NaNoWriMo and Your Bullet Journal

Happy NaNoWriMo and Preptober!!

Are you planning on doing NaNoWriMo this year? That’s great!

Not sure what NaNoWriMo is or Preptober? Let me explain. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month which started in 1999 as a challenge to write 50,000 words for a novel in 30 days. Starting on the 1st of November and ends on the 30th of November.

What was just a random writing challenge has turned into a yearly writing challenge every November. Preptober is prepping for National Novel Writing Month in the month of October, but sometimes we start in September, if we need a little more time to plan.

National Novel Writing Month even has a NaNoWriMo-YWP, which is the young writer’s program for children. They can set their own goals for the month and keep track of their writing all on the website. Teachers can also create a classroom that students can join to get advice and help with their writing.

NaNoWriMo Layouts

There are so many ways you can use your Bullet Journal for NaNoWriMo. You can do a spread to keep track of your word count, Preprober checklist, Calendar for scheduled writing, keep your character details, plot ideas, and settings, the possibilities are endless.

Here is a list of Bullet Journal Collections you can use for NaNoWriMo:

• Plot Ideas
• Calendar
• Mind Map
• Writing Prompts
• Word Count Tracker
• Character Names and Characteristics
• Brain Dump
• Book Tracker
• Schedule of when to work
• Outline
• Editing Log

Self-care is also important throughout NaNoWriMo. Schedule in your writing times, but be sure you don’t run yourself ragged and make sure you take breaks regularly.

Some self-care spread you can use for NaNoWriMo:

• Playlist Log
• Exercise Log
• Inspirational Quotes
• Break Schedule
• Gratitude Log

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National Novel Writing Month Spreads

If you are stuck on where to begin, here are some lovely examples from some of my favorite bloggers to help you get started.

Preptober Checklist

This is a great place to start, Kara from Boho Berry has made a checklist of all the things she would like to accomplish for NaNoWriMo. Kara’s handwriting is so neat and legible!

NaNoWriMo Word Trackers

There are several different ways you can keep track of you word count. First, we have a Spread from Sidnie Bishop, a grid style word count where you color in the boxes once you hit that specific word count goal. It could be a very colorful reminder of your progress.

Next there is a graph and daily count tracker from Kamryn of GreyZone Pages. You would put a line on the graph where your goal is from zero words to 50,000 words and then in a different color pen you would mark your actual word count, to keep track of your progress. On the other side you would write you word count, any notes you have for yourself and what you would have to complete the next day to keep on track to your writing.

Lastly, is a layout from Megan of Page Flutter. She created a spread that keeps all of her goal for the day in one column, her actual word count in the second column, how far off or ahead she was in the third column, and what part of her book she was working on in the fourth column. This is a great way to keep track of your word count and your progress in your story.

NaNoWriMo Monthly and Weekly Tracker

First, we have monthly spread may help keep you on track to your goal. Kamryn of GreyZone Pages made a three column spread with word count, day of the month and a list of goals for the day or summary of progress can keep you organized.

Second, is a weekly tracker. If you would like to keep track of your progress by week instead of by day, you can use a layout created by Sidnie Bishop. A five row, eleven column grid type layout that you would color in once you hit a specific word count.

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Self-care list

Preptober and NaNoWriMo can be a very stressful time. We want to be sure you don’t overwhelm yourself, so make sure you take care of yourself.

Nicole from InkWell Spills made sure she had her self-care taken care of by incorporating her self-care into her NaNoWriMo spreads. Schedule time for yourself to decompress and relax before getting back to your writing.

If you decide to tackle NaNoWriMo this year, take a look at our NaNoWriMo Prep post!!