NaNo Prep 2023

Today was a struggle. I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Last weekend, I drafted an outline for my 2023 NaNoWriMo novel and finished the afternoon with over 3000 words. That's not unusual. I often spend months thinking about a story before I ever sit down to put words to paper, and I have plotted my novels since the second time I did NaNoWriMo. Even my first NaNo began with pantsing but ended with plotting. It's not unusual for me to hit a roadblock as I did today and sometimes I can "think" my way out of it, but sometimes I can't.

I spent an hour thinking about the antagonist of the thriller I had started plotting, but I wasn't able to work out any clear details about who they were, what they wanted or needed, or what was motivating them in the context of my story. Frustrated, I turned to others more expert than I at constructing villains.

First stop: mythcreants.com. If you haven't visited this site before, you should! It contains a wealth of information that can be used not only for plotting, but also for the editing process once your novel has been completed.

I focused on "Creating Your Villain's Journey" by Chris Winkle which included three character arcs specifically for antagonists. Each arc was described and then outlined with the steps the arc would take. For example, the arc I think my villain is going to have in my novel will be an Obsession Arc. In an Obsession Arc, the villain changes their motives as they shift from random mischief to acquiring a new obsession and betting everything to satisfy their desires.

Chris then provides the steps of the Obsession Arc, listing them as Need, Discovery, Pursuit, Deterrent, and Unfortunate Win/Fortunate Loss. I was able to fit my antagonist's backstory and forward momentum in my current day novel into those containers based on the descriptions Chris gave, but then once again hit a wall. My hurdle is bringing the two threads together into a single plotted outline.

I think I'm going to let my new-found knowledge percolate for a little bit. Sleep on it, so to speak. It's often after a night of turning the pieces over and under that I have a revelation, and everything comes together. At any rate, I feel confident about starting my story on November 1st since I have a 3000-work plot outline started. I also know I have a frame of reference for making my villain a "whole" character and trust that knowledge will guide my writing as I embark on the rough draft that is generated by banging out 50k words in one month.

Learn more about NaNoWriMo and how you can write 50k words in the month of November.

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