Countdown to NaNoWriMo

How many blog entries are devoted to this subject this week? I've looked at dozens, so the number is large. Mine won't be as insightful or as useful as most of those. I won't offer the "12 Best Ways to Prepare" or "5 Ways to be a NaNoWriMo Winner;" nope, I'll just be giving freshman commentary on my own experiences.

Mindset 3 days out: 
Mixed. I am excited to get started. I've had to hold myself back from writing like a maniac as many, many ideas about my characters and the scenes have been bombarding me. I've got notes on scraps of paper everywhere. I picked all those up from their various piles and put them in one folder last night. I am sort of irritated that I don't plan better as far as outlining. I'm just not an outliner--in school I had to write the paper first, and then outline it to find out where my holes were. The only reason I'd like to plan is to be able to set out the chapters to get a sense of the pacing. Of course, that's just me trying to control something that should probably be left to the characters and unfolding of the story. It should be more fluid than my brain wants to make it.

Goal: 
I don't care if I don't make the 50,000 words. I don't expect to have a useable first draft. I won't be disappointed if the story is a bit clunky. My goals are to 1) give myself permission to add writing into my life as something worthy of priority--even if my "work" isn't done; 2) find out how I write--what's the process I need to use; 3) to follow through with a project and become invested enough to finish a manuscript; and 4) to explore Burgey and the people who live there.

Plan:
I don't have classes on Friday, November 1--so my plan is to celebrate the beginning of NaNoWriMo by taking myself out to breakfast (perhaps I'll invite a friend--or not) and then go to an undisclosed location to give myself some dog-free writing time. Then, on subsequent days, I'll do my best to balance writing time with grading/class prepping so that I'm not being a hyper-focused freak who cannot function. I do plan to have no less than 1 hour per day where I am doing nothing but working on the "novel."

To Do List: (in no particular order)

1. Type all those tidbits into a document so I don't lose them.
2. Use Scrivener corkboard to plot out the scenes I know of so far
3. Finish reading Secure the Shadows so I have the notes I need for the Victorian post-mortem photography.
4. Finish reading about placental abruption for the miscarriage scene.
5. Finish my map of Burgey so I can picture where people are and who they might run into in town.
6. Clean off my desk and make file piles of school stuff, February presentation, and other piles so I don't lose anything.
7. Pay bills online so I don't forget to after I get started on the novel.
8. Finish folding laundry and clean the bathroom so the house is as good as it's gonna get for a bit.
9. Buy more Diet Dr. Pepper and Dingos for the pups.
10. Wash and cut up the veggies in my fridge so my snacks will be ready to go.
11. Grade those 1.2 papers so students have feedback, and I have an empty "to grade" folder.
12. Make a list of my NaNoWriMo buddies who I'll be checking in with during the month to cheer on and be cheered on by.
13. Decide when I'm going to the gym and commit to it--no sense in making writing a priority without making health one too! 
14. Continue writing a love letter to someone every day. 

So, that's it. My deal for the next few weeks. This post is just for me--because if I read it on the internet, it must be true. Right? :-)

What I'll try hard to do. Thanks Mr. Bradbury, thanks for the reminder.