NaNoWriMo Journal

This is one of the first things I prep during Preptober.

Last year it really helped me stay on track.

As wonderful as it is, it takes ages to set up, mostly due to waiting for the ink to dry for each page before being able to move on to the next.

Last year, I started this in September because I was just so excited about NaNoWriMo, and it ended up barely being finished in time. But I learned a lot, and when I made a new section for Camp Nano, it went much faster. This Nano's set-up went quite quickly, too.

Now that it's preptober, I'm finishing filling in all the information that I already know, like what I want my routine to be and any prizes that I will allow myself for staying on track, those sorts of things.

Here are some pictures of a couple of the pages.

I also track my routine, daily word count and writing sprints. That way, I can learn what works best for me. Last year, 20-minute sprints were the sweet spot for my being focused and productive. I was also more focused and productive writing in the afternoon, which is something that surprised me since I wrote more in the evenings before.

The other thing I use this journal for is taking notes on courses or videos about writing. I like to watch lots of videos about writing and routines during Preptober so I can try new routines or techniques during the month before Nano starts. It's also where I put all the notes from the Write 50k in 30 Days course.