What Is NaNoWriMo?
And why should you (or shouldn’t you) participate?
Image courtesy of NaNoWriMo
For some, November means colorful autumn leaves, apple cider, and pumpkin everything. For many writers, November represents National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo.
For those of you who don’t know anything about NaNoWriMo, you may be surprised to find out it’s actually been around for over twenty years, hosting over half a million writers last year alone.
The writing goal
The goal for those writing during November is simple: write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. A writing marathon, if you will.
The goal may be simple and straightforward, but writing “a whole book” in a month takes a lot of planning and discipline. Each person, to win and meet the end goal, needs to write 1,666 words per day, every day in November. If you plan on taking weekends off, you’ll need to write 2,273 words each day.
That’s a lot of words.
The community
The NaNoWriMo community is what really makes it all work for so many participants. Most challenging tasks are made easier with a buddy, and writing is no exception. Writing buddies abound in the NaNo world, and you can find them by age, gender, experience, genre, location, and pretty much any other category.
Whether you go through the official NaNo site to find your writing buddies, meet online, or meet in person, you’ll probably end up with at least a couple of buddies for life. Some groups are made up of members who are local to each other, and they meet throughout the year for write-ins, encouragement, and friendship based on a mutual love of writing.
Other groups are composed of friends and acquaintances from all over the world, thanks to internet connections. This type of group can be wonderful for diversity and informed opinions when authenticity is needed.
Wherever you find your buddies, know that one of the major advantages is the accountability of someone else knowing what you’re supposed to be doing, doing it alongside you, and taking turns encouraging when a boost is needed.
The drawbacks of writing that much in a month
As with anything worth doing, NaNoWriMo has its ups and downs. Let’s explore the drawbacks first and get them out of the way so we can finish on a positive note:
The most obvious component of writing a book is that it takes time. Writing 50,000 words of a book takes a lot of time. Maybe it’s time you don’t consistently have to give. Maybe you’re a slow writer; how will you meet your big goal?
November in the US marks the beginning of the winter holidays. Christmas/holiday shopping starts, Thanksgiving happens in November (accompanied by a long weekend off from work for many people), and things simply become busier. Why doesn’t NaNoWriMo happen in March?
The word count seems like a lot—and at 50K words, it is—but it’s still not a full novel’s worth in most genres. The “write a whole book in a month!” idea doesn’t hold true.
At the end of the month, you’ll have a lot of words down, but it’s still a rough draft that will need further editing.
Sometimes the words just don’t flow. If you have a slow day, or even a few slow days in a row, you can become overwhelmed with trying to catch up.
Can you ignore life? If you have children, a spouse, a social life, animals, a chronic illness, or a demanding day job, it may be harder to place yourself in a writing bubble for even ten minutes each day, much less an hour or more.
Fixing plot holes may derail word count progress, but if you notice your story arc is going astray and don’t fix it right away, then you could end up scrapping much of the supposed progress you’ve made over the long run.
You could meet your November goal, sticking with the daily word count and plowing through to win, only to experience burnout in following months, unable (and unwilling) to write much at all.
The benefits of writing that much in a month
Okay, so those were some of the many reasons people choose not to do NaNo, or choose not to repeat it after trying it once or twice. However, there’s an up for every down, so let’s take a look at why you still might want to try this mayhem:
The bottom line is that you’ll probably have written more than you might have otherwise. Unless you’re a writer with a disciplined daily writing habit, you’re unlikely to reach 50,000 words in a month’s time.
This sort of piggybacks on the previous benefit: getting that many words written in a month is a tangible reminder of what can be accomplished when we put our minds to reaching a goal instead of focusing on why we can’t manage it.
The discipline involved is both forced and encouraged. The peer pressure can work in a positive way as you continually have your total word count in front of you. Others are in the same boat and can encourage you from an insider’s real place of empathy.
You may find it’s easier to focus as you make daily writing a priority for a month.
You don’t have to write a novel! Yes, there will always be those who strictly adhere to the “novel” rule, but even the official NaNoWriMo site admits that all writing counts if you want it to count. Adapt it to your needs: write a blog post each day instead, write short stories, flesh out your character pages, write batches of outlines for all those ideas in your head that won’t shut up, write for more than one writing project.
How to “win”
Winning NaNoWriMo is determined by meeting or exceeding the 50K word count goal. Anyone and everyone can win. Yes, you’re part of a larger community, but in the end, you’re only competing against yourself. A few tips to help you on the road to a successful finish:
Set aside an “appointment” to write each day. This can be done by arranging quiet time in a busy household, alone time offsite in a cafe, or the tried & true practice of waking up before everyone else/staying up later than everyone else. You may not have a 100 percent success rate, but I’m willing to bet you’ll succeed more often than not because of planning for it.
Use your phone’s “work mode” feature to allow only phone calls or texts, but not social media notifications, for a specified time. My phone even allows me to choose whose calls and texts come through so I don’t have spammers interrupting me.
Find a way to challenge and reward yourself so you can stay motivated. If you write for 15 minutes, you can have a snack. Write for a half hour so you can watch an hour of your favorite show on Netflix. No social media until one hour of writing is completed. The challenges and rewards should change to keep them fresh.
Do writing sprints alone or with another person. A writing sprint is when you set aside time to write at the same time a writing buddy does. Maybe every Friday night, you meet with that person and write together in person or with an open video call for two hours. You might work in silence, but you’ll know the other person is there and counting on you to be there too.
Combine tasks. “Write” by dictating into your phone’s notes app or Gdocs or Word or whatever while doing a necessary task that doesn’t need concentration, like washing dishes or taking a walk. Write on a phone or laptop while waiting in a parking lot or office waiting room. Be creative!
Don’t try to do it all at once. Start slow and write longer when the mood is right. Maybe 1,666 words a day sounds daunting. Start off with 500 instead. Write 2000 if you’re in the zone and the words are flowing. But allow yourself to go at a pace that won’t make you quit within the first week.
NaNoWriMo resources
There are a lot of resources out there! All you have to do is a quick search online and you’ll find more options than you can possibly use. Social media like Twitter and Instagram are great sources because you can use hashtags to find things quickly. Pinterest boards will lead you to a number of links pinned by experienced NaNo participants. The opportunities are many.
In the meantime, here are some things to get you started:
NaNoWriMo’s official website, of course.
Also, Chuck Wendig’s unique take on the 25 Things You Should Know About NaNoWriMo, to give you a laugh as well as things to ponder.
Happy writing!
BONUS PRIZE:
All NaNoWriMo winners are eligible to receive a 20% discount on my Full Line Edit and Copyedit Package from Feb–Nov of the following year. Contact me for details when you’re ready and be prepared to show me your winner’s certificate.
