As we just closed the door on the 26th annual iteration of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, as it’s more affectionately—and easily—called, I think it is a good time to talk about what it is and why you might participate. To those who participated and completed the challenge: congratulations! Finishing a piece of writing is such a rewarding feeling, and you just wrote a whole novel in one month!
To those who didn’t participate, or who’ve never even heard of NaNoWriMo, welcome! We’re here to discuss why you might participate in the next one—or take the NaNoWriMo framework and use it to guide you in writing anytime.
National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 and became a sensation for many years. The premise is that writers set aside the month of November to write a novel. Now, that sounds like a tall order (as someone who’s been working on a novel for much longer than a month, it sounded impossible when I first heard it). But the goal is actually much clearer than that: write 50,000 words in one month, or approximately 1,667 words per day. If you commit to setting aside an hour or two at a time to just let yourself write (no editing!), that word count is quite attainable. Even if you don’t quite meet this word count, any progress you made on writing a novel you’re passionate about is worth celebrating, even when it feels small.
With that in mind, what are some things to consider when deciding if you do want to make the commitment to writing a novel in 30 days? Below is my list of questions I ask myself when thinking about attempting this challenge:
1. Do you have an idea prepared?
Writing a novel in 30 days doesn’t leave room for much planning as you go. That word count is meant to encourage you to get words on the page, moving your story along (though you definitely don’t have to write scenes in chronological order!). If you’re going to commit to this, you need to have a vision for your novel going into November. It might be wise to take some time before November to pull together a loose idea of what you’ll write on day one so you can take off immediately. This can range from outlines to sticky notes left for yourself to daydreaming a few weeks in advance until you have a solid enough image to start writing come Nov. 1. If you can answer this question with, “Yes,” you’re on track to successfully participate in this challenge.
2. Do you have a time every day that you’re going to dedicate to writing?
This question is pretty straightforward. It’s simply to get you to start making a plan in your head for accomplishing the task of writing 50,000 words in 30 days. Are you going to set aside two hours every morning? 45 minutes every morning and evening? The time it takes for your candle to burn out when you light it at 7pm (depending on how big your candle is, this one could be dangerous)? Whatever it is, look at your schedule, figure out what works best for you, and dedicate that time to nothing but novel writing.
3. Are you going to defend your writing time with your life?
As college students, our schedules are often packed yet unpredictable. I know the struggle of wanting to write for fun, but being bogged down by essays, exams, work schedules, plans with friends—anything and everything in life that isn’t writing your novel. While all of those are important to balance, NaNoWriMo is not the month to let them take priority over your writing time. Schedule those things around your writing time this month, not the other way around. Unless you go into November with the mindset of sticking to the time you set aside, no matter what—and perhaps informing your friends and family of your plan so they can support you—those 1,667 words daily are going to become less and less attainable. If you can tenaciously commit to your writing time, you have a solid chance at completing your novel.
4. Are you willing to write through obstacles?
Long days. Little sleep. Loud neighbors. Whatever it is, life will go on during NaNoWriMo. Things are going to pop up—big things and little things—that take your energy and dampen your motivation to expend energy writing. Even if you are super passionate and desperately want to have a full novel by the end of the month, life will try its best to get in the way. But we push through those things all the time to accomplish our goals. From all-nighters studying for an exam to the stress of parking in downtown SLO for our favorite stand at the farmer’s market, we make a way to accomplish the things that are important to us. Is this novel important enough to you to push through the things you’d rather avoid, in order to finish? If you can keep listening to the angel on your shoulder nagging you to write even when you’re tired from the day, those 50,000 words will be yours.
5. Do you truly want to write a novel in one month?
This one is key. Writing is an art form. You get to sit down with your computer or your notebook and be a creator for a while—that’s exciting! But if you aren’t feeling an adrenaline rush imagining yourself on Dec. 1 jumping up and down and telling all the people close to you that you just wrote a novel, you might struggle to finish. Now, jumping up and down for joy itself isn’t necessarily the important part; there are plenty of alternative ways to celebrate. The point is that you would feel accomplished and excited about finishing a novel in 30 days, and imagining that end-of-November feeling makes your chest swell and your breath catch because you need that vision to come true. If that’s you, write that novel! It’s practically begging you to write it. If you know in your gut that completing this challenge will feel worthwhile to you, that’s a sure sign to pick up the pen and start writing.
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NaNoWriMo is about commitment—committing to yourself, your art, and your vision. Affirmatively answer these five questions, and you just might be up to the challenge. Enjoy the process, and hold on to that excitement as you write your novel. And if you succeed, amazing! If you don’t quite make it there, that’s okay! You’ve probably learned something about yourself and your writing style that can help you tackle the next NaNoWriMo. Every step in your writing journey is valuable; be grateful for it, and use it to propel yourself forward.