Monday, October 25, 2010

Things to Do Before NaNo Hits

This year I'm planning ahead.  Hell, this year I'm actually participating in the official NaNo website, so I'd better plan ahead.  Last night as I lay in bed, I began running down a list of things I'd better get done now because there's no way in hell I'm going to get them done during NaNoWriMo.

  1. Clean.  Not just a casual tidying, but a full-on clean.  If I don't get this done, December 1st will be an ugly day in the Sanderson household.  Seriously, what color is my carpet?? 
  2. Cook.  Since I write best at night, dinner could suffer if I don't  put away some healthy meals before this thing starts. That's not to say our freezer won't also be filled with TV dinners, but I'd like a few things I can defrost, reheat and serve that won't kill us with sodium or fill us with fat.  Maybe I'll make a massive lasagna.  Those freeze well, don't they?
  3. Warn the family.  With everything going on in Husband's and Daughter's lives, a short reminder is in order.  "Darlings of mine, I will be busy because it is November and I'm writing an entire book this month.  I'll probably also be grouchy, forgetful, distant, grumpy, dopey, sleepy, sneezy...  Wait those are the dwarves..."
  4. Hit the city for some shopping.  Stock up on all the non-perishable things I might need during November...  like shoes.  Wait, I mean toilet paper. 
  5. Plan a writing schedule, so even if I get tripped up by some unexpected event, I can still get my 1667 words in every day.  (And take Tuesday night off to watch Biggest Loser.)
  6. Stock up on valium, gin and NoDoze.  Or maybe just make sure I have plenty of coffee in the house - you know, since I'm allergic to Valium, never drink while I'm writing, and enjoy not having my heart race.
  7. Write future blog posts.  Maybe I'll do a 'best of' for the days when I'm too brain-fried to want to write any extra non-NaNo words.  
  8. Arrange all my pending appointments.  Haircut?  Perhaps.  Dentist?  Maybe.  Oil change?  Check.  Vet appts?  Definitely - Max needs to be winterized.  Or maybe that was the car. 
What am I forgetting?  Is there anything you might want to do before November arrives so you have extra time to write?

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the list, B.E. - since I've never done NaNo before, I needed this primer!

    My plans this week leading up to NaNo are to get a schedule set in stone - afterall, I still have to tackle the day job. Of course, I still need to sign up for NaNo, so that's on my list, too!

    Good luck with the prep work (BTW - shopping for shoes, hilarious).

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  2. Great list. I've got a TON of cleaning to do before November!

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  3. It looks like you've planned quite well! Good luck - come December you'll have a great accomplishment under your belt and can start editing!

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