It’s that time of year again! I’m one of the (possibly crazy) writers tackling 50,000 words in a month. With such a big project, there’s no doubt that I’ve been utilizing my bullet journal throughout the planning process. Keep reading to see what I’ve incorporated this November.
1. Word Count Tracker
The most popular NaNoWriMo bullet journal layout is hands-down the infamous word count tracker. I personalized it a little this year to make it work for me.
The best part is that I made a free
The main component of
The table on the right-hand side has columns for the day, the total word count for that day, a check mark if I hit the goal, notes on what I wrote that day, and then an adjusted word count goal for tomorrow if I didn’t hit that 1,667.
The lower-right box is for that final word count on day 50.
The lower left-hand table is for periodic goals when I hit milestones.
2. Character Appearances Tracker
I’m a rebel this year: I’m actually writing a new draft of a novel I’ve already written before. As I was rereading, I took careful notes of where characters appeared when. This visaul was wonderful for who was more (or less) important than I thought, and if anyone disappeared without reason.
This novel had flashbacks, which is what the triangles represented in my version. A bullet point means that character was present and an empty circle means that character was only mentioned.
Character appearances are a great thing to track as you write this month. Consider doing yourself a favor now before you embark on the editing process when you might be forced to kill your darlings.
3. To Do List
Since I was working with a novel that already had a draft, I needed to reread before I started rewriting. Even if this is your first go at a story, to do lists are always motiviating to cross off as you write.
If you’re an outliner, chances are you already know how many scenes and chapters your novel will likely contain. If you’re moving forward with less structure this November, this is a good list to maintain as you find yourself finishing chapters.
4. Month Overview
I included the month overview in this collection of NaNoWriMo spreads because balancing writing and every other aspect of life is difficult.
By adding in the biggest deadlines on the
Consider an eagle-eye view of your month so you can plan ahead for future hurdles.
As the month progresses I’ll be posting more about my writer’s notebook and how I use Scrivener for NaNoWriMo. You can find more NaNo-related updates on my Twitter @kamrynkoble. I’d love to connect with you so we can encourage each other on this fight to fifty thousand words!
The Bullet Journal was created by Ryder Carroll, and you can read more about it on its website.
