Whoa, it’s almost the end of October! How’d that happen?

This month of pre-Nanowrimo prepping FLEW BY. Maybe it’s that October’s my favorite month and nothing good lasts. Maybe I just lost track of time.

What’s happened this month?

My agent loved my revision and we sent it out on submission! It’s out in the inboxes of editors and there’s nothing I can do about it anymore, except wait and see what they say. So I turn my attention to the project ahead.

Things I’ve acquired during prepping:

• A moodboard for my project.

• A playlist for my project.

• Lots of notes.

• Peach tea.

• I made a cover for funsies too!

My biggest tips for prepping what is essentially a 50,000 word sprint in a month is just to immerse yourself. This is a luxury, of course, because a lot of people have children, responsibilities, lives — I have none of those things, so I’m able to just cannonball in. If you are struggling with outside annoyances, however, try locking yourself in a room for fifteen minutes a day and devoting this time to jotting down notes on your own. Characters, setting, era, all of which helps. And even when you’re out running errands, daydreaming at odds about your newly blooming world is a precious resource as well.

I’m going away for the weekend but will be back just in time mid-November 1st to get my wordcount in.

Remember that all you need to win is about 1,667 words a day. Don’t let yourself skip too many days as the snowball effect can be daunting. Pace yourself and get it how you want it!