Planning for Victory

It's the last Sunday before NaNoWriMo 2018. For the past couple weeks, I've been making notes about Senator Space, my project for this year's feat. Today, I'd like to share some strategies for preparation.

• Use a Timeline: A lot can happen to your characters in one year. Senator Space is going to take place over a five-year period, during which my main character goes through many personal changes, including career changes, new children, and physical improvements. 
• Relate Your Characters: Besides my main character, other characters include his wife, his son, and his father-in-law. The president, vice president, and senate majority leader will also play major roles in this novel.
• Re-imagine Your Surroundings: A casino recently opened in my hometown. Part of the construction involved moving a landmark church out of the casino's footprint. I figured that I can make the casino even bigger in my novel, or even move all of the churches. I also made a short list of other places I want to re-imagine.
• Use Templates: My character is joining a military branch after his political career sours. Soldiers have uniforms, weapons, bases, and rules. Make sure to take time to discuss what makes a group of characters special.
• Anything Goes: Ultimately my NaNoWriMo project will be a rough draft. If I have a silly idea, I'll put it in as long as it gets me to my word count goals. You could be lucky enough to hit a word count gold mine!

I hope you find these tips helpful. If you have any useful advice, leave it in the comments below.

Happy Reading!