How to Reduce Your NaNo Prep Stress

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Campfire, a 2020 NaNo sponsor, is a writing software with tools to help you design your story. Today, Campfire content creator Levi Johnson is here to share some tips on reducing your pre-noveling stress. Be sure to read to the end to find out how you can win up to $3,000 to self-publish your NaNoWriMo novel!

Write 50,000 words in a month?! You kidding me?! The prospect is enough to make even veteran writers feel excited and maybe even a little nervous. No worries! NaNoWriMo 2020 is a huge undertaking, but it’s also a ton of fun. Although if you’re trying to fight off any pre-Nano anxiety, a great way to lower nerves is by planning ahead, and a great tool for that is Campfire Blaze.

Writing 50k words in a single month is going to take a ton of time, so we want to save you as many minutes as possible. If you’re a plotter, Campfire Blaze’s timelines will give you a flexible and visual place to build your story, so you always know what’s going to happen next as you move through November.

There are a handful of pre-made plot structures out there. From the Hero’s Journey to Three Act structure, they are all good options for deciding your story’s shape, but characters are the most important thing when planning for NaNo. Creating characters with their own wants and needs using Campfire Blaze’s character sheets will keep the words flowing even when writer’s block hits.

Your story may change as you write throughout NaNo, so don’t worry if you start to veer off from the path you built. It’s okay to take a page from the panster’s book and trust the characters. They’re the guiding light that will bring you to 50k words in 30 days.

Now, pansters may say “I don’t need planning software!” but that’s not the only thing Campfire Blaze is useful for. Campfire Blaze can also help record those important details and plot points for quick reference as your word count grows:

Need to remember a character and what they look like? Check their character sheet.What was the name of the bar they went to in Chapter 2? Check the locations tab.What chapter did your main character get dumped? Check your timeline.

Having all of your information organized in one place can save you time flipping through pages to find that one crucial detail you can’t quite remember. Just take a few minutes at the end of each writing session to record the important details.

If you’re weighing the price of Campfire Blaze against its usefulness, you don’t have to! Each of Campfire Blaze’s modules has a free version. The only limitation is the number of articles you can make in each module. That means if you don’t plan on creating an epic during November, then Blaze might be completely free for you!

Regardless of if you’re a pantser or plotter, Campfire Blaze can help you save time while writing, break through writer’s block, and spot plot holes before your readers do.

Also! Campfire Technology has a special contest for NaNoWriMo winners this year. Submit your story and your Campfire Blaze file to be entered to win $3,000 for editing and publishing services for your novel. Make sure you try out Campfire Blaze for NaNoWriMo 2020! Good luck!

Levi Johnson is a writer and content creator from Knoxville, Tennessee. You can follow his writing journey on Campfire Technology’s YouTube channel.