YAY! You did it!
You signed up to take part in this crazy adventure! You may be scared or worried or wondering - now what? Well, let me tell you there is a lot you can do. It took my shy self a few years to realize there was a lot more to NaNoWriMo than a profile and some writing.
There are a lot of forums to be found on NaNoWriMo ranging from the general forums to your regional forums. In the general forums, you will find distractions, advice, help, and places to chat with other writers in the genre(s) that you write. I highly recommend taking the time to read any “Stickied” posts before posting in a forum to make sure you don’t step on any toes. Make use of them because there is a wealth of knowledge in the NaNoWriMo community that you can tap into here. Just remember the cardinal rule - don’t be a jerk. This is an international community and there will be a lot of people who may have various issues with communication. So be kind, be tolerant and if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything.
Regional forums are ones that are specific to where you live. If you’re looking for people in your local community to get to know then go in search of your region. Here you can find all sorts of events that are arranged by participants and Municipal Liaisons (also known as MLs that are hard working volunteers for your area). Some areas even have regional IRC chat rooms as well.
IRC Chat
Not every region has this because it isn’t an official NaNoWriMo thing, but if you like IRC chat rooms then check out http://www.chatnano.net. This is server is maintained and run entirely by volunteers. Most regional chats don’t mind you dropping in to say ‘hi’ - truth be told you might be overwhelmed by your reception. It’s also a great place to find word sprints (sometimes known as word wars) to help get you writing in November.Profiles
Just a quick word, go ahead and fill out your profile and novel information. Have some fun with it. I’ve slowly been developing mine over the last 10 years and it really has changed a lot. Although I do like my current format.
Beyond the website
A lot of people wonder how much they can do before starting writing during November and the answer is simple. Whatever you want to do. You can do a detailed outline of any kind if that is your thing. Character profiles, storyboards, aesthetics, world building. Heck, some people even continue writing an existing novel (this is known as being a NaNo Rebel) and they count the words they write during November. This is an honour system. We are trusting you to be honest and only count legitimate words you write during November. Besides, why lie? The only real prize is the pride of
having written.
Prep Events
Lots of regions and even NaNoWriMo itself hold prep events. This is usually targeted more at the people that like to put some planning into their novels. However, if you pants your novels there may be a few ideas and suggestions on different ways to prepare for the insane month of NaNoWriMo. However, take a look around and see what fun can be found.
P.S.
There are a bunch of regions across the world that also take part in a little side adventure called The Wrimoverse. You can check it out here.
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