Preparing for NaNoWriMo

Good Morning! :) How is everyone this fine Spring morning?

 So, it's time to start preparing for NaNoWriMo.

 "What?" you all cry. "We have to start preparing now? But NaNoWriMo isn't for months!"
 "But," I wag my index finger at you. "You cannot focus very well if you are not prepared!"
 "But it just takes a week to get prepared." you protest. "I can be ready in one week!"
 "You may be able to get ready in one week," I give you all an earnest look. "But will you be feeling frazzled or relaxed?"
 You all pause, trying to find a suitable reply.
 "Because you see." I  sit down in a chair. "Lets say you're out of pens. Tomorrow is the big day. It's Sunday, and all the shops are closing in half an hour. You rush off to Office Works, but it's too late - they have just closed. All the other shops are closed because it's Sunday.
 "Then, because you didn't have any pens, you have to get some in the morning, wasting about an hour that could've been used writing.
 "How ever, if you start preparing now, less than a month and a half before NaNoWriMo starts, then you can start the writing challenge the on the first day without feeling stressed!" I give a winning smile to all of you.

                                                     ~*^*~

 OK, so, mini-stories aside, lets make a list.

 The last thing you want to happen during NaNoWriMo is to run out of paper, or lose, or even  break, your pen/ pencil. You'll also want to tidy up the calendar and make sure that there are good spaces of time for writing.

 The first thing we need to do is make a list. Lists are so lovely. Here is why:

•  They are clean
•  They are organized 
•  And so easy to read! :D

There you go! We just read a mini-list. (And for those who got and read the NaNoWriMo email, I got the list idea from that :P) ^-^

 Your list is going to be full of stuff you need to buy and do. First of all, lets make the To-do list:

•  Find a little corner to write and to keep your writing.
•  Make sure there's enough room in your bag to put your writing in it.
•  Check all your pens, and make sure that they are in good working condition.
•  Have a peep at your stock of paper, or have a look for any notebooks you own that are big enough for story writing and aren't taken up by notes.
•  Check out what's in your kitchen cupboard. 
•  Have a look at the calendar, and tidy it up so that you can attend NaNoWriMo events, and to make sure you have enough time to do writing.

 OK, so above we have our To-do list. Now, below, let's make the To-buy list:

•  Notebooks
•  Pens
•  Pencils
•  Paper
•  Tea/Coffee/Milo
•  Nibbles (cookies, chips and dips, etc)

OK, so above we now have our To-buy list.
 I like buying at least two notebooks at a time, occasionally three if I have the money. I like to write really big books, and how is one supposed to write a 50,000+ worded book if they have one notebook? You'll also need a notebook to sort out the plans for the story.
 The paper is for any random ideas that pop into your head while you're writing. You need to put those ideas somewhere, because when you're writing a book ideas can sometimes leave as quickly and suddenly as they came.
 It is essential to have things to drink and nibble. It does no one any good if you are writing on an empty stomach and a stressed mind. I like having a nice stock of licorice tea, as it's so yummy and helps me to relax. Also having a good stock of cornchips helps, because if I need to nibble something I'll have a small bowl of them with dips.


 So now we have the basics for preparing. Soon I'll be posting up how to organize your plotline, characters, all the story planning needed so that when November comes you won't be running around trying to get all the last details onto a piece of paper.

 Well, hopefully this helped you! If you have any questions, feel free to ask, as I'll be happy to help you out.

 Happy writing!

 WillowUnicorn