Ready... Set.. OUTLINE!

So, it has begun! This is my first official NaNoWriMo post! Hopefully the Nano website will be finished by the time I am done with this entry! Is everyone as excited as I am? Heck ya! Tonight I will be starting with what processes I am working with, what programs I'm using, what my general plan is and what my goals are.

Goals

• Have my Nano idea ready and outlined by Nov. 1st
• Hit 80k words for Nano
• Blog at least twice a week about Nano (I'd prefer to do it daily, but I don't know if I will have the time, energy or topics. We shall see.)
• Write around 2k per weekday and 5k per weekend day (or at the very least 1.5k on week days and 3k on weekends)

Some pretty crazy goals for me there... especially since I also work. But, I'm pretty good at BSing, so I've got to be able to at the very least BS some of it, right? Hahaha, maybe not.

Next thing I want to talk about is software and processes. I know many people may not be interested in the software I am using for Outlining and Note taking and even for Writing, but there may be some people who do. Personally, I use and swear by a program called Scrivener for everything writing related. Why? Because it's amazing. While it is not free, it's very reasonably priced and it's an indispensable asset to my planning and writing process. It has note cards, cork board, research capabilities, full screen and tons of other things that I can't remember but make it even more awesome. Also, it is a Mac only program so sorry to PC users if you are/were interested. Some other great programs that I have tried are Open Office, Neo Office, Voodoo Pad, and Writers Cafe.

As for my planning and outlining process, I am using a mix of things. Yes, I am a planner. No, I don't really "wing it" so to speak. I do, however, keep in mind that nothing I plan is set in stone. Just because I plan and outline, doesn't mean I have to follow what I planned or outlined. I usually spend a lot of time sorting out my characters and writing a series of plot points. This year, I am also using some Outlining lessons from Kelley Armstrong on her forum. I'm using those lessons as a rough guide to where I should be over the next month. I know a lot of people swear by the snowflake method, but that just seems too.... what's the word... neurotic to me. If you can stand it, more power to you! And I know some people swear by the Phase method. I'm not sure I really "get" the phase method, to be honest. If anyone can explain this method in a way that I could understand, I'd be thrilled.

So, after tons and tons of debate on what I would do NaNoWriMo on, I finally came to the conclusion that I would work with an idea I randomly came up with today. The idea inspired me so fully that I HAD to do it. I want to work on the idea a bit more before writing out a premise (Homework 1 in Kelley's lessons) and I'd like to come up with some characters, but I can leave you with this: My novel is called Inoculation and it is a dark satire. The target audience, I believe, are readers from ages 16 to 25 or so. Maybe. Haha, I'm not sure. Maybe older. I don't know.

I think that's it for tonight! I hope the site is finished soon!

I totally got bored waiting for the site to come up and made this banner for my story. ^_^