I’m Writing a Novel

Or at least part of one… I hope.

I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo this year. There. I said it. Now it has to be true.

If you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, it’s a non-profit organisation that supports writers and helps them to hone their craft. Each year, they host a challenge to write 50,000 words of a novel beginning on 1 November and ending on the last day of the month. You can find more information about them here.
Throughout my years of being an aspiring writer, I’ve learnt that writing a novel is hard, not least because of the sheer amount of creativity and writing prowess it requires but also… finishing what you’ve started seems just as impossible as opening a jar with slippery hands. It’s an easily rectifiable situation, yet you keep trying in vain to push through with little result and only end up frustrated with yourself.

Although they’ve never seen the light of day and never will, I’ve written a couple of full length “books” from start to finish in my time, so I’m aware that it’s not impossible to conclude a long piece of writing. However, ask any USB I’ve owned over the past ten years or so, and it will tell you anything you want to know about the laughable ratio of finished to unfinished stories I’ve written.

Occasionally, ideas come thick and fast, hauling a burst of motivation and inspiration with them. Once that inspiration expires, however, I’m left with nothing but the ugly face of grim determination to get me through to the end of whatever it is I’ve started. It usually doesn’t help that with the loss of the rose-tinted glasses of inspiration, self-doubt and insecurity tend to show up unannounced and make themselves comfortable.

With this in mind, I want to explain why NaNoWriMo is great for someone like me, and how you can make it work for you. I’ve always written and always will, but there’s nothing like a more concrete reason to do so to inspire me. However, writing a novel (or a significant amount of one) in thirty days is not for everyone, so I think it’s best to look at the pros and cons of taking part in the challenge before a decision is made.

Why you should not take part in NaNoWriMo

• Time – Most people have little free time, and you have to be fully willing to give up any time you might dedicate to another hobby, or even relaxation, to frantically type up at least 1,666 words a day. Realistically, frustrating yourself with speeding through a first draft of a novel in your only available free time for a whole month will not always sound ideal.
• Pacing – Not everyone wants to race through their first draft. A lot of writers benefit from having time to contemplate whilst writing, especially if they opt to not use plans.
• Lack of preparation – you don’t need to prepare to take part, but you might find halfway through that by starting with a single kernel of an idea and nothing else, you don’t have the fire needed to make it pop. Writing so quickly might lead you to producing work you aren’t happy with.
• Pressure – Some people thrive on goals, others do not. You might feel like writing is the last fun thing you have and be put off by the pressure to produce something every day. The last thing you want is for the fun to be sucked out of your hobby.

Why you should take part in NaNoWriMo

• Motivation – once again, goals work for some people and not for others. Carving out dedicated time for your hobby could prove to be the thing you need to push you towards finishing, or getting close to finishing, a novel you’ve been wanting to write for a while.
• Speed – momentum can be great for a first draft. Seizing the moment and writing whilst you’re most excited about your idea can be great to prevent overthinking (or at least it can for me).
• Habit – even if you do not succeed in reaching the 50,000 word goal encouraged by the challenge, you might just create a writing habit that lasts through December and beyond.
• It’s fun! – Losing yourself in a world of your own creation is always fun, even if it’s occasionally stressful and you doubt yourself. Whether you’re writing just for yourself or with the hope others will see it, you’re still spending time in a story of your own creation, hopefully having a great time there. You can worry about how good what you’ve written is on the second draft if you worry about it at all.

Personally, I will be taking the plunge this year and taking part in NaNoWriMo. Maybe I’ll reach 50,000 words, maybe not. Maybe I’ll hate whatever I produce, maybe I won’t. That’s part of the fun. I think of NaNoWriMo as the writer’s equivalent of a marathon. There will be everyone from professionals to beginner writers taking part with varying levels of success, so what’s most important is to run your own race and remember why you took on the challenge in the first place!

If you plan on taking part in NaNoWriMo, do let me know, either here or on Instagram!