Guest Blogger for NaNo - Rebecca Hougham

Continuing with more guest bloggers, Rebecca is up. The fourth in the series and she's a veteran of NaNo. Looking forward to hearing more from Rebecca! 

Prepping for NaNoWriMo: Third time’s the charm!

I’ve always loved the written word (and imaginary worlds) since I could read really. I finally made the move to a career in writing about eight years ago, and ghost-write articles for business leaders — but I’m increasingly wanting to write my own content/fiction! 

I'm currently preparing for my third NaNoWriMo. Last year, I only made it to 10k because of work projects getting in the way; in November 2018, both my parents were seriously ill, so I achieved 0 words! However, I’ve just gone freelance, so hoping I’ll have more control over my time this NaNo. (Plus, my social calendar is definitely ‘lighter’ this November!)

My favourite genres to read and write are fantasy, fairy tales, science fiction, gothic horror etc. But, this time, I’m going to try my hand at writing a pure romance — although I am throwing in a dash of gothic-themed mystery for good measure. And, I’m being a bit of a ‘Rebel’ and adapting a short story into a full novel, so I already have about 7k words written. 

To prepare for this change in genre, and NaNo in general, I’m deploying several methods:

• Researching how to write successful romance — such as reading Gwen Hayes’ ‘Romancing the Beat’.
• Reading pure romance novels, as well as other genres with strong love stories. And watching tv shows/films with romantic elements.  
• Merging specific plot structures for romantic novels (e.g. Hayes’ four phrases/five beats) with generic plotting methods (e.g. Watts’ eight-point arc) to create a bespoke plan for my romance/mystery.
• Signing up for my home regions’ remote write-ins/prep sessions.
• Even writing this blog is refocusing my mind on what I need to do before Sunday! 

So, with more time, and lots of prep here’s hoping third time's a charm and 2020 is the year for me. Although, I am a ‘Plantser’, and heavy on the ‘Pantsing, so who knows what will happen to the plan during November! 

Good luck to all your NaNoers, whether it’s your first time or you’re a veteran. Find me on NaNoWriMo under R.J.G.Hougham if you want to chat romance or writing in general.