Happy, happy October! We have officially reached NaNoWriMo prepping month which means it is time to bring back the annual writer’s linkup: Know the Novel!

Um. Okay. But. How is National Novel Writing Month ONE MONTH AWAY??? PURE INSANITY. Not gonna lie though, I’ve sort of been counting down the days since the end of last NaNo. (Yes, I am that crazy.) NaNo 2020 may have been my favorite NaNo of all time and I truly cannot wait to dive into yet another year of late nights, too much coffee, and, most importantly, mad writing!

I know so many of you are also about to delve into fresh stories or make progress on current ones. Whether you do NaNo or not, fall seems to be the Official Season of Writers. There’s just something about that crisp air, hot drinks, and cozy Autumnal glow that makes us want to put pen to paper and allow our imaginations to run free.

But writing does not have to be a lone venture. There is nothing quite like the cheers and support of our fellow story lovers to fuel our bloodstreams with a burst of motivation.

And that is why I created the Know the Novel linkup.

For three years now I’ve put together this linkup as an easy way for us all to share our NaNo projects OR current or upcoming WIPs and cheer each other on as we get these ideas from head to paper. And I am ecstatic to bring it back for the fourth year in a row!

If you’re new or just need a refresher on how this works, read on, dear Questor! It’s all super simple and I’d be thrilled for you to join along.

Introducing…

KNOW THE NOVEL

What is Know the Novel?

Know the Novel is a 3-part linkup series for writers, one for each of these last three months of the year. Each part will feature ten questions you can answer on your own blog (or anywhere else on social media, if you’d like!). The questions will be focusing on different parts of your novel and how the writing is going.

The linkups go as followed:

OCTOBER

• Part One: Introduction – This month’s questions are all about your novel! How did the first inkling of this novel form? What’s it about? Who are the characters? Share your brilliance with the world so we may all bask in it!

NOVEMBER

• Part Two: Within the WIP – These questions focus on how the writing itself is going. Has your novel thrown you some surprises? Any problem areas? What does a normal day of writing look like for you? Did you use up your month’s supply of coffee in the first week? Ah yes, the true life of a writer is revealed!

DECEMBER

• Part Three: Words Written – With December comes the glorious realization that YOU WROTE WORDS. Actual words! And for this linkup you get to share with the world how those words came to be. The victories, the hardships, and what comes next!

In Summary…

For three months I’ll throw ten novel/writing-related questions your way, you can take the questions and answer them on your own blog, and then share your link in the linkup I’ll attach below so others can read about your delicious novel-y goodness. Easy and fun for all!

QUICK NOTE: I am doing this during National Novel Writing Month season since a lot of us are joining in. BUT. You DO NOT have to be participating in NaNoWriMo to join the linkup! You can answer these questions for any WIP you have. It’s all just for fun and to help us share and encourage one another in all our writerly endeavors. I adore seeing what all my fellow writers are cooking up, so whether you’re doing NaNo or not, please do take the questions if you want and answer them for any WIP you have!

KNOW THE NOVEL
PART ONE: INTRODUCTION

I’d be honored if you used this graphic for your posts, but it’s certainly not required!

THE QUESTIONS

1. What first sparked the idea for this novel?

2. Share a blurb (or just an overall summary)!

3. Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

4. Tell us about your protagonist(s).

5. Who (or what) is the antagonist?

6. What excites you the most about this novel?

7. Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

8. Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

9. Name a few unique elements about this story.

10. Share some fun “extras” of the story (a song or full playlist, some aesthetics, a collage, a Pinterest board, a map you’ve made, a special theme you’re going to incorporate, ANYTHING you want to share!).

SHARE YOUR LINK

Now the important bit: SHARING YOUR LINK!

Once your post is published, share the URL in the linkup widget below so we can all read about your epic upcoming WIP!

Part 1 of the linkup ends at midnight on October 31st. Part 2 will go live Monday, November 1st!

I am SO looking forward to reading about everyone’s projects. Every single year I am utterly blown away by the sheer amount of creativity. Doing this linkup brings me so much joy and I do hope you all enjoy it as well.

I’ll be sharing about my own NaNo project later in the month. I’d love it if we could be buddies on the site! You can find my NaNo profile HERE.

I seriously cannot believe we’ve entered NaNo season, but my goodness am I EXCITED! These last 3 months of the year are my absolute favorites and I hope to soak them up to their fullest and feed on the streams of inspiration sparking in the air.

I do hope this month of planning and prepping goes spectacularly for you all!

Show of hands! Who’s doing NaNoWriMo??? Can you believe it’s so CLOSE? Are you excited? I cannot wait to see what you’re cooking up! If you join the linkup, don’t forget to share your link above!