Well, it’s been about two weeks since the end of another NaNoWriMo. This past November, I participated in and “won” National Novel Writing Month for the third time. Every year, this challenge reminds me of a few things that sometimes get lost in the process during the other eleven months of the year.
One of the things that I most enjoy about NaNoWriMo is maybe not the most intuitive. A lot of people resonate with the comraderie, or the sheer challenge of fitting something as ambitious as a novel into something as finite as a month. Me? I keep coming back for the things that, for three years now, NaNoWriMo has consistently served to remind me of.
1. That I Have More In Me Than I Think
50k sounds like a heck of a lot of words… and it absolutely is. But it’s doable.
That isn’t to say that it’s perfect. I’ve been blessed with a string of Novembers that have been pretty peaceful; I don’t shoulder most of the prep for Thanksgiving Dinner. I’ve been fortunate with my own health and that of my family – I am able to reliably carve the time from around my day job and the basics of keeping myself and my home civilized for the challenge. I know many people start NaNoWriMo going full steam, but are sidelined by emergent circumstances. And that’s absolutely okay!
1667 is a shade over three times my usual personal minimum daily production of 500. On November 1st, I definitely feel that stretch. But it does not take many days at all before it starts to sink in… if I want to, if I can prioritize it in my schedule, I can make that wordcount. Day over day. It’s feasible, at least over a term of 30 days.
2. That You Can’t Edit What Doesn’t Exist
This is one of those truisms of writing that I feel like is repeated and shared and tends to bounce off my skull until November. 50k in 30 days is ambitious enough for my personal writing pace that I can’t afford to be quibble as I go. 1667 words in a day, around life, forces me to get that draft down in practice, not just in theory. That extra little pressure is the perfect nudge for me to pound keys.
3. That a First Draft is a First Step – The Work Isn’t Done Yet
My third recurring lesson is a sort of corollary to the second. NaNoWriMo forces me to make peace with my inner perfectionist. On some days during November, she screams. There’s crying and gnashing of teeth. But words are found. They don’t have to be THE words. Those words can be changed later, rethought and rewrought. For one month, a simple challenge forces the perfectionist to let me just get the story down. Entirely. Beginning, middle, and end. Then, I can turn her loose to get polishing.
4. That Writing Time Can Fit Into Unlikely Places
During most of the year, my writing time is between 4:30 and 7:00am, with a brief interlude for taking care of the critters before heading off to my day job. That isn’t hard and fast, concentrated write time, I will admit… I fit life admin, and a fair amount of distraction into those weekday mornings. But it’s a chunk that lets me produce at a pace that I’m not ashamed of at this stage of my writing career.
NaNoWriMo, though, reminds me how many little nuggets of day I might fit a few more words into. I become almost militant about those morning hours. I write on my lunch break. I’ve even been known to write a few lines on my phone when I would otherwise be killing a few minutes in line, or before an appointment.
5. That I am a Writer
This is a lesson that we all need to have reinforced more often. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about NaNoWriMo that reminds me that I am a writer. Maybe it’s the fact that the end product is so tangible, so comparatively quickly. Or possibly it’s that, in order to hit 50k, I have to treat my writing the same way I treat the other things in life that I really identify with. Committing to NaNoWriMo is committing to join the table. If you are what you do, during November, I freaking write.
Did you take up the NaNoWriMo challenge this year? How did you do? What is your favorite part of the challenge? Is there something in particular that keeps you taking up the path to 50k each November?
You can also find me posting writerly things on Twitter, Instagram, or hit me up on regular old email! I’d love to hear your thoughts! And for monthly musings on the writing life and updates on my journey, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter, Writing On Spec!
Until next time, I hope that you’re holding a cup or glass of your favorite holiday beverage, and that the Muse is looking over your shoulder!
Bravo, points well made
Thank you – I’m glad you enjoyed the post. :)