Preptober: Get Ready for NaNoWriMo!
Hello, October! A fresh new month full of costumes, candy collection, pumpkin products galore and, perhaps most importantly, Preptober!
Preptober is the name for the month before NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. Writers from all over the world plan to write their own novel during the 30 days of November. October is the official novel prep month–if you’re a planner. If you’re a pantser, well, we’ll get to you momentarily!
Before you learn more about Preptober, hop on over to NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program website and join the NaNoWriMo for Brave Writers Classroom where we’ll share writing tips and inspiration throughout October and November… and even give away some fun NaNoWriMo swag (details below)!
To Join the NaNoWriMo for Brave Writers Classroom:
- Visit the Young Writers Program and sign up for an account.
- You will be prompted to join a classroom by entering a code. Our classroom code* is: KLLAELZP
- Our classroom name is NaNoWriMo for Brave Writers!
*If you already have a YWP account you will join by logging in, clicking on “Dashboard,” and selecting “Join a Classroom.” When in doubt, look for the friendly Viking!
The classroom is private and is only viewed by other members of the Young Writers Program. It is also monitored regularly by NaNoWriMo staff.
We have created our own online classroom where Brave Writers can connect. Brave Writer staff will occasionally check this classroom, but please keep in mind we will not be reading students’ novels, assigning any grades, or determining word count goals. We will check in to see how everyone is doing and provide plenty of cheerleading!
Are You a Planner or a Pantser?
“Planners” like to–you guessed it–PLAN! They like everything about the process leading up to the main event. Planners take comfort in having their novel idea as fleshed-out as possible before November 1st rolls around.
“Pantsers” like to write-by-the-seat-of-their-pants. They find a thrill in sitting down to a blank page on November 1st and creating a novel as it unfolds naturally.
Planners vs. Pantsers is NaNoWriMo’s Great Debate! Which style do you identify with?
[This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases,
Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!]
Preptober Resources
Books About Writing
Preschool/Kindergarten
Elementary
- The Boy Who Loved Words
- How to Write Your Best Story Ever!
- Writing Radar
- Cool Stuff for Reading and Writing
- You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Writing
- Writing Magic
- Writer to Writer
Junior High
- How to Tell a Story
- Live Writing: Breathing Life into Your Words
- Writing with Rosie
- Writing Stories
- A Writer’s Notebook
- A Writing Kind of Day
High School
#BraveWrimos
We like awesome hashtags (and we cannot lie) and we would love for you to use ours: #BraveWrimos. Take us along for your NaNoWriMo ride, whether you’re posting about where you’re writing, taking a photo of your writing snacks or venting about how hard it is to write a NOVEL IN ONE MONTH–we want to know about it!
Snap away and hashtag #BraveWrimos. It will make our Brave Writer hearts happy.
Determine Your Word-Count Goal
Completing your word count is ultimately how you win NaNoWriMo, so take plenty of time choosing a goal that stretches you without breaking you! Here are NaNoWriMo’s suggested word-count goals by grade level:
Free Novelist Workbooks
NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program offers free Novelist Workbooks tailored to High School, Middle School, and Elementary School writers.
Free Printables
E.A. Deverell has a planning plethora of free NaNoWrimo downloads! Her NaNoWriMo Preptober Schedule is particularly helpful.
Getting Started
Still not sure where to begin? Find out more about getting started, and how NaNoWriMo works for writers.
NaNoWriMo for Brave Writers
Classroom Code: KLLAELZP
Enter for the Chance to Win NaNoWriMo Swag!
The swag giveaway runs October 1 – 8, 2018. GIVEAWAY CLOSED.
The Prizes:
- Bookmarks from Brave Writer & The Young Writers Program
- Brave Writer Pens
- YWP “Hold on, I’m Writing a Novel!” Pencils
- “Imagination Activated” NaNoWriMo Pins
- Stickers from Brave Writer & NaNoWriMo (great for decorating notebooks!)
- NaNoWriMo’s “Triumphant Chart of Noveling Progress” Poster
- A Writer’s Emergency Pack of Idea Cards
One Grand Prize Winner will also receive:
- “No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days” by Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo
- The 2018 “NaNoWriMo is…” Poster
