writingintheafterglow

[writingintheafterglow]

a guide to preparing for nanowrimo

@writingintheafterglow on ig | reposts not allowed!

1. Intro - what is NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo (Nano for short!) stands for "National Novel Writing Month", and it's also the name of the website that hosts this challenge. Basically, every November, the participants of Nano try to write 50,000 words in one month, aka the length of a standard novel. This challenge isn't as easy as it may sound - you need to write at least 1667 words every day of the month in order to complete it on time!! But, if you power through, you'll be able to write a full length novel in just 30 days, which is quite a feat!

2. Know what you're writing

This might seem obvious, but if you're going to write a novel, you need to know what novel you're going to write! Some people choose to start a new novel idea, or to write a second/third/etc draft of their current novel. Whatever you choose, make sure you're clear on it before you start planning.

Right now, it's only July, so you might not know for sure what you want to write, and that's okay!! It's still pretty early to start prepping :)

3. Plot. Plot. PLOT.

Look, I get it. I'm a plantser. Plotting can be boring and time consuming and hard. But if you really want to write a novel in thirty days, you can't really afford to not know what's happening next. I would encourage you to plot out your chapters in detail, with at least three or four bullet points for each chapter's events. This is what I've found works best for me.

Make sure you really flesh out the plot and the events, so you know exactly how the story goes!!

4. Get to know your characters

While you might not enjoy plotting, you have to admit that planning your characters is really fun. They're literally the backbone of the story, and it's important that you get to know all your main characters before you start writing. So, you can fill out character profiles, write backstories, or even use other methods to flesh them out (interview, etc). I have a whole post on this in my blue theme, so take a look if you need inspiration!

5. Practice writing!!

If you want, you can start writing before Nano even starts. For example, if you're writing a fantasy novel, your target word count is probably more than 50k. So you might try to write 30k before Nano and then finish the novel during the month, it's up to you.

But whether you're planning to start your wip before Nano or not, at least practice writing it so you get a feel for the vibe of your story. You can write whatever you want, random short stories, random scenes of your characters, self indulgent scenes of your main ship- it's up to you!! But this will help you get into the mindset of the story, so you're not struggling come November!

Outro

Thank you so much for reading! I appreciate your support more than you know :)

If you'd like to show some support for my account, consider sparing a like, follow, share or save. If not, that's totally fine and i understand!

Reminder: you are loved, valid and beautiful, and dms are open!!

Again, thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!!

[writingintheafterglow]

UPDATE IF ANYONE GIVES A SHIT:

I GOT A FIVE

(yes i'm v happy about that but i failed comp sci which is what matter more to my family 😭)

*cries in ap gov and politics*

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FUCK MY AP EXAM IS TMRW SOMEONE HELSP

*cries in ap gov and politics*

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GUYS SO EXCITED @stanning-reyna @sassy-thalia-grace @damdaughterofathena @dam-geek @camphalfblood-4242 @avoogi (sorry if this is annoying or i already tagged any of you on instagram <333)

Giveaway⚡️ HUGE GIVEAWAY!!!! We're on our way to reaching the end of the preorder period, so we're doing a huge giveaway! The giveaway ends April 21 at 11:59 pm pst ___ GUIDELINES:

🌊There will be 2 winners total chosen after we collect all the entries from tumblr, twitter, and instagram.

🌊The two random winners will receive a complete bundle 5 set (with the limited edition Medusa pin) and mini poster set.

🌊We also ship internationally too! ___ RULES: 🧡You must like this post, reshare and tag at least one person. You get more entries if you tag more people.

Tagging side accounts do not count!

(increase your chances of winning by liking our giveaway post on our other social media accounts, reshare and tag people there too)

[writingintheafterglow]

thank you to rick riordan, roshani chokshi, cassandra clare, marissa meyer, karen mcmanus, tui t sutherland, suzanne collins, and michael buckley for inspiring me to write and share my stories the way all of you did.

ily.

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why was greg heffley so iconic

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someone genuinely needs to teach me the difference between platonic and romantic attraction bc at this point i'm 99% sure every crush i've had was just me wanting a close friend and being lonely but idk

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Happy ace visibility day to my main gal, Reyna avila ramirez arellano

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this is so sweet and exactly what i mean. this is why we need more rep <3

Four years ago, I picked up a copy of Aru Shah and the End of Time in my middle school library. I had just found out about Rick Riordan Presents and I was thrilled to discover a series about Hindu Mythology.

For the next three years, I would follow Aru as she laughed and cried and learned, and I would revel in the knowledge that there was a character who looked like me. And she was a hero heroine.

Aru had the same skin color as me. She ate the same food as me. She had the same experiences as me. In a way, she was me.

One year ago, April 14th, I went to one of Roshani Chokshi's virtual book tours, the one she held with Rick Riordan. I was ecstatic. That night, I met two of my biggest inspirations, even if they didn't meet me.

Then a few days later I received my signed copy of Aru Shah and the City of Gold. I read it all in one night and screamed so loud my parents had to tell me to shut up. I couldn't wait for the final installment.

Today I clicked download on my library's digital copy of Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality. I read it in one sitting, in the middle of my 10th grade English class. And when I finally reached the end of a four year long journey, I cried.

And so today I said goodbye to Aru. To Mini and Brynne and Aiden and Rudy and Sheela and Nikita and Boo and even Kara, who I partially despised for most of last year.

I also said thank you to Roshani Chokshi, because I found myself in her writing. Because I found myself in her.

At ten years old, I entered Aru's world. Today, at fourteen, I'm leaving it behind.

[writingintheafterglow]

did you download the aru shah 5 book from Google or somewhere?

if yes, then could you please share the link?

I actually got it from my library but online, through this website called hoopla. If you have a library card I think you should be able to access it, here's the link: https://www.hoopladigital.com/my/hoopla

Click the link, pick your library district (it currently has libraries from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand), enter your card number and create an account. Then just search for the book and check it out!

Hope you enjoy :))

[writingintheafterglow]

All 10 year old me wanted was to see myself in a book.

Just one book.

I wanted to see an Indian heroine. Or even a hero, honestly. I wanted to see my race defeat the sterotypes and be a protagonist.

Unfortunately, Rick never got around to putting an Indian character in his series, at least so far :(

I do appreciate him trying to include diversity and representation in his books, but I wish he had given us just one Indian character that was of some use.

So I'd like to give a huge shoutout to my girl Roshani Chokshi for writing a series about Indian heroines and heroes, and including my culture.

Because even though I'm old enough to know that I can be a hero, my nine year old sister isn't, and the only way she'll figure it out, is if she sees people that look like her and grew up like her in these stories.

Thanks Rosh :)

[writingintheafterglow]

Four years ago, I picked up a copy of Aru Shah and the End of Time in my middle school library. I had just found out about Rick Riordan Presents and I was thrilled to discover a series about Hindu Mythology.

For the next three years, I would follow Aru as she laughed and cried and learned, and I would revel in the knowledge that there was a character who looked like me. And she was a hero heroine.

Aru had the same skin color as me. She ate the same food as me. She had the same experiences as me. In a way, she was me.

One year ago, April 14th, I went to one of Roshani Chokshi's virtual book tours, the one she held with Rick Riordan. I was ecstatic. That night, I met two of my biggest inspirations, even if they didn't meet me.

Then a few days later I received my signed copy of Aru Shah and the City of Gold. I read it all in one night and screamed so loud my parents had to tell me to shut up. I couldn't wait for the final installment.

Today I clicked download on my library's digital copy of Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality. I read it in one sitting, in the middle of my 10th grade English class. And when I finally reached the end of a four year long journey, I cried.

And so today I said goodbye to Aru. To Mini and Brynne and Aiden and Rudy and Sheela and Nikita and Boo and even Kara, who I partially despised for most of last year.

I also said thank you to Roshani Chokshi, because I found myself in her writing. Because I found myself in her.

At ten years old, I entered Aru's world. Today, at fourteen, I'm leaving it behind.

[writingintheafterglow]

please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting on you.

please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting on you.

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some angry person in my dms: you say you're a riordanverse fan and you post so much rr crit?? do you even like rick riordan??

me: 👀

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would you tag your anti posts as “anti character” pls?

yeah ofc! sorry about that haha sometimes when i make posts in a rush i forget to tag correctly :)

[writingintheafterglow]

okay so i have something to confess, pls dont come for me

i'm a luke apologist

i know i've been against him my whole account but recently i had a discussion with someone and i realized what a good person he actually is.

i'm sorry guys, but you can't change my mind.

*april fools day i hate luke <3*