Nanoplanmo/Preptober Check-in #1!

At the beginning of the month, I made an announcement that I’d be participating in Nanowrimo again this year (11th year running!) and would be doing Nanoplanmo this month in preparation. Today I’m going to check on the progress of those goals. I figured it’d be good to do this a couple times during the month, just to make sure I’m doing what I want to be doing.

My goals were as follows:

• Complete an outline

This included deciding on my act structure (Done), fleshing out major plot points (Not done), and deciding my ending ahead of time (Not done). When I created this bullet point, I hadn’t any idea what my plot would be to begin with, but since then I’ve actually developed an idea for a plot, so that’s a step. Within the next week or so, I should be able to complete this whole bullet point because of it.

• Develop characters

This bullet point inlcuded main and side characters, and since I just came up with my plot, my characters are slow-going. I do have a definitive main character though, named and everything, so I’m going to count this one as in progress.

• Do some world building

Here I wanted to develop the magic system (in progress), country history (done) and cultures (in progress). As you might or might not know, in the past, I’ve written the same plotline over and over again for nano, and this is the first new one for a while. Well, for the old one, I developed a whole world, and then I only used part of it for the story. I’ve decided to make this story in that same world, so that means I have a full country history already, partial magic system, and partial cultures developed. So while I didn’t ‘do’ much of it this past week, it’s already been done, which is nice

• Do some planning every day, even if it’s just a sentence or a bullet point

This is in progress. Not much more to say.

• Read some comedy fantasy to get an idea of how different authors incorporate comedy into their fiction

Also in progress. I’m currently reading Kings of the Wyld. Some of the humor in it definitely does not jive with me, but other bits I’m laughing my butt off, so it’s interesting to see how humor that would make one person laugh obviously doesn’t make another laugh. I’ll have to keep that in mind when writing.

• Do biweekly (at least!) planning sessions with buddy(ies) who are also doing nanowrimo this year

In progress! I’ve already had one, and I have another one planned for next weekend. And between the first and that one, it’ll be biweekly, and then it’s time to start nanowrimo. So… this one is on its way to completion!

---

Until next update: I plan to develop the plot more, fill out my world building more, and actually start my outline. By the end of the month, I won’t beat myself up if everything’s not pristine – as I said, I tend to be a pantser – but I want to have a rough idea of what I’m going to write and know what all characters are involved and when.

If you’re doing Nanowrimo this year, are you doing nanoplanmo? Lemme know! And add me on the site! They redid everything and everyone lost all their friends and it’s annoying…. so I would like a friend please. ;~;