Preparing for NaNoWriMo

Five Years

It has been five years since my last NaNoWriMo, half a decade. Honestly more. However this year, I am going to try and compete in the competition. I have on idea if I will complete it, probably won't. Ultimately the competition is not about winning; it is about trying to force myself to write on a regular schedule, something I have been failing to do.

To prepare for NaNoWriMo, I have really forced myself to start outlining my work. Reason being is that writing at the set of my pants is fun...until I come to a roadblock, then I just crash and burn. Using an outlined, from past experience has worked for me to complete more of my work than writing by the set of my pants. So even even I do not follow it completely, I much rather have an outline to follow than just dicking around when I have a deadline. Better to have a plan that you take a detour from than to have no plan at all and find yourself sitting down at the chair, thumb up your ass, and have a blank stare at the screen.

So far my outline covers first part of the book, leading up to the second part. Second and third part of the outline will be written. Thankfully I know the beginning and the end of my story, so that will make the most of my work focused on just fleshing out the middle.

My major concern is the overall thematic arc of the main character, however I am sure that I will figure it out. I have an idea but it is another thing to chart out the character's growth and change over the course of the novel.

What I am worried about is dragging the audience through a world that makes no since as it is going to be weird interplay of spirit, politics, and environment. However it will be an interesting adventure and task to do so. 

Failure in reaching the 50,000 word goal is assured however ultimately the journey and act of writing is assured.