Everyone has their own way to prepare for NaNoWriMo.
You could not prepare at all and fly by the seat of your pants. (This is why the term is Pantser)
You could plan everything out. (Planner)
Or you can have a vague idea and go where the wind takes you (Plantser)
Something that I have found helps is to have a notebook and writing utensil hand everywhere you go. Inspiration and ideas can hit you at any time! And writing it down ensures that you have it for later. This is especially helpful when you are bored and unable to do things you want (like work). I keep a small 3 x 5 notepad in my sweater pocket for these occasions, jotting down an idea or the rough outline of a chapter as it comes to me.
One thing you should prepare though, is the essence of your work. You can bullshit most of it as you go, but you need that starting idea to get yourself off the ground. What is it you're writing about? It doesn't have to be detailed. What do you want to write about? Maybe you want to retell a classic tale. Maybe you want to write fanfiction. Maybe that dream you had last night is interesting as fuck and you want to share it.
No matter what it is, you can't really get yourself up off the ground without your basic premise. The sooner you find it, the more you can think on it and feel out where you want to go. Have that basic thought. Think on the messages you want to convey, the tone, the genre. The sooner you get the basics, the more time you can spend with the fun parts. Having that thought also helps you flesh out the world you're working with. How can your protagonist overcome an antagonist if you dont know what either can do?
Don't be afraid to reach out, bounce ideas off of others, and work together to create things.
I prepared for my novel by first running it as a Pathfinder campaign. I have bounced my ideas off of my friends and gotten feedback from those I know won't sugar coat it to make the adjustments needed to make the thing balanced. Rome wasn't built in a day and it sure as hell wasn't built by one man.
You could not prepare at all and fly by the seat of your pants. (This is why the term is Pantser)
You could plan everything out. (Planner)
Or you can have a vague idea and go where the wind takes you (Plantser)
Something that I have found helps is to have a notebook and writing utensil hand everywhere you go. Inspiration and ideas can hit you at any time! And writing it down ensures that you have it for later. This is especially helpful when you are bored and unable to do things you want (like work). I keep a small 3 x 5 notepad in my sweater pocket for these occasions, jotting down an idea or the rough outline of a chapter as it comes to me.
One thing you should prepare though, is the essence of your work. You can bullshit most of it as you go, but you need that starting idea to get yourself off the ground. What is it you're writing about? It doesn't have to be detailed. What do you want to write about? Maybe you want to retell a classic tale. Maybe you want to write fanfiction. Maybe that dream you had last night is interesting as fuck and you want to share it.
No matter what it is, you can't really get yourself up off the ground without your basic premise. The sooner you find it, the more you can think on it and feel out where you want to go. Have that basic thought. Think on the messages you want to convey, the tone, the genre. The sooner you get the basics, the more time you can spend with the fun parts. Having that thought also helps you flesh out the world you're working with. How can your protagonist overcome an antagonist if you dont know what either can do?
Don't be afraid to reach out, bounce ideas off of others, and work together to create things.
I prepared for my novel by first running it as a Pathfinder campaign. I have bounced my ideas off of my friends and gotten feedback from those I know won't sugar coat it to make the adjustments needed to make the thing balanced. Rome wasn't built in a day and it sure as hell wasn't built by one man.