMo. May the prose be with us.
Wendy Ogilvie 