Right now, I’m writing a synopsis from each person in the family and telling their side of the story. This is something I normally skip, in favor of writing scenes and figuring it all out as I go. This doesn't bode well for either me or my characters, since they end up being slightly more than cardboard cutouts and I'm left feeling frustrated. I'm taking a lesson from the other times I've silently (or not-so-silently) walked away from a WIP in favor of a newer, shinier, more elusive plot bunny.
I’m not sure if I want to switch POVs yet, but in case I do, I have individual lives mapped out already. Besides, it’s really good for subplots and making the story more dynamic. The next thing on my list is scene mapping. In a perfect world, I’d like to have every scene written down, placed in order, and ready to go. In reality, though, I just want to know a few in the beginning, middle, and end. I can string them together during NaNo, and I planned planning days throughout the month when I can use some time to write out scenes if I wanted.
Some of the other priorities on my mind, not specifically writing related, include making sure my kid has everything he needs so I don’t need to do any last minute shopping and that there is a sufficient amount of snacks lying around. Oh, and cleaning up my two designated writing areas.
I also decided - at 3am, of course - to create a writing schedule for NaNo. Using the lovely Evernote, I created both a monthly schedule and a daily one for the marathon days. (Those days will be Nov. 21 and 23, when I will write at least 10,000 words.) Anyway, when I was designing this writing schedule of daily and weekly word count goals, I realized all too quickly that I surpassed 50,000 words and ended up with 90,000 words. Well, then, if I can manage to keep to this schedule, which isn’t too daunting except the two marathons, I’ll be on my way to having written an actual novel-sized novel.
The likelihood of that actually happening though? We’ll see.