That means it’s time for NaNoWriMo again! You maybe have heard of the yearly challenge of trying to write a novel in thirty days. These are those days.
NaNoWriMo and I have a speckled history, to say the least. I began trying to NaNo in 2013, and for YEARS I could not win. I tried nearly every year from 2013-2019 and lost every time.
Then in 2020, I tried again and won!
What was the difference? Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe there were so many fewer social commitments because of the pandemic. Maybe it was that I finally had an office. Maybe it was that I finally got more involved with my local NaNo group (shout out to Alaska WriMos!).
In any case, it lit a fire under me. I am a slow writer, and to think I could do 50000 words of writing in 30 days (and actually, I wrote the vast majority of those in the last two weeks) just blew my mind.
Was it my best work? No. Was it a finished novel? Also obviously no. But it was a really good start on the first draft of the next book in the series I was working on and I was thrilled.
So, here I am again.
I will be trying to journal here every day of November, letting you know how I am going, the word counts, and documenting how it happens.
Check back for updates, and to keep me honest!
PS: Are you doing NaNo too? I would love to hear how it is going for you. The camaraderie is the best part!
I’m doing NaNo too! I love it – the e support you feel, the way it cheers up a dreary month. I’ve only “won” once but that really is the least important part of it. Best of luck!
I feel the same way! Something needs to be a bright spot in November and the community definitely brightens the season!
May the writing forces be with you! I’ve done NaNo 3 times, won twice. My first NaNo win was 2013, and these years and many revisions later, I’m querying agents with a novel manuscript. Not officially involved this year, and I miss it already. You’re both right–it gives November a real brightness.
Thank you! Good luck querying!
[…] it was crazy for me to think that I would write a novel in a month and also blog about it every day. It turns out that life decided it was going to keep happening even though I made those plans! I […]
[…] This is a snippet from the novel I am working on for NaNoWriMo. I hope you enjoy it. I’m documenting my journey each day. […]
[…] This is a small snippet of my current WIP, which I am working on for NaNoWriMo. I am documenting my journey to 50,000 words. I hope you enjoy […]