And so it begins...

I have a confession to make: I'm already well into my novel outline for NaNo 2011.

I've actually been working on it for a while. I knew things were going to get a little crazy around the office in October, so I spent some quality time in August (when I didn't have much else to do) hashing out the basic structure of my plot. Things were starting to come together, but it seemed like there was something missing.

Then, one day when I was driving home from physio, the last piece fell into place, and suddenly my novel made sense. I'm pretty sure the universe conspires to make sure that these things happen in the most inconvenient places where you definitely won't be able to write it down. My friend Karen always comes up with her best ideas in the shower. (This means she's extra-clean in mid-November when her plot gets a little stuck.) I always keep a notebook beside my bed in November, because I inevitably solve problems in my novel right as I'm about to fall asleep.

The early start means I'm already eight chapters into the outline (I have mentioned before that I'm one of those crazy super-thorough outliners, right?), but it's also been neglected for several weeks. At some point I'm going to have to stop working so late and spend a few quality hours with my hardcover black notebook and my favourite pen.

This year, I've gotten advanced and have Post-It note dividers in my Moleskine, so my outline is much more organized than usual. I'm obsessive about having a new notebook for every novel, but I also like to divide things up by section, so previous years have random notes scattered haphazardly throughout the book in a way that rather contradicts my otherwise neurotic outlines.

Where do you get your best ideas? Do you know what you're writing about for NaNoWriMo yet? And did you notice the new notebook in the store? A planner's dream notebook, right? Yum.

– Sarah