The make-or-break question when making writer friends: “are you a planner or a pantser?” I’m still not entirely sure why this is such a contended question. Personally, I’m a “plantser” (a mixture of both… yes I know I’m weird), so perhaps that is why I don’t particularly care which way you go about writing a first draft. You outline every chapter and fill out character sheets and the whole nine yards before you even start writing? Cool, sounds organized and thought-provoking. You word-vomit onto the page and go from there, learning your plot and characters along the way? Awesome, sounds surprising and adventurous.
If you’re considering doing NaNoWriMo next month and you’re seeing all the social media posts about NaNo prep this month, you are probably having varying degrees of excitement. Planners are rubbing their hands together excitedly, grabbing a pen and their favorite outline format. Pantsers… maybe not so much. You might be thinking that prep is just not for you and you’re just going to wing it come November 1st. Which is do-able, for sure (I’ve done it, much to my organized heart’s dismay).
That being said, NaNo prep can be useful to anyone, no matter your pre-writing methods. That is so, since “prep” doesn’t necessarily mean “pre-write.”
It’s like the whole rectangle vs. square thing (for you math people out there). Pre-writing is prepping, but prepping doesn’t have to be pre-writing. Prepping can mean cleaning off your desk and getting your Nano spot comfy and stocked with the supplies you’ll need this November (like pens and a laptop charger and chocolate and a blanket and possibly a Keurig…). Prepping can mean pondering on potential ideas, letting your imagination wander while you go about your day. For us plantsers, it can mean looking at a planner and setting aside specific times and days for writing (even if we don’t plan our first drafts, we can still plan our day).
All this to say, make this NaNo season your own. Embrace it, no matter your strategies or plans (or lack thereof). Take this November by the horns and write that first draft!
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