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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1810411-October-NaNo-Prep-2011-Calendar
Rated: E · Assignment · Contest · #1810411
The calendar of daily challenges accompanying the October NaNo Prep Challenge for 2011.
OBSOLETE.
Please see the current year's calendar
linked in the contest instructions:

FORUM
October Novel Prep Challenge  (13+)
2023 Sign-ups are CLOSED. A month-long novel-planning challenge with prizes galore.
#1474311 by Brandiwyn🎶

Ever had a "huh?" moment in the midst of a good book? Picture this: the main character encounters a dense thicket. This is no problem for our hero, who whips a sword from his scabbard and slices through the underbrush. But wait a moment... didn’t he just lose his sword over the cliff in that action-packed battle? More...

*Leaf1**Leaf2**Leaf3**Leaf4**Leaf5**Leaf1**Leaf2**Leaf3**Leaf4**Leaf5**Leaf1**Leaf2**Leaf3**Leaf4**Leaf5**Leaf1**Leaf2**Leaf3**Leaf4**Leaf5**Leaf1**Leaf2**Leaf3**Leaf4**Leaf5**Leaf1**Leaf2**Leaf3**Leaf4**Leaf5*

October NaNo Prep Challenge: 2011 Calendar


This list of daily challenges accompanies "October Novel Prep Challenge [13+]. If a challenge does not apply to your novel project (for example, if your story takes place in a single setting, and therefore you can't describe three separate settings), post "Challenge not applicable" in the forum for that day. You will still be eligible for the grand prizes.

BRAINSTORMING TOOLS:
         *Bullet*Brainstorming and Mind Mapping  
         *Bullet*Free Mind Mapping Software  


WRITING PROMPTS:
         *Bullet*"Invalid Item
         *Bullet*Seventh Sanctum: various name and other fiction generators  


THE CALENDAR:

*Bullet*Saturday, Oct. 01
The general premise of your novel. Summarize the following: Who is your protagonist (or protagonists)? What will happen to him/her/it/them? Why? How will it turn out? What does that tell us? Is there a moral to the story? Resources to help you: Developing a Premise   and "Premise"  .

*Bullet*Sunday, Oct. 02
CONTEST ROUND: Write a background story about your protagonist. Make your readers relate to him or her in such a way that we would be devastated if he or she were to experience conflict (which, ultimately, sometime in November, he/she will.) The object of the contest is to make your judges root for your protagonist! Simply put: the character we like best wins. If your protagonist is an assassin or someone similarly "unlikeable," never fear! I love Vlad Taltos, the professional assassin (reference: "Dragaera" series by Steven Brust.) You can make us love your character, too.

*Submit your BITEM link by 1200 noon WDC time on Monday, Oct. 03 to compete. If you miss this deadline, or choose not to compete, you may still enter your challenge completion within three days for the grand prize, per the standard Challenge guidelines.


*Bullet*Monday, Oct. 03
Character profile: Your protagonist. The point of this exercise is for you to get to know your character inside and out before you write your novel. If you don't know your character, how can you expect if of your readers? How can your readers sympathize with a vague, unknown protagonist? Flesh out your character in detail, either with by listing his/her attributes or writing a description from the perspective of someone very close to your protagonist. A couple of resources to help you: Character Chart   (thank you, Robert Waltz !, How to Write a Character Sketch   and "Invalid Item (thank you, Shanachie !).

*Bullet*Tuesday, Oct. 04
Outline: first draft. Basic overview of main events. Check out the section on Outlining in this free ebook: Lazette Gifford's "A NaNoWriMo Survival Guide"  .

*Bullet*Wednesday, Oct. 05
Marketing exercise: Describe your target audience. Explain in detail what aspects of your novel will appeal to this particular audience, and why.

*Bullet*Thursday, Oct. 06
Get out your pencil (or Excel or Visio or Autocad if you're the nerdy type) and draw a physical sketch of any setting in your novel, which we will call Setting #1. This can be a map of a town, woods, or valley, a layout of a room with furniture and walls, a floor plan of the castle, or any other physical setting. It doesn't matter if your art skills are lacking. Just get a feel for where obstacles and objects are in relation to one another.

*Bullet*Friday, Oct. 07
Describe Setting #1 (with words.) Use all five senses, and make your reader experience the setting as if he or she were there.

*Bullet*Saturday, Oct. 08
Character profile: antagonist. If your antagonist is a situation rather than a person, write about what it is and how it will create conflict for your protagonist. Further clarification: "ANTAGONIST (Re: A LOT of confusing things)"  

*Bullet*Sunday, Oct. 09
CONTEST ROUND: Write a background story about your antagonist. Make your reader empathize with the motivations of the antagonist. If your antagonist is a situation rather than a person, write a background story about that.

*Submit your BITEM link by 1200 noon WDC time on Monday, Oct. 10 to compete. If you miss this deadline, or choose not to compete, you may still enter your challenge completion within three days for the grand prize, per the standard Challenge guidelines.

*Bullet*Monday, Oct. 10
OFF/Freebie. Take a break, catch up, or download and browse Lazette Gifford's "A NaNoWriMo Survival Guide"  .

*Bullet*Tuesday, Oct. 11
Outline, second draft. Revise and add detail to the beginning, climax, and end.

*Bullet*Wednesday, Oct. 12
Write any background story that sets up your plot. An example of this: The Lord of the Rings story revolves around the One Ring, its significance, and how it's destroyed. But how did Frodo get the One Ring in the first place? ...that background story is in The Hobbit. You obviously can't write a full-scale novel in 15 minutes, but you could write the scene where Bilbo encounters Gollum and stumbles across the ring. That would be a background story that sets up the plot in Lord of the Rings.

*Bullet*Thursday, Oct. 13
Character profile: supporting or minor character #1.

*Bullet*Friday, Oct. 14
Background story: supporting or minor character #1

*Bullet*Saturday, Oct. 15
Physical sketch (drawing): Setting #2.

*Bullet*Sunday, Oct. 16
CONTEST ROUND: Describe Setting #2 (with words.) Use all five senses, and make your reader experience the setting as if he or she were there.

*Submit your BITEM link by 1200 noon WDC time on Monday, Oct. 17 to compete. If you miss this deadline, or choose not to compete, you may still enter your challenge completion within three days for the grand prize, per the standard Challenge guidelines.

*Bullet*Monday, Oct. 17
OFF/Freebie. Take a break, catch up, or download and browse Lazette Gifford's "A NaNoWriMo Survival Guide"  .

*Bullet*Tuesday, Oct. 18
Outline, third draft. Fill in some of the gaps.

*Bullet*Wednesday, Oct. 19
Character sketch profile: Minor or supporting character #2.

*Bullet*Thursday, Oct. 20
Background Story: Minor or supporting character #2.

*Bullet*Friday, Oct. 21
Describe the political setting in your novel. What kind of government rules your world? What laws or rules of society are in place? Who enforces them? How successful is enforcement of laws and rules?

*Bullet*Saturday, Oct. 22
Describe, in detail, an object that is critical to your story

*Bullet*Sunday, Oct. 23
CONTEST ROUND: Write a commitment letter to yourself, promising to do your best during the month of November, and vowing to not allow distractions or procrastination to keep you from your goal. Explain in the letter why you are awesome, how you plan to complete NaNo 2011, and what you will do to celebrate when you win.

*Submit your BITEM link by 1200 noon WDC time on Monday, Oct. 24 to compete. If you miss this deadline, or choose not to compete, you may still enter your challenge completion within three days for the grand prize, per the standard Challenge guidelines.

*Bullet*Monday, Oct. 24
OFF/Freebie. Take a break, catch up, or download and browse Lazette Gifford's "A NaNoWriMo Survival Guide"  .

*Bullet*Tuesday, Oct. 25
Outline, fourth draft. Start to build the middle.

*Bullet*Wednesday, Oct. 26
Physical sketch (drawing): Setting #3

*Bullet*Thursday, Oct. 27
Description: Setting #3

*Bullet*Friday, Oct. 28
You are a journalist. The story of your novel is complete. Interview your protagonist and ask the following questions:
*Bullet*How did the events of your story change you?
*Bullet*How is life for you now?

*Bullet*Saturday, Oct. 29
Write a list of all the things you tend to do to procrastinate, and establish a schedule for the month of November outlining when you are and are not allowed to procrastinate. Schedule time to write and put your schedule in writing.

*Bullet*Sunday, Oct. 30
Outline, fifth draft. Flesh out the logistics of how your protagonist gets from the beginning of the story to the climax of the story.

*Bullet*Monday, Oct. 31
OFF/Freebie. Take a break, catch up, or download and browse Lazette Gifford's "A NaNoWriMo Survival Guide"  .

*Bullet*Tuesday, Nov. 1
Start writing your novel!


The calendar accompanies:
FORUM
October Novel Prep Challenge  (13+)
2023 Sign-ups are CLOSED. A month-long novel-planning challenge with prizes galore.
#1474311 by Brandiwyn🎶
and
GROUP
October Novel Prep Challenge Group  (E)
October Novel Prep Challenge participants.
#1474310 by Brandiwyn🎶
© Copyright 2011 Brandiwyn🎶 (tuozzo at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates have been granted non-exclusive rights to display this work.
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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1810411-October-NaNo-Prep-2011-Calendar