Here’s a quick definition from NaNoWriMo.org:

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.

Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

It’s July now and it’s time for me to get to planning! I will make the 50,000 word count this year. I WILL!! Well, I hope that I will. Last year was a success and a fail at the same time. I made it as far as ever have into NaNo, 16,000 words, but that was still 34,000 words short!

So here are my calculations for 2010:

November 2010 = 30 days =50,000 /4 weeks =12,500 words a week (6 days) = roughly 2,000 per day.

If I can break my story into the 4 Sequences (parts) of 12,500 words each, that will be my weekly goal, with me trying for a daily goal of 2,000 words.   …Yikes.

My first step to preparing for NaNo is to start thinking about what story ideas I have lurking around my brain that I’d be comfortable writing for a month. My second step is kick up writing on my current Work in Process, and start trying to hit 2,000 words a day.

Is any one else going to do NaNo this year? Let me know and we can start planning together!

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time researching tips and tricks for the upcoming NaNoWriMo season, since insomnia has screwed me over and effectively killed my writing schedule. And, yes, I know; NaNoWriMo doesn’t “officially” start until November 1st. All that means though, is that as long as I’m not writing prose, I can write and create as many outlines, character sheets, plot arcs, and summaries as I want. But first, I need to figure what I want to write.

NaNo is a little under 8 weeks away.  This would be the time to start planning, if you wanted to. I know many writers just sit down on the 1st and start writing what ever comes to mind. Jumping without looking, pretty much. There’s nothing wrong with that, that is just one style.  For myself, and many others still, we need a map to guide us through the month. I’m starting to look for new story ideas and new characters to play with. But these aren’t the only things to start worrying over. Here is a list that Ive put together:

1. What are you going to write? New vs. Old Stories, and looking for New Characters
2. Where are you going to write? The Search for Your Writing Sanctuary
3. Who is going to write with you? Friend and Enemies, All Rolled into One
4. When are you going to write? Finding Time in the Busy Month of Family Visits
5. What is going to help you write? Tips, Tricks, and Gizmos, that Keep you Going
6. How much are you going to write? Reaching that Word Count, in Steps of Course
7. OMG, the unthinkable has happened: What to do in case of the dreaded Writers Block

As we start counting down the weeks to the glorious start date, I’m going to cover a question a week and keep us in gear and ready to go.  Before you know it, you’ll be out at Halloween parties or trick-or-treating, and you wont know where the time has gone. So, put your thinking hats on, keep a little notebook with you and jot down anything that you think is story worthy! I will see you next week.