writing – Katie Carpenter

It’s nearly November, which means we’re closing in on NaNoWriMo 2018!

If you’re not familiar with what NaNoWriMo is, the name itself stands for “National Novel Writing Month,” which takes place during the month of November every year. The goal is to write a 50,000-word piece of writing between November 1 and November 30.

In preparation, many people begin working on their notes and outlines for their November projects a month or two in advance.

I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo a handful of times under a couple of accounts, but I’ve never actually completed a project in November. This year, I aim to change that.

preptober 01

Although I’m still working on my current book, I’m going to take a break to participate in this with an idea that’s been swirling around in my head for a while. To help me out, I’ve decided to write down my notes in a bullet journal, and I wanted to share with you some of the spreads that I think will help me succeed.

(Just in case you don’t know what bullet journaling is, start here!)

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Some pages are places where I can dump information I might want to use for my novel, and some pages are quick reference guides for me in the event that I get stuck on a section and need some help getting through it. At the end of this particular section, I also have a spot to keep track of my word count and rewards that I would like to give myself when I reach those goals.

When November starts, I will likely include a calendar of some sort, as well as a rough outline of my novel.

If you’ve never done NaNoWriMo before, or if you’ve been more of a pantser than a plotter in the past like me, making notes about your project can be helpful in reaching your goal. It’s certainly something I’m trying to be better about as a writer.

You can use any type of notebook for bullet journaling, but if you want to try out a dot grid like the one shown above, a lot of people swear by the Leuchtturm 1917 dot grid notebook. Moleskine and Scribbles That Matter also offers high quality notebooks. The journal that I’m using happens to be an Agenda 52 dot grid notebook from Hobby Lobby (and the paper quality is excellent), but the cheapest option that I’ve found is the Artist’s Loft dot grid notebook from Michaels.

As the month goes along, I hope to share my progress with you, as well as any tips or tricks I discover on my journey.

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo 2018? Pantser or plotter? Let me know below!

As a child, I can still remember how frustrated I was over the fact that everyone else could read except me. My grandmother had an antique shop nestled between the house and the garage and my frustration led me to marching myself into the shop, grabbing a book, and telling her I was going to learn how to read it. With minimal help from the people around me, that’s exactly what I did.

My desire to read very quickly turned into a desire to write. Once I had mastered how to put words together, I wrote all the time, with all sorts of notebooks that I collected over the years, each containing fragments of plots and stories that I had written. I started several stories on computers that my grandparents and my mother owned that I never actually finished, but I enjoyed writing them nonetheless.

I was always writing. I always wanted to write. I always want to write.

And yet, I find myself (with increasing frequency these days) staring at a blank page or not bothering to pull a page up at all.

Writer’s block is an affliction that plagues every writer of every type. Sometimes, no matter how badly you want to write, you find yourself unable to put words to the page. If you’re working on a big project, writer’s block can really set you back and add more stress onto your plate than what’s already there.

Stop letting that blank page define your writing career.

Give yoga a try. Visit the gym. Go for a walk. Listen to music. Read a book. Watch a movie. Make art. Take up knitting. Run a bath. Go for a drive. Meet up with some friends. Lay down and take a nap.

I have a theory that a lot of times, writer’s block is our mind telling us that we need to take care of ourselves first before the inspiration to write can come to us. Most of the time, by taking a step back from my writing and doing something else for a change, my brain can recharge and I’m able to focus better later on.

I also think that writing consistently is key; that doesn’t mean that you necessarily have to write everyday, but find a schedule that suits your needs. The more you write, the more you feel like you want to write. Sometimes, even just something as simple as giving yourself a writing exercise a few times a week can be all that you need to get over the hump you’re stuck on. (I recommend checking out 500 Writing Prompts to give you some ideas!)

Writer’s block doesn’t have to keep you stuck forever. You’ve got this.

Category: writing

Prepping for November

Staring at a Blank Page