NaNoWriMo 2022
November is fast approaching and you know what that means, my friends.
NaNoWrimo is upon us!
For those who don’t know, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an annual event held in November in which writers and creators attempt to write a fifty-thousand-word first draft of a novel by the end of the month. I know, it sounds crazy. Because it is.
I’ve been participating in the event for quite a few years now. I think my first go was around 2014, during my last year of college. Looking back that may have not been the best time to tackle a new challenge, but I was immediately hooked. No, I did not win that year. I haven’t won most years to be completely honest. But it’s such a fun and rewarding challenge. Even if I don’t hit the full fifty-thousand words by the end of the month, I’ve made the time to focus on a new story and create the beginnings of something I’m proud of.
Typically, I consider myself more of a “Pantser” than a “Planner.” I’ve talked about this before but I’ll briefly explain: A “Pantser” is someone who doesn’t do any prep work or planning. We sit at our computer and just start writing. Maybe we have a vague idea of what we want to write but we’re mainly flying by the seat of our pants. A “Planner” is pretty self-explanatory. We outline, we prep, we create an entire background and plan for our stories. We know exactly where we’re going and what we’re doing.
This year, I’ve made a dedicated effort to plan out my novel. I already had an idea of what I wanted to write, and I knew a surprising amount about my characters. So I pulled out a fresh notebook, made a simple outline, and wrote out some character information. Seriously, I’ve never felt so prepared for NaNoWrimo before. It’s a weird feeling.
Last year I had a lot going on in my life and chose not to participate in the event. I’m so excited to join back up this year, with a solid plan and a story I’m excited about. I’m not expecting to have a perfect story written out by the end of the month. That’s not the point of NaNoWriMo. The point is to push yourself to work on a story you’re excited about, and make the time to get your ideas out on paper. Once the month is up, take a little break, and then in January hop back in for round one of editing. At least, that’s my plan.
If you’re interested in participating in National Novel Writing Month yourself, I highly suggest visiting their website, signing up, and announcing your novel! Grab a group of friends and have write-in sessions! I bet you’ll even find some events happening in your area! Feel free to follow me on my socials, where I’ll be posting my progress through the month. And let me know if you decide to write something! What’s your story about? I’d love to hear about it!
I’ll check back in soon with an update on how NaNoWriMo is going! In the meantime, happy writing!
