National Novel Writing Month is November and I'm tentatively planning to participate. That means I'm reading and prepping as much as I can. Currently I'm working my way through this prep guide from nanowrimo but it's slow going, which doesn't bode well for the month.
People are always asking me, "Why don't you write a book?" Let me tell you - nonfiction work does not necessarily translate into being prepared to write fiction. I'm a case in point. I really struggle with fiction - in fact, I think I've only written like two short stories in my life. One of which was in sixth grade. Oh sure I tell myself stories but basically they've always been the equivalent of fan fiction. I'd really like to do some world building and create something really fun in the sci fi or fantasy genres but so far I struggle to just come up with some ideas.
And when inspiration does strike, it's always poetry.
The prep guide does provide support for creating. It helps generate ideas by basically recycling plot lines from famous stories, which let's face it - there are only so many plots out there (allegedly).
If you're looking for more concrete guidance for the very real challenges of writing a novel in a month, here's this guide from the Write Life.
