What is NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo is an abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month and occurs in November. It was created by the non-profit organization NaNoWriMo, which made a website to go along with it. The website has space to keep your works and create goals for them, the main goal is writing a novel, or 50,000 words, in November. They have achievement badges, checkpoints, and a calculated graph to keep you on track. It is lowkey and low-pressure and is meant to promote creativity and writing all around the world.
How It’s Going So Far
The first time I did NaNoWriMo was in my freshman year of high school. My teacher made it an assignment, as we were learning about creative writing. I fell in love with it instantly and found it so fun and helpful to have such a concrete goal. As a freshman in high school, I lowered my goal to 20,000 words, but now that I am a freshman in college, I thought I’d try for the full 50,000.
I’m not going to lie and say that I’m on top of it. I’m definitely very behind. However, I’m realizing that this is okay. Even though I haven’t written as much as I’m supposed to, I still have written way more than I would’ve without doing NaNoWriMo. Being a college student has made my life quite busy and full, so writing as much as I have is still an accomplishment.
How I Will Continue
As November continues, so does NaNoWriMo. I’m going to continue on as strong as I can, and I’m going to make it enjoyable along the way. I love to create a fun and relaxing environment while I write, such as getting my favorite drink, lighting a candle, or sitting somewhere super comfy. I even got a new keyboard just to make my writing extra fun.Â
Reflections On My Progress
Thinking about the end of NaNoWriMo, I realize I probably won’t reach the goal. However, it’s totally okay. Being a college student doesn’t leave me a lot of free time, so getting the amount of writing done that I have is an accomplishment, even if I won’t reach my goal.