I always plan my paintings. 
I Make sure I have all my materials ready before I begin and plan what I will be doing.

Yesterday I spent a full day in the NaNoWriMo site of the forums learning as much as I could in preparation for writing book two of my Dreaming Billabong series. 

I have lined up a 71 year old man to interview to gain some personal details about life in puberty in the 1950's as seen from the male perspective.  I have most of my story, loosely flowing around in my head and not a word will be typed until November 1.

As I have not submitted Novel 1 to a publisher as yet I will be making changes back into novel one as I write novel two two as I find stories work that way...I wrote broadly back and forth into a novel in the same way I constructed a painting.

Although last year was the beginning for my first novel I was not inexperienced at constructing art works and I approached it the same way I would any other creative project and I will do the same this year. This gives me confidence.  I never felt like a beginner novelist, I felt like I took to it like a duck to water. Even if it was  a baby duck with a lot to learn :-).

1/ I Plan.

Plan the CREATIVE PROJECT. MY Novel
I firmly believe in making a plan before I start.  While I never rigidly stick to a plan but go where intuition and inspiration lead me for a better result, that plan allows me to see my beginning, middle and ending and I do not get unstuck, lost, not waffle into unnecessary detail about things not relevant to this creative work...my novel.   This is exactly the same thing I do when painting.

I will complete my novel's plan this week. It will amount to little more than a few post it notes or a page in my diary.  It will however be the main ideas for the novel.

I will also read though the slush pile of unused writing notes I created when I wrote Novel one and see if any of those ideas work for my novel 2.  I never throw away anything I edit out of a novel.  Often it can be used as a short story or ideas in a new novel.

I will read more about writing young adult books during this week and also romance writing.  Both these areas are a little out of my comfort zone as I am a mainstream writer.  I have just on four days left of my planning stage.

Plan the environment I write in
On a practical level I plan to tidy the house, be all caught up in the area, and have my casual sarongs and the fan and air conditioner out as November can get hot here in northern Victoria and I desire to stay cool as I write.

Plan for my Physical and Mental Health and Fitness as I write.
I will have a written down fitness plan in place and follow though as I gained several dress sizes over the year I wrote my first novel.  That has to STOP.   It might have been my first novel baby but I must not eat for two, lol, as I write or stress eat when my protagonists are in danger.  
I WILL be getting 7 -8 hours sleep at night.

The garden looks beautiful, and is easy to maintain that way. The garden helps me relax and enjoy life.  My day bed where I write is set up in front of a window that looks out over a cottage garden filled with roses in bloom and beyond that is farmland as far as the horizon.  I LOVE this view.  I am inside and yet my vista is of the outdoors where most of my novel will take place.

Plan Finances so I can write.
I have purchased my computer and software to write in. Worked hard to pay for them. My freezer is chock a block with food as is my pantry and ll the Christmas presents have been purchased. and I will be keeping spending to a minimum. 
I have my EBay store filled up with are prints to give me a small amount of income as I write and I have six blogs that earn me a little income.  All these help pay for internet costs and assist me do the research I need for my novel.  A nice break even fund raising side business to assist with my writing.  

Wherever possible I make one thing I do for pleasure...such as writing this blog, serve two purposes, such as earning me a small income.  So I will cut n past and slightly change this blog post and place it again in another blog where I am paid for what I write. 

Great plan.   I am pleased with it.

What are your plans to be ready for YOUR NEXT CREATIVE PROJECT?