A version of this blog post originally appeared on FuentesPens.Ink.
In November of 2022, something magical happened. I “won” National Novel Writing Month by writing 50,010 words during November’s thirty days.
And I’ve been chasing that high ever since.
Apparently, I love the feeling of getting something done on a tight deadline. With 4thewords giving me daily deadlines in my writing life, I knew I could be unstoppable if I could pick a direction and stick with it.
It turns out I also love numbers. (I know! I’m just as surprised as you are!) 4thewords gave me lots of delicious data to devour, so now I know how many words per month I’m likely to write when I’m not pushing myself under NaNoWriMo-like conditions. Believe me when I tell you that I was dying to do something cool and productive with this new information.
When Kristin Durfee mentioned inside the Writer’s Atelier online community that she was considering using a then-upcoming Camp NaNoWriMo session to outline her next project, the lightbulb turned on. All of a sudden, I have a writing schedule that:
- Plays nicely with my deadline-hungry brain,
- Also plays nicely with my typical daily output,
- Aligns with the “writing seasons” (namely, both Camp NaNo sessions and NaNoWriMo),
- And allows for rest—which I won’t give myself if I don’t schedule it!
I’ve already started doing a version of this plan this year, and I’m loving the results so far! I’m so excited about this, I had to share my thinking for next year, too. Maybe you will find inspiration to create a plan of your own.
And if you follow me through to the end, we have a free printable 2024 calendar in it for you!
I have four project slots: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
It’s a very rough correspondence to the seasons, I’ll give you that, but this was the easiest way to classify them.
January through March is dedicated to my Spring Project. In 2024, thanks to leap year, it’s ninety-one days long.
May through June is time for my shorter Summer Project. That’s sixty-one days long. I foresee this being the trickiest project to plan—it’s a shorter period than both Spring and Autumn Projects get, but doesn’t have the pressure of a thirty-day challenge.
August through October is my Autumn Project. That’s also ninety-one days long.
And, finally, the Winter Project is NaNoWriMo: 50,000 words of freshly written fiction.
Now, you may think the idea of “seasonal slots” is fine and dandy, but what are you going to do to fill them? Assemble a marketing strategy? Write a novel? Edit one? Pen a series of novellas or short stories or poems written back to back? Hammer out episodes for some kind of serialized fiction platform, like Kindle Vella or even Dorian?
Well, that part is up to you!
My plan is for my two-going-on-bajillion pen names and I will follow the joy, and I’ll release the projects as they’re completed.
I have two planning periods: April and July.
Okay, follow me closely here, because these planning periods are staggered.
During April, I plan for the Summer and Autumn projects for that year. That means I commit to which two projects I’m pursuing during those periods, and I fully outline both of them in my own special way.
In July, I plan for NaNoWriMo and the Spring project of the following year.
Why choose these months—both of them Camp NaNoWriMo sessions—to plan the entire year? Because of the Camp NaNo solidarity, of course! I’ve always loved how flexible Camp NaNo is (especially since I have a history of being a #NaNoRebel), but I haven’t personally felt called to participate in recent years. Now I can join in on the fun every year!
And I have December to rest.
Even if I hadn’t already planned to take December off, my loved ones would have demanded it.
There is the tricky matter of my daily writing streak. I intend to keep it going all year long because I just love watching the number go up, y’know? However, instead of writing fiction during December, I’m going to hit my bare minimum, 444-word daily goal by brainstorming and journaling.
This won’t work for everyone, but…
We all have different writing needs, speeds, and dreams. What I’ve detailed here may be completely wrong for you.
But my hope in sharing this plan of mine is not merely to offer a template to follow, but to get you thinking about your own long-term planning methods. Are you pursuing your goals with the tenacity they deserve? Do you give yourself time to rest and reflect? Are you living the writing life you want and deserve, real life being whatever it is for you?
We know it’s a little early, but if you’re just as excited as I am to plan next year, we made you a 2024 calendar to download!
Personally, I plan on color-coding mine with highlighters by project/planning period, then crossing off the days of the year as they pass. Tell us in the comments how you plan to use your copy!
And if you’re looking for a little more structure in your writing life, you’ll want to check out The Write Gym Workbook! Our undated workbook can be cracked open at any time of year to help you craft the writing life you want and achieve your goals. Just loop back around to January at the start of the next year!
