My First NaNoWriMo Toolkit

I have wanted to write as long as I can remember. I have notebooks and journals full of stories I never shared. But I have never really devoted time and energy toward the someday-dream of writing a novel. It seems time for all that to change, and so I signed up for my first NaNoWriMo this year.

I decided to share this journey with anyone out there who may be in similar shoes, starting with what is in my toolkit.

1. My laptop, because my hand would not survive writing 50,000 words, ha! And also because there are some amazing blogs out there, and the http://www.nanowrimo.com community is a great resource as well. Please, if you are considering this, take a quick peek at ShesNovel.com, TamiCowden.com, and BetterNovelProject.com. These ladies are incredible at finding and sharing information for aspiring writers.
2. My notebook, it’s just a simple Moleskine cashier’s notebook that I bought in a 6 pack from Costco. I find that my imagination works a million times better when my pen is moving across the page. I also keep notes handy in there like my character sketches, my settings, plot points, and timelines.
3. My favorite pen! Every paper-nut has their favorite, but my personal favorite is the Pilot Precise v5 Stick Rolling Ball Point, in extra fine point black ink. Aaaaaah, it is smooth as butter.
4. My InkWell Press Planner, I like to think I can remember all my commitments at the same time I’m typing off 1,667 words a day, but I know better. So to prevent becoming an absolute hermit and losing touch with the outside world, I reference this along with my goals for writing daily. I am including a writing schedule I am suggesting to myself, but goodness knows how well I’ll stick to it in the throes of meeting this semi-crazy deadline.
5. 3 Important Books will be sitting to my right as I type on my kitchen table at un-Godly hours of the morning or night. They are “No Plot, No Problem”, by Chris Baty, the creator of NaNoWriMo, “The Elements of Style”, by William Strunk Jr., and “Book in a Month”, by Victoria Lynn Schmidt (may or may not be related to Schmidt from New Girl, I certainly hope so). I will be referencing each of these to break writer’s block, keep on track, and reference when my brain has the dumb.
6. Tea is my go-go juice of choice, and I will be drinking tons of pumpkin spice black tea, Earl Grey, Green, and English Breakfast. You better believe I have a ton on hand already!
7. Music keeps my mind in the place it needs to be when I am writing about emotional material, and why write if it doesn’t impact people ? I have a few playlists to pump me up, get me all mushy, and bring me to tears. I am also compiling a victory playlist to boogie to when I hit the 50,000-word mark.
8. Accountability and Support are crucial! Or so I’ve heard. I am a bit shy with my friends, but I will be sharing with them that I am doing this to feel a little accountability, but I have enlisted my husband, mom, and a couple of naggy siblings to keep asking how it’s going occasionally to make me feel terrible if I fall behind.
9. My running shoes because nothing blows writer’s block and frustration out of the water like a little jog.

So, there you have it! I know I haven’t been posting often yet, but I plan on updating my progress here weekly. Happy writing everyone!