Every week during National Novel Writing Month, we will post a list of one word prompts from our November Novel Planner to inspire you to get the words down. If you’re struggling a little more with writer’s block than usual, take advantage of these suggestions and probing questions to help you on your way to completing your NaNo novel draft.
For the rest of the prompts, daily planning pages, and more, download our FREE Digital November Novel Planner to help you stay focused and track your word count this NaNoWriMo.
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Day Eight: Host
- Does your character have a host of worries, fears, ideas, et cetera?
- Who is playing host, and can they be trusted?
- If a given character is a host, who or what is the parasite leeching off of them?
Day Nine: Instant
- Everything can change in an instant… How?
- Out of coffee? Your character may have to resort to instant!
- What instant captured in a photograph, a diary entry, or a recording could spell disaster?
Day Ten: Juice
- Uh, oh. The phone (or flashlight) is out of juice.
- Could juice be slang for something—alcohol, steroids, potions?
- Maybe now your characters are out of instant coffee, too, and the juice in the back of the fridge smells questionable.
Day Eleven: Knot
- Whether they’ve just told a lie or just entered a haunted dwelling, something has your character’s stomach in knots.
- Migrating to other places on the body, knots can be found in muscles and hair.
- Are two of your characters considering tying the knot? Does anyone know?
Day Twelve: Lounge
- After over 10,000 words of plot, might it be time for your characters to lounge?
- Or maybe the plot will take them to a lounge next, like a bar or a club.
- If one of your characters is overwhelmed, they may collapse on a chaise lounge. Anyone feeling faint?
Day Thirteen: Magnet
- Everyone is a magnet for something or other.
- They say opposites attract. Who or what are the opposite poles?
- Are we adding a magnet to the fridge in this story? Is it a souvenir, or are we showing off A+ effort?
Day Fourteen: Noise
- What strange or unexpected noise has your character looking over their shoulder?
- Your character needs to cut through the noise, but how?
- Or, if your characters are having fun, maybe they’re the ones making some noise!
