“I’m a reader, not a writer.”
This was practically my motto throughout my entire high school experience. I loved to read, but the second anyone suggested that maybe one day I would write one of the books I loved so much, I immediately shut them down. There was this voice in my head screaming at me that I couldn’t write a book. Despite what my teachers and friends said, I was convinced that I was a bad writer, destined to be a reader and only a reader forever.
Something switched in the fall of my freshman year at Conn. Thanks to everyone’s favorite pandemic, I found myself having hours of free time, few close friends on campus, and a lot of pent up emotions. And, I knew I wouldn’t be happy spending all that time watching more Netflix, so I decided to take on a challenge that felt like the most daunting thing I could do: I was going to do NaNoWriMo.
For those that are unfamiliar, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, aspiring writers take on the challenge to write 50,000 words towards a novel in 30 days. In November 2020, I was one of over 500,000 people who participated.
And I will be honest, when I set out, I didn’t think I was actually going to stick with it for more than a week. It felt like an idea that I got really excited about, but would forget about once I got busy. But, even if I only wrote a chapter, I wanted to give it my all from the start. So, every day, I took my spot at a cubicle on the third floor of Shain Library and wrote the 1600 words that would keep me on track with my goal. I loved the way I could track my words, compare that day’s progress to the day before, and feel like I was working towards something big.
But more than hitting a number, I loved the story I was writing. I became attached to the characters and their relationships and the way I knew exactly where the story was heading, but had no clue how it would get there until the words were on paper. A silly little story about a postal worker had somehow given me a purpose. In a year where everyone seemed to just be floating along, that felt huge. Writing this novel helped remind me that I don’t just love to read. I love stories. There is something magical about witnessing a plot unfold, getting to know characters as if they are friends, and going on an adventure with them. That feeling is even more amazing when that magic is your own.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I didn’t make the 50,000 word goal. Somewhere just shy of 40,000, I went home for Thanksgiving and took a break. But, that does not matter. At all. What I got out of this experience was so much greater than hitting some word count. I challenged a lifelong belief that I couldn’t write. I was proud of my writing and gained confidence in my words—so much so that I started writing for Her Campus. Through this process, I feel like I unlocked a creative part of myself that I had never had access to before. Now, I am always thinking of new story ideas, and I know that my first WriMo will not be my last.
For anyone who has always wanted to write a book but doesn’t think they have what it takes, just put a pen to paper or open a blank Word document. You might be surprised how much you will grow alongside your characters.
NaNoWriMo 2021 starts on Monday, what story do you have inside you?