NaNoWriMo | November 2018!

Another absence on this blog, and another reason. Although, it’s a great reason this time.

I’ve made the decision to do NaNoWriMo this year. In short, it’s a challenge to write an entire 50,000 word — or more — novel in 30 days.

NaNoWriMo is a non-profit organization that raises money for all kinds of good causes related to writing and education. One, in particular, is to fund kits to send to schools that need them and to encourage younger writers. Besides that, it's an event every year in November that has been going on since 1999, and millions of writers join in on the chaos every year. This year is my first.

The idea is to start with a brand new manuscript. A clean slate. You may also begin with an outline or nothing else other than your imagination. Either way, after you’ve created your profile and filled in your novel’s basic details, you’re ready to begin.

Every day, ideally, you’ll log your word count in one of two ways. There are stats you can watch to see where you're at compared to the average person, and you can also see a projected completion date determined by your average daily word count, as well as how many words you have left to write to complete the 50k dash. Below are my latest stats, taken as of today.

You write your novel in the word processor of your choosing, and as you log your word count and interact with the site, as well as donate if you so choose, you will earn badges.

There are also badges you can choose to give yourself based on an honor system, as they are achievements that can’t actually be measured in any way. For example, I gave myself the ‘Something in my eye’ badge for wringing my heart out over a few scenes or more. Sometimes writing can be an emotional roller coaster, but that makes for some of the best and most authentic moments.

From November 20th onward, you can claim your win by pasting the entirety of your first draft in their official word counter. They also give you the option to scramble your words if you wish, although no one is actually going to read your novel. Nothing gets uploaded to the website and your words are deleted as soon as they are counted. Once that process is complete, I imagine you’ll feel pretty good about yourself for your success.

There are prizes, but they're available to everyone, so be honest! They are small things like coupons to writing programs and online courses, and other little things that help writers to keep them going strong long after they’ve finished their NaNoWriMo novel.

Personally, the feeling of accomplishment from completing an entire first draft of a novel in a month is the biggest win of being a participant. Even if you don’t complete your novel, you’ve still accomplished something great, and you still have words there that you didn’t have before. It’s even more incentive to keep going for yourself and for the story you have to tell.

I’m well into 27k words on the eighth day, which isn’t something I thought I would be capable of. I passed NaNoWriMo by for a few years after hearing about it, mostly because I didn’t think I could do it. I sold myself short due to my own insecurities, and I was doing the very thing some people in my life have done to me in the past — I was putting myself down because of a lack of faith in myself. I felt my anxiety disorder and other mental illnesses left me unable to do much of anything, and I was destined to fail.

Yet, it’s November 8th and I have come a long way from that mindset. On the first, I sat in front of my computer mulling it over. A friend from a Facebook writing group brought it to my attention again, claiming that she was doing it herself. She needed a writing buddy. I’d told her I wasn’t participating, but on a whim, I signed up for the site and I locked myself in. I haven’t looked back.

It’s like something lit a fire under me (usually that’s Byleth, but this time I did it myself. He and Lestan have been the best cheerleaders). A deadline with the goal of having fun and just letting loose on the page, not caring about editing as I went like I usually did, was freeing. The goal was to go until it was time to stop, as editing during NaNoWriMo is heavily discouraged. All of that would come in the months to pass after your win, and the site also has a section for just that. My goal is to be able to open up that part of the site after my victory.

At 27k in after only the first week, I am certain I can win. I can safely say that if you go into this as a lover of words, stories, and with a passion for the art of writing, you’ll win too. Just keep at it and don’t worry about the numbers while you’re writing. Focus on the amazing story you have to tell, and the rest will come in time.

The best of luck to anyone who is participating this year. I hope to be able to make another blog entry when I’ve finally reached the ultimate goal.