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.
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!)
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!
Katie Carpenter 