on Fiction University:

It’s that time of year again!

Writers all over the world are gearing up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), so it’s time to break out the ol’prep guides from the archives for those about to dive into the writing frenzy.

If you’re not doing NaNo, this is a good overview of what goes into a novel, so you’ll find some helpful tips on novel writing as well.

And if you’re looking for a handy guide to the whole novel-planning process, I suggest taking a peek of my book, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, with ten self-guided workshops and over 100 exercises designed to guide you from idea to a workable outline and synopsis.

If you decided to do NaNo, I gather you already have an inkling of the novel you want to write. If you don’t, then I’d suggest starting with this article for some brainstorming ideas or looking at the bigger story picture here before diving into today’s article.

Ready? Okay, let’s go!