I love October. It’s one of my favorite times of year; when the trees are all starting to turn to rich, fiery reds and oranges, the weather can be brisk, yet chill enough to appreciate a hot cup of tea after a long walk, and above all, it holds the best of holidays at its end – Halloween.

But as a writer, I have another reason to love October, however other literary heads and I know it by another name…Preptober.

In recent years, the month preceding NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) has become affectionately tagged as the preparation or planning month prior to that where hopefully aspiring authors attempt to produce a 50,000 word manuscript in just 30 days.

It’s an exciting time, one of creativity and wistful tension as we produce flash cards and hefty flowcharts of character intrigues, plot outlines and stocking our amazon carts with all the Post-It notes we can afford. Yet, it is with sadness that I acknowledge that this year, I won’t be taking part in the creative madness.

As much as I would simply love to put aside thirty days to work on a personal project and just submerge myself into my writing process by sharing snapshots with my audience here and on social media, the truth be told, I just can’t afford to at the moment.

Having just come back to work, I have a lot on my plate at present, and needs must. My focus has to be on other projects right now. And whilst I am upset that I am not making the commitment this year, it is also a unique opportunity to just sit back and cheer others on from the side lines.

Just a few days into October and already my YouTube and social media feeds were rammed with posts of eager writers pulling out the highlighters and showcasing their methods for planning and prepping to write a novel in a month.

And whilst I myself am not going to be participating or producing NaNo content this year, I didn’t want this time to pass by without at least some recognition on my blog of the event.

So, with this in mind here are four of my favourite authors to follow on Instagram and YouTube, who are taking their novel-in-a-month journey. These are all fabulous ladies with inventive ideas and awesome stories, so please do share some love, click the heart buttons and comment with your thoughts.

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Sarra Cannon of hearbreathingsblog

A woman after my own heart, Sarra is where I want to be in a few years. A work from home writer with a beautiful family, she shares her writing journey on a beautiful tiled effect Instagram and through amazing YouTube videos where she shares useful tips for planning and executing your novel.

Click here for more heartbreathings.

Authorjessielliott

I love Jessi Elliott’s Instagram feed. It is so warm and inventive, featuring images of book covers in seasonal settings, and that wonderful author aesthetic of a MacBook and beverage that never fails to get the creative juices flowing. Her posts are always interactive and there is always a conversation going on.

Clink here for more Jessie Elliott.

Author Mari Suggs

Mari is another writer whose output always sparkles and is enjoyable. She provides honest and open vlogs on her writing experience, never shying away from the tougher aspects of the craft. Her Instagram feed cannot help but inspire as it captures her insane work ethic and makes you want to jump start your own writing session.

Click here for more Mari Suggs.

Kate Cavanaught

Kate has been one of my favorite YouTube writers for years now. I love her eccentric and scatty enthusiasm and the fact that her posts are always colourful and vibrant. Everything she produces has a happy undertone and one can’t help but be super hyped to write when viewing her content. Her style is raw and honest and I simply love her style. A must watch, up and coming author!

Click here for Kate’s Instagram or follow the video link for YouTube.

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I hope to one day call all of these ladies colleagues and friends – they have all been such a source of inspiration to me, and I find their feeds a wealth of creativity. I hope you can find value among their posts too.

So, what I want to know is, am I the only Pretober loner out there this year? Or are you also having to lay personal projects on the back burner whilst staring with envy at your Instagram feed? Or are you already prepped and raring to go? If so, do be a dear and leave a comment below to let me know how you are getting on and what your planning methods entail!