Before I start. National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo. If you aren’t familiar, go here and check it out. Then come back. It’ll make more sense. And maybe you’ll decide to do it too. I do it every year. Favorite thing I do all year. Do it. Especially if you’ll be living near me. After I move. To Alabama. We can pretend we’re friends and write together. And then maybe we will be friends.

So. Anyway.

Every year, the same thing happens.

1. I say I refuse to plan what I’m doing because I always change my mind.
2. I get a great idea that I really like, think of all these different parts, decide how things would be done, etc., while still insisting I refuse to plan.
3. I start committing myself to my idea, because it’s so great, nothing else could top it.
4. I think of a new idea and don’t know which to choose.
5. I try to think if there’s any way I can somehow combine the two ideas while still refusing to plan.
6. November 1st, 12:00:00:01 am, I start a story that has nothing to do with either of my ideas.

• Any ideas that come during October are lost due to insistence on not planning. Forget about them and never come back.

This year, I don’t really want to play that game. I bored with that one. So here’s my new plan:

1. Decide on an idea. Do all the planning I like. Outline. Character fleshing. Catch phrases? Whatever. Do it all.
2. Suddenly be struck with a new idea. Start planning with the same amount of dedication as the first idea.
3. Repeat as many times as necessary for each new idea.
4. November 1st, 12:00:00:01 am, I start a story that probably has nothing to do with any of my ideas.

• Be in the possession of at least 2 novel/story ideas that have recorded planning I can come back to any time, when NaNoWriMo is over. Ideas are not lost.

Though I’m really not a fan of planning, it’ll probably be so worth it, when I can come to the stories I didn’t choose and still have all of my ideas waiting for me.

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