NaNo Prep: Novel by Bullets

As we dive into NaNo Prep season, we’ve talked to some participants to get the inside scoop on how to best prepare for November. Today, participant Jessica M. Leong shares the beauty of a bullet journal:

For many people, the keys to starting off strong in November are having a solid outline prepared ahead of time, and having a solid understanding of how your novel’s world works. This helps you stay on track with your novel’s game plan as those long November days (and nights) wear on. However, if you’re like me—the kind of writer who struggles with organizing your outline (and your thoughts more generally)—then a bullet journal may be the way to go.

Bullet journals tend to look intimidating because of the amount of creativity that can go into them. But don’t be discouraged! While they might look beautiful and complicated, you need to remember that bullet journals are customizable. It’s really about functionality: what’s going to help you be the most prepared for November. For me, having a multiple notebooks took up a lot of space and it was time consuming to organize. But when I was introduced to bullet journaling last year, I knew it was a perfect fit.

What is a Bullet Journal, Really?

When learning about bullet journaling, I realized that it didn’t matter whether a bullet journal was all decked out in colors and artwork or done simply with black pen; all of them have a common purpose. It is a place to merge all that you write, plan, and think about so you don’t need to have multiple notebooks around. So really, a bullet journal isn’t any one particular item; rather, it’s a flexible method of organizing all the things you need for your novel. No matter what it is (world building, goal setting, outlining, random musings, etc.), all of it can go in your one bullet journal.

Putting Together a Bullet Journal

Putting together a bullet journal doesn’t have to be complicated or take a lot of time. However, all bullet journals should have these four important features:

An Index: Leave 2-3 pages at the front of the journal for the index. This is where you’ll note where everything is in the journal, along with the page(s) it’s on. This will help you locate specific things quickly when you’re writing your novel.
Numbered Pages: To stay organized, you need to number your pages so you know where everything is according to the index that you made. I like to number the pages as I go so that if I make any major mistakes, I can tear the page out without messing up the page count.
Bullets: This is where the journal gets its name! Bullet points are used as the core structure in bullet journaling. These bullets are comprised of short sentences used to organize notes under categories that you make. You can add as many or as few bullets as you’d like to each category that you create.
Thick Pages in the Journal: Decently thick pages are a must, unless you like ink bleeding through or an ink shadow which can obscure your writing on the other side.  

The best part is, you can do whatever you want with the bullets to organize your thoughts. If colored pens, highlighters, and coloring pencils are your thing (like me), then go ahead and use them! If not, that’s entirely acceptable too. Plus, this useful technique isn’t limited to plotting; it can be used to plan your daily life as well! Again, different things work for different writers, so don’t be afraid of experimenting with different bullet-journal types and other organizational techniques to see what will best help you get through NaNo without losing track of your novel.

Jessica M. Leong is a developmental editor, social media specialist, and fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian writer who enjoys colliding the genres together whenever the inspiration strikes. In her free time she enjoys movie night with her loved ones, training guinea pigs—including her own, named Willow—and looking for her next adventure. Having joined back in 2006, this year will be her twelfth year participating in NaNoWriMo.