Free Download: NaNoWriMo Journal Pages

Want some free, printable NaNoWriMo journal pages?

If you’re anything like me, you know that NaNoWriMo can be a mirror that reflects your habits back to you. For example, I know that in the days leading up to November, I’ll seemingly have long stretches of free time, time that would be perfect for noveling. But I won’t cheat. Instead, I’ll wait for November first like a sugared-up kid on Christmas Eve. When the calendar flips to the official start of NaNoWriMo, though, it’s like chaos bursts from its tenuous cell and tramples over my weeks. The plumbing springs leaks, a family member falls ill, and endless obligations pop up like weeds after a hard rain.

I made you something that can help you in both scenarios. Whether you’re pawing the ground to get started, or fighting to stay afloat, you can use these NaNoWriMo journal pages to stay focused.

Organize Your NaNo Novel

Print the journal pages to organize your ideas. Once you get some preliminary musings down on paper, your mind can start to build connections between characters, plot, motivations, and conflict. Even if you’re not an outliner, you can still benefit from doing a little light planning before you wade in to your novel.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’m a big fan of outlines (the creative kind, not the stuffy, oh-no-English-class sort of outlines that zap your free spirit into carefully aligned form) and of organizing your story elements before you sit down to write. It’s just too daunting to face the blinking cursor on an empty page. Maybe there are some people out there who can remember past inspiration, write in the present, and think of future plot problems all at the same time. But, dear? I’m not one of those people. It’s difficult enough to think properly in one moment; to juggle three time periods will likely result in heartbreak.

So do yourself a favor and print and use the journal pages!

Work in the Midst of a Crisis

We all have times when it’s just not practical to work on our novels. Situations ranging from an exploding faucet (a.k.a., the “surprise facial”) to family travel to serious illness can sap any motivation that carried you into November.

Even when it’s hard or impossible to write, you can still make notes on the journal pages. And when life cuts you a little slack, you can take off on a wordy frenzy of creation. Using your notes as a guide, you’ll be able to pick up where you had to leave off.

Stake Your NaNoWriMo Claim …

It’s frustrating to wait all year for NaNoWriMo, only to have circumstances derail your plans. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, though. If you use the NaNoWriMo journal pages to plot a rough outline, then fill in the details, you’ll have a pretty impressive start to the novel you’ve been dreaming about writing. Getting the guide roughed out on paper is a major step, one you should be proud of, even if November was uncooperative. Cheers, Writer, you’re on the right track!