We’re growing very close to the biggest writing event of the year: National Novel Writing Month. It’s a time where writers across the globe get together to support each other in the gargantuan task of writing typically 50,000 words in a single month.
This kind of race has all the elements of a classic marathon over the course of a whole month. There are cheerleaders, competitors, accountability partners, performers and occasionally even race-related injuries. It captures all the drama and comedy of a Netflix Original Series. There are many reasons to participate and questions of if this year is right for you, though, and I hope to address them so you don’t need to wonder.
It's a Good Way to Create a Writing Habit
Many professional authors spend a whole year on their initial draft. So, it’s a mad dash to complete 50,000 words in 30 days, but it’s also an exercise in consistency and finding time. If you break it down into equal words per day, you have 1,667 words. This is what I typically aim for with hopes of getting ahead to take days off when I’m feeling fatigued. But I also know people that prefer doing 12,500 weekly sprints on the weekend. I can’t imagine it, but it’s what works for their creativity and schedules.
No matter what, the promise of finishing your wordcount in 30 days requires regimented progress and carving out time and space in your life to write. Getting used to that blank page each day is a great way to make a habit of breaking through writer's block to start or keep writing beyond November. Maybe you won’t write 1600 words each day, but you’ve found a time that works for you to keep making progress.
It's a Good Way to Meet an Existing Draft Goal
Do you have a project you keep picking up and putting down that you swear someday you’ll finish? Or maybe you have a completed first draft and a big pile of notes of what needs to be fixed. NaNoWriMo gives you a community to help accomplish these goals as well! It’s okay to hijack the movement, write ins, and support systems to reach your writing goals. Everyone will celebrate with you just as much as you finishing a first draft, and you deserve that.
It Doesn’t Have to be 50,000 Words
National Novel Writing Month has a certain cachet to it. People love talking about their 50k wordcount, but even on the NaNoWriMo website there is the easy capability to adjust your intended wordcount to begin your novel or write something shorter. Go off the beaten path and use the month to write a short story a week or 30 pieces of flash fiction in 30 days. The community is there to help you reach your writing goals whatever they may be.
It’s Going to Look Different This Year
With COVID-19 risks literally hanging in the air, most NaNoWriMo participation will be virtual this year. Write-ins will happen over Zoom and socially-distanced outdoor locations. And swapping with beta readers will likely happen exclusively online once it is over. The good news is that to be more connected than ever takes less effort on your part! The hard part is the separation we’re feeling in all parts of our lives this year. But being part of a cultural movement means more connection than not having tried at all. Give it a shot!
It's Okay to Lose
I have friends who like to say they want to participate in NaNoWriMo, but they’re not sure they can make it a whole month with writing. If you’re one of those, you should still consider trying it out! Set a big goal that sounds achievable and start creating writing habits and rewards systems for writing. If you decide it’s time to step away, you have made some progress and broken down your goal into manageable chunks. And you may be surprised to find that the win of meeting your daily writing goal keeps you moving forward. It’s a great way to start the day off right.
It's Okay to Say No
November is a big month. Between preparing for winter and the beginning of the holiday season, there’s a lot going on. November of this year feels especially full with the looming election after such a tumultuous year. Even though many of us have more time than ever due to social distancing, it’s important to make room for emotional processing with so much of our worlds feeling at a breaking point. Writing is a great way to process, but it isn’t the only way. It’s okay to break a winning streak if you’re not ready to write this year or any year. Do what is right for you and your family this November.
There are some critics of NaNoWriMo this year saying that it isn’t worth your time because you won’t finish your novel at the end of the month. This is true. I highly doubt even if you are ahead of schedule you can edit your novel all in the same month.
There will still be a lot to do after your draft is finished. But there are a huge list of upsides to the phenomenon besides getting words on pages including making writerly friends and learning more about what works for you. NaNoWriMo changed the way I write, and I hope it does for you, too!
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