NaNoWriMo is steadily approaching! If you're planning on doing it this year, now's the time to pick a novel and get to plotting, if you haven't already. Otherwise you may look up on October 31st to find that the clock reads 11:55 pm and start to panic a bit. Let's try our best to avoid that if at all possible. It's happened to me before and it's no fun.

So here's a few things that you should make sure to do before NaNo.

DON'T FORGET TO PICK A NOVEL.

This one is pretty crucial. I mean, you've got to have a novel to do NaNo. And trust me, it's hard to come up with something on the spot, fifteen minutes before NaNo actually starts. I've done it, so I know it doesn't turn out too well. It seems like an obvious item on the list, but time seems to fly by and November will be here before you know it. Just make sure you've selected your project by then.

DO AT LEAST A MINIMAL BIT OF PLOTTING.

It's totally okay not to know EVERYTHING about your story yet. That's natural for a lot of people. But you do need to have a basic idea of the main plot. You also need to know where you want to start and end and at least a few midpoints, even if you are a pantser. I'm about midway in between being a plotter and a pantser, so I like to have about 5-10 chapters worth of a rough outline ready before I start. I feel like it gives me a good boost up into starting the novel and keeping it moving.

KNOW YOUR CHARACTERS.

This is another crucial point. Even if you don't plan out much about your plot ahead of time, it's hard to do much if you don't know your characters very well. There are a few different ways to get to know them. You can interview them. Either you can do this yourself with some questions you've already set up, or you can get with a friend and interview each other's characters. You can also take personality quizzes as your characters too. Another way to do it is to find random scene prompts just to have your characters interact outside of the story so you can get an idea of how they work with each other. Again, you could also do this one while partnering with a friend.

Another thing you could do, which may not be as crucial, is to set aside a certain time every day for writing. Depending on your schedule and your writing habits, you may need to do this. Otherwise, you just may not find the time. It honestly changes year to year for me. Some years I need to, some years I don't. I usually do my writing just before I go to bed. This does usually lead to me loosing a significant amount of sleep, though, so it may not work for everyone.

I hope your preparation for NaNo goes well! Hopefully these will help you make the goal of 50,000 words before November ends! Good luck on editing your new novel, afterwards, also!

Happy writing!