TeenageTells- Preptober (And NaNoWriMo)

It's officially October! Which for many authors means planning their next adventurous project. But why October? Well, because NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is coming up and there's lots to do.

The history of NaNoWriMo: It is a U.S Non-profit that promoted writing all over the world. It started in 1999 when Chris Baty and his friends decided to write 50,000 word novels in 30 days.

Now, however, the organisation is closed due to "financial difficulties"; however, many believe it is due to the unpopularity it gained due to its belief on AI and how writing by AI is ok to use.

That shouldn't steer you away from it, though! Meaning, you don't need it to be official. November is the time to write your book. NaNoWriMo is not about a website: it's about working on your creativity and finally putting your project on paper. It has generally had a 'quantity over quality' approach, but I challenge you to not focus on word counts, but on building a writing habit.

However, this year a new website has emerged, to take the role of NaNoWriMo, but more writer-focused. It's called Novel November, and I recommend trying it out (I'll be trying it out too this year) because one of my favourite authors Abbie Emmons is highly involved in it.

Now, about Preptober. This is the time to plan, plot, brainstorm your book, in any way you want to. I will give you some pointers, but it's all about what you want to do. Everyone reading this will be at different stages of planning their book, whether it's one phrase they want to include, or having a scene-by-scene breakdown. It's all about having idea(s) and playing on them and twisting the into something you're surprised came out of your head, because it's so great or amazing or cool. I wrote about planning in my Comprehensive Writing Guide, which I recommend you look at here. But here are some pointers I want to give you now:

1. Don't worry. Just think of as much as you can. If you were to write the book today, would you know what you would write? Start there.

2. Don't stress over being too organised. Do as much as you need.

3. Bullet point and brainstorm ideas, just to get ideas down.

4. Try and write a scene if you know you want to include it (it doesn't have to ever appear in the manuscript) because it helps you practice writing.

5. Figure out character arcs. Sometimes, following you character's journey and not your plot's makes it easier for you to write (maybe. I don't know you personally).

If you found this week's tips for teenage writers helpful, enjoyable or you think someone else will love to read it, share it with others! Let's help more teen writers achieve their dreams. Together.