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Nanowrimo Checklist
Nanowrimo Checklist
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. In a nutshell, it's a worldwide write-a-
thon that occurs every year during the month of November. On November 1st, participants start
working towards the goal of writing 50,000 words by 11:59 pm on November 30th. That might
sound crazy, but it’s a pretty popular event in the writing community! Thankfully, there’s still
PLENTY of time to prepare!
To set you up for success, here are 10 steps to take BEFORE embarking on your NaNoWriMo
adventure. My hope is that you’ll not only “win” NaNoWriMo but that you'll also walk away with a
finished first draft of your story. The best part? You can use these steps to plan and outline ANY
book you write, whether it’s during NaNoWriMo or not. Here they are:
Step 1: Find the ONE story idea you want to work with during NaNoWriMo.
Step 2: Test out your idea by writing a 1-2 sentence logline and a 250-word pitch.
Step 3: Choose the MAIN genre for your story so that you'll know what's most important.
Step 4: Figure out the theme of your story (or the point you're trying to make).
Step 5: Craft a compelling protagonist with believable goals and motivations.
Step 6: Pick the best point of view and tense for your story.
Step 7: Develop your setting or build out your story's world.
Step 8: Write a 1-3 page synopsis of your story that sums up the beginning, middle, and end.
Step 9: Map out the scenes that go in the beginning, middle, and end of your story.
Step 10: Brainstorm the key moments that fall within each act.