If November is almost here and your novel is still a collection of ideas, use an hour to make the first writing session easier. Choose a workable word goal, give your main character a problem, sketch a few scenes and put the details you keep forgetting in one place.
For last-minute NaNoWriMo prep, work through these five jobs:
- Count your writing days and choose a daily word goal.
- Give your protagonist an immediate problem.
- Sketch three scenes you want to write.
- Put names, relationships and story facts in a small story bible.
- Open your writing workspace and check your backup routine.
The checklist below divides those jobs into an hour. The timings are suggestions: spend longer wherever your story needs it, and leave the questions you want to discover through writing open.
The original NaNoWriMo nonprofit closed in 2025, while community-led November challenges continue. You can follow this plan for your own challenge or adapt it to your group's guidelines. NaNoWriMo.ca explains the change.
Minutes 0 to 10 choose a goal that fits your calendar
The familiar challenge is 50,000 words over November's 30 days, or about 1,667 words per day. NaNo 2.0 describes the traditional goal. Your calendar may call for a different target.
Count the days you realistically expect to write. Include work, caring responsibilities, travel and the evenings you already know are unavailable. Divide your target by those writing days.
| Monthly target | Planned writing days | Words per writing day |
|---|---|---|
| 50,000 | 30 | About 1,667 |
| 50,000 | 25 | 2,000 |
| 50,000 | 20 | 2,500 |
| 20,000 | 20 | 1,000 |
Choose a smaller fallback goal as well. You might aim for 50,000 words while deciding that finishing the first act would still make November worthwhile. That gives you a useful decision to make if your circumstances change.
Put your first three writing appointments on the calendar. A specific start time makes the next step clearer than a general intention to write every day.
Minutes 10 to 20 give the main character an immediate problem
Write one sentence about someone who wants something and cannot easily get it. Then add what becomes worse if they fail.
Here is an invented example:
A ferry mechanic must carry her missing brother's evidence across a flooded city before the council destroys the last bridge.
That sentence supplies a person, a task, an obstacle and a reason to act. It leaves room to discover the brother's disappearance and the council's motives later.
Write down three answers about your protagonist:
- What are they trying to do in the opening scene?
- Who or what can stop them?
- What difficult choice might they have to make?
If an answer is uncertain, write two possibilities. You can choose when the scene gives you more to work with.
Choose whose perspective you will follow in the opening scene and where that scene happens. “Mara at the sealed ferry terminal, in close third person” is enough to begin. If the novel uses several viewpoints, identify the first one now and add the others as you need them.
Minutes 20 to 35 sketch three scenes you want to write
Give yourself a few places to go after the first page. For each scene, note what the viewpoint character wants, what interferes and what changes by the end.
Using the ferry mechanic example:
| Scene | Immediate goal | Obstacle | Change at the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| The closed ferry terminal | Find her brother's boat | An inspector has sealed the dock | She discovers that someone searched the boat first |
| The repair shed | Recover a hidden package | Her apprentice refuses to leave the evidence alone | She must decide whether to trust him |
| The night crossing | Reach the far bank | The engine fails within sight of a patrol | She sacrifices the boat to save the package |
Write a possible destination for the story too: an image, confrontation or choice you would like to reach. You can revise it as the draft develops.
If you prefer discovering the story as you write, keep these notes brief. Three scene possibilities can give you a way forward without fixing the whole plot in advance.
Minutes 35 to 50 make a small story bible
A story bible is a reference for your characters, setting and established story details. During a fast draft, start with the facts you expect to look up repeatedly: names, relationships, travel times, important objects and who knows a secret.
Separate your plans from what the manuscript has established. You may know that the apprentice stole the package. That does not mean the mechanic knows it in chapter one.
Copy this short version into your notes:
NOVEMBER NOVEL PLAN
Working title:
Monthly word target:
Planned writing days:
Words per writing day:
Fallback goal:
First writing appointment:
STORY
Main character:
Opening viewpoint and tense:
Opening location and time:
Immediate goal:
Main obstacle:
Cost of failure:
Possible ending or final choice:
SCENES TO TRY
1. Goal / obstacle / what changes:
2. Goal / obstacle / what changes:
3. Goal / obstacle / what changes:
DETAILS ESTABLISHED IN THE DRAFT
Names and confirmed aliases:
Important relationships:
Place names and travel constraints:
Important objects and who has them:
Who knows the main secret, and when they learn it:
Source chapter or scene for each fact:
IDEAS TO TEST
Possible reveals:
Unconfirmed identities:
Questions to answer later:
You can also use the full editable story bible template when you need more space. Keep uncertain details marked as uncertain until the draft settles them.
Minutes 50 to 60 prepare the first writing session
Open the document or writing workspace you will use. Give the first scene a working heading and leave yourself an instruction about where to begin: “She reaches the dock and finds the seal on the gate.”
Put your scene notes and story facts somewhere easy to find. Check how your work is saved and how to make a separate backup or export. If you are trying new software, make sure you can create, reopen and recover a small test document before relying on it for November.
Choose a placeholder for questions that can wait, such as [CHECK travel time]. That lets you finish the scene while keeping the research task visible.
Use the plan after November starts
At the end of a writing session, record the details that changed and leave one sentence about what happens next. As the cast grows, a small character tracker can help you find names and relationships without rereading every chapter.
If you begin late or miss several days, recalculate using the words still needed and the writing days still available. For example, 30,000 words over 15 writing days is 2,000 words per session. If that is no longer workable, adjust the goal while keeping the next appointment.
You are ready to begin when you have somewhere to write, a character with an immediate problem and a scene you want to discover. The rest of the plan can grow with the book.
Questions about NaNoWriMo preparation
What is Preptober
Preptober is the writing community's name for preparing a novel during October, ahead of November drafting. Preparation might include an outline, character notes, research and a writing schedule. If October is nearly over, use the checklist above to prepare for your next session.
Do you need a complete outline before November
You can begin with a character, an immediate problem and a few possible scenes. If you prefer more structure, add major turning points and a possible ending. Give yourself enough direction to write the opening without requiring an answer to every later question.
Can you start NaNoWriMo late
You can start a personal writing challenge whenever you are ready. Recalculate your target using the writing days you have left. If you join an organized event, check its current entry dates and rules separately.