It’s 1.5 hours to midnight in my little corner of the world and it took me 22.5 hours to realize we’re well into Preptober. A little late to jump the bandwagon? Perhaps, but the excitement that flooded into my veins was undeniable.

Given the absolute chaos and unpredictability that 2020 has been, the fact that NaNoWriMo is just around the corner remains a source of solace. We all need an outlet and artists, especially, have been encountering struggles of their own during this pandemic.

Whether it’s been a lack of creativity and stress from the rolling lock-downs or even ‘adult’ problems like worrying about your next paycheck, this year has not been kind to us. Trying to force inspiration to tickle our muses into peeking out and help us find literary gold hasn’t been easy. At least, not for me.

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Between juggling family affairs, hustling as a full-time freelancer to build my own business, managing a virtual social life, and trying to balance my mental and physical health throughout it all, I’ve barely had time to catch my breath and write with reckless abandon.

But NaNoWriMo’s always given me a chance to buckle down and no longer make excuses about my writing. As a six-time NaNoWriMo winner (and three-time Camp NaNo veteran), I’m absolutely pumped and ready to get those words flowing again next month. And that’s where Preptober comes in.

What is this Preptober Buzz?

Preptober is exactly what it sounds like: a month dedicated to self-preparation for the writing journey ahead.

For me, it’s always been more about the excitement and the anticipation leading up to NaNoWriMo. The few times I’ve fully engaged in Preptober activities have been where I’ve written novels that required plotting in advance.

But if you’re committing to writing a 50,000 word novel, you might as well work on building the foundation so you don’t unintentionally blindside yourself in November.

A lot of writers love to share their Preptober journey. This, personally, will be my first time documenting it.

I’ve never actively taken part in blogging about my Preptober activities before but given the importance of the project I’m going to be working on (more on that later!) and the global pandemic, what better time to connect with other writers and share my journey?

This October 2020, I’m going to be blogging about my activities to prepare for this year’s NaNoWriMo. Think an exciting combination of planning and plotting tips, writing productivity hacks, preparatory word sprints; all interspersed into personal anecdotes of my life.

And I would love to hear from other Wrimos too (in my head, we are currently Prepites!)

Are you guys planning on participating in NaNo this year? If so, what’s your Preptober looking like?

Would you like to be a part of my publishing journey?