After the day I had today, I want to just relax and think about something fun. So, here’s how I’m prepping for NaNoWriMo.
Step One: Pick a Plot
Okay, I did that in a previous post. While being held hostage by Tobias Hankel, Spencer Reid dies after having a seizure caused by the torture and dilaudid. But it’s not the CPR that brings him back. He wakes up as an immortal. Elsewhere in the world, Andy and her team of immortal warriors dream of the young profiler, and travel to Georgia to bring him into their circle. Only, Reid doesn’t want to give up being with the BAU.
The story will start in Georgia, during “Revelations”. After that, it will follow some of Reid’s greatest… moments, I guess you can say, as well as follow Andy and friends on some of their own missions. Including the mission that brings Booker and Copley into the same circle. My goal is to follow the story until after The Old Guard film, which means I get to play with twelve years.
Step Two: Review Materials
Since I’m doing fanfiction instead of original fiction, I can skip the step of creating characters and coming up with backstories. I already know the Criminal Minds characters, and of course I have a good handling on The Old Guard team. Because it has been a while since I watched CM, I am taking the step to watch through several episodes to remind myself on the characters’ voices, especially Reid. I also only watched through about season eight I believe, so I’m going kinda handwave a couple years in there. I don’t have the patience to watch like seven seasons in just a few days.
Step Three: Build Timeline
Since I’m crossing over two different fandoms with pretty set timelines, I’m taking the time to actually lay out an approximate timeline of when everything happens. Of course, nothing is perfect, and I’m probably going to miss some things. But I want to at least give it a shot to get things mostly ok. To make things a bit easier for me, I’m actually setting up the timeline on a piece of white foamboard that I randomly have laying around in my room, so that I can visually see everything.
Step Four: Set Up NaNo Account
Technically this should be higher, but I keep on forgetting to do it. I have a NaNo account, but I haven’t added this project to it yet. I really need to get around to that, as well as seeing if any of the fanfic writers are planning on giving the movie some love. Maybe? We shall see.
Step Five: Gather Notes
Usually this step is where I break out my current planner of choice and make up all sorts of notes and put stickers all over November and basically just completely waste my time because I never go back to it.
Instead, this year I have a simple one subject notebook with a few stray notes, the timeline, and my list of episodes I really want to cover. I also have a running list of different things I want the Guard to get up into, though most of that will never see the light of day.
Step Six: Regret
… Why am I doing this. Why do I do this to myself every November. This is the bane of my birthday month I have too much to do just say NO.
Step Seven: Ignore Regret and Get On With It
Yes, steps six and seven are necessary. It’s my way of surviving the coming thirty days.
While I won’t be posting every day in November, as I’m aiming to return to my Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule until December, I will post updates, as well as little tidbits and what not throughout the month. I’m hoping that by promising that, I’ll actually have the motivation to get through and finish.
Until next time!
