NaNoWriMo

[avferreira]

Wasn't planning on entering NaNo this year - or ever again, quite frankly - but the muse dropped a lovely idea on my brain while I was sleeping a short while back, so I'm going to write it for NaNo. I'm very optimistic about actually finishing the 50 000 words this year, because I love the idea, and I already have most of the story plotted out in my head, so it's really just a matter of getting my tush in the chair, ignoring the internal editors (aka my ego giving me grief with its ridiculous little worries), and writing those 1667 words a day.

What I've been doing to prepare:

• I've come up with a title (Mr.Hughes's Tea Parlour and Curiosity Shop);
• I've jotted down some notes about the dream that inspired it, and about the ideas I've had in the mean time; 
• I've set up an Inspiration Board for the project;
• I've defined the characters, and named them;
• I've stocked up on assorted teas (tea is very much a part of my process, ok?).

What I still want to do before November:

• Flesh out the story;
• Do a phase outline, and establish an approximate number of words per phase;
• Draw a picture of my ego and/or my internal editors, so that whenever they're getting me stuck, I can look at it and have a good laugh (or picture myself giving them a good swift kick in the tush, depending on the mood I'm in);
• Set up an excel sheet, maybe modify a bit the one I'd done for last year with all the formulas;
• Stock up on good snacks (fruit, breadsticks, nuts and dry fruit, and really dark chocolate);
• Set up a writing schedule, preferably with my writing time first thing in the morning, or I'll end up going back to my night-writing ways, and those don't work;
• Buy an extra notebook, and some extra ink cartridges for my pens, just in case (yes, I'm long-handing it, I've stopped trying to fight my nature). 

What I mean to do during November:

• Stick to the schedule as much as possible (yes, stuff happens, but most of it can be ignored for an hour or two);
• Write EVERY day, even if I can't manage the 1667 words;
• Do a bit more than the 1667 words to preemptively compensate for the low-count days (I'm actually planning on aiming for 2000 words/day - it's perfectly feasible for me);
• Keep myself accountable by coming here and on Twitter and report on my progress every day.