Preptober: Your Guide to Getting Ready for Novel Writing November

Katie Zeliger

11 minutes ago

5 min read

October is pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, spooky season, and (if you're a writer) PREPTOBER.

If November is the month you're planning to finally write that novel you've been thinking about for six months, six years, or approximately six minutes, October is your chance to get your ducks in a row.

And no, that does not mean you need to have your entire novel plotted down to the last comma.

Preptober isn't about taking all the fun out of writing by turning your creative project into a 47-page spreadsheet.

It's about giving November-you a little help.

Because November-you is going to be tired. November-you is going to stare at a blank document and suddenly decide that reorganizing the junk drawer is incredibly urgent. November-you is going to forget the name of that side character you invented three weeks ago.

Let's make life easier for November-you, shall we?

First: Decide What You're Writing

Before you start planning, you need to know what you're actually planning.

Maybe you have a shiny new novel idea that's been living rent-free in your brain.

Maybe you've been talking about your characters so much that your family has started asking how they're doing.

Maybe you have a half-finished manuscript you've been meaning to return to.

Maybe you don't have much more than a vague:

"I think I want to write a fantasy about a girl who..."

That's enough.

Start by answering a few basic questions:

What is this story about?
Who is the main character?
What does your protagonist want?
What's standing in their way?
Where does the story take place?
What is the central conflict?
What do you want your reader to feel?
What's the ending—or at least the general direction of the ending?

You don't need every answer.

You just need enough to give yourself somewhere to start.

You Don't Have to Be a Plotter

There are writers who know exactly what happens in Chapter 27 before they've written Chapter 1.

There are also writers who discover what happens in Chapter 27 while writing Chapter 26.

Both are valid.

If you're a plotter, October is a great time to work on your outline, character arcs, worldbuilding, scene ideas, research, and chapter breakdown. And we have so many great resources available for you if you're needing some extra support.

If you're a pantser, don't force yourself to outline your entire book just because everyone on Instagram is posting their color-coded spreadsheets.

Instead, consider creating a story bible.

Keep a document with:

Character names and descriptions
Important locations
Questions you want to answer
Random scene ideas
Interesting bits of dialogue
Research
Character motivations
Potential twists
Things you absolutely do NOT want to forget

Think of it as leaving breadcrumbs for yourself.

You don't have to know exactly where the road goes. You just don't want to get lost. I have done this for all my books and it has been a game changer!

And if you're somewhere in the middle?

Congratulations. You're a plantser, and you get the best of both worlds.

Create Your Novel's "North Star"

One of the most useful things you can establish before November is a simple statement that reminds you what your story is actually about.

Try:

This is a story about ______ who wants ______ but must ______.

For example:

This is a story about a young woman who wants to escape her small town but must confront the family secret that has kept her there.

Or:

This is a story about a boy who wants to prove himself to his father but must learn that becoming someone else isn't the same thing as becoming worthy.

Your North Star doesn't have to be pretty.

It doesn't have to sound like a book jacket.

It just needs to remind you what you're doing when you're 18,000 words in and suddenly convinced that your story is terrible.

It probably isn't.

You probably just need to remember what you're trying to say.

Start Building the Habit Now

This might be the most important part of Preptober.

Don't wait until November 1st to discover whether you can consistently make time to write.

Start now. That doesn't mean you need to start drafting your novel. In fact, there's a much easier way to practice.

The October Writing Challenge

We're especially excited about the October Writing Challenge, hosted by McKenzie of Bloomery Books and author Elizabeth Shelton.

The challenge is wonderfully simple:

Write one sentence every day in October.

That's it. One sentence.

You can write about your novel. You can write something completely unrelated. You can write a sentence of dialogue, a description, a character thought, a scene opener, or the most ridiculous sentence you've ever written. The point isn't to produce thousands of words. The point is to practice showing up.

Throughout the month, participants can also join in periodic Instagram updates about their challenge progress, making it a fun way to build accountability and connect with other writers. (use the hashtag #onesentenceoctober or tag @bloomerybooks or @ejsheltonwrites)

And there's a little extra incentive:

If you write for at least 20 of the 31 days, you'll be entered to win a one-year Havok Publishing membership.

Havok publishes flash fiction throughout the week, and membership gives readers access to its larger story archive and additional member benefits.

Honestly? That's a pretty great reason to write one sentence.

But even if you don't win, you'll have something arguably more important:

31 opportunities to practice being a writer.

You can follow along with McKenzie at Bloomery Books and Elizabeth at EJ Shelton Writes.

Figure Out When You're Actually Going to Write

"I'll write when I have time."

Friend. No.

You will never magically discover a secret pocket of three uninterrupted hours hiding underneath your couch.

Look at your actual schedule and decide:

When am I going to write?

Maybe it's:

6:30–7:00 a.m. before everyone wakes up
During your lunch break
After the kids go to bed
Saturday mornings at the coffee shop
Three evenings a week
Twenty minutes while dinner is in the oven

Your writing routine doesn't have to look like someone else's. It just needs to exist. And here's a little secret: A consistent 20 minutes is better than an imaginary three-hour writing session.

Make Your Writing Space Ready

This is the fun part.

Create a space that makes you want to write.

Maybe that's a desk with a candle, your favorite notebook, a cozy blanket, and a ridiculously large cup of coffee. Maybe it's your kitchen table with your laptop wedged between homework and yesterday's mail. Maybe it's your phone and a notes app while you're sitting in the school pickup line.

There are no writing-space police.

The goal is simply to make writing easy to begin.

Before November, gather the things you'll need:

Laptop or notebook
Headphones
Favorite writing playlist
Coffee/tea/water
Writing software
Notebook for random ideas
Character sheets or outline
Research materials
A snack. Obviously.

Remove as much friction as possible. If you have to spend fifteen minutes looking for your charger every time you sit down to write, November is going to get old very quickly.

This got longer than I expected, so stay tuned for a PART 2 next week!