It’s preparation time for NaNoWriMo, an event also known as NaNoPrep. So, what do I have for NaNoPrep2019?
Another Victorian art world erotic romance with seasoned characters! Yay!
I have a rough outline (yes, I am somewhere in between a plotter and a pantser. So, like, a plotser.). I’ve made a fake cover. I have a working title.
Introducing my 2019 NaNoWriMo novel: An Improper Association (Art & Discipline Book 3) (and check out my fake NaNoWriMo cover!).
An Improper Association (BTW, Misterotica hates this title) is book 3 in my Victorian art world series. This is Francesca Burridge (Charles Westerman’s sister) and Roderick Harbough’s love story. Book 1 has been published as The Westerman Affair. Book 2, still unpublished, was last year’s NaNoWriMo novel. My short story, “The Invitation”, is also part of this world of characters.
The plot for An Improper Association includes:
- A woman who dresses like a man
- A man whose attraction to said woman-as-man dredges up long buried feelings for men
- A woman-who-loves-women who has art world connections
- Nude models
- Art education, art curators, art collectors, art galleries, artists, models, parties
- Characters from all of the other stories in the series
So that’s the plan. We’ll see how it goes!
NaNoTips: Writing Tips for NaNoWriMo
I promised NaNoTips for writing during NaNoWriMo, so here you go:
- On November 1st, forget all the research
- Forget about continuity
- Forget your outline
- Let the characters take control
- Seriously, I can’t emphasize this enough, let the characters take control
- Always end each day’s writing with something unfinished, a question, a prompt — anything to get you started the next day
- Re-read and edit previous writing ONLY if that helps spark ideas for that day’s writing
- Sometimes re-reading and editing previous writing helps build word count, but only use this tactic if desperate
- Yes, you can catch up if you fall behind
- Front-loading NaNo is totally a thing (meaning, writing way more than 1,667 words a day in the first week). But that doesn’t mean you can slack off the rest of the month.
- It’s okay if you don’t make your 50,000 words
- It’s okay if you reach 50,000 on the last day
- If you are writing in Microsoft Word, make sure you have slightly over 50,000 words. Maybe 100+ words over. The NaNoWriMo word counter is slightly off from MS Word.
- “Chapter One” = two words. Own it.
Seriously, NaNoWriMo is about words. It’s not about making sense or being eloquent. All that happens later, during the editing process. Good luck and God Speed.