I’m Writing a Novel… Again (NaNoWriMo 2022)

It’s that time of year again when I (against my better judgement) am seduced to drop everything I’ve been working on and write a whole 50,000 words of something shiny and new.

While I may not exclusively try to write a whole novel in November, I often find myself wanting to take one of the many ideas I have for a novel and begin the process of writing it using NaNoWriMo as an excuse. I have three unfinished novels floating around right now, but the excuse of writing a fresh 50,000 words because it’s November seems just as alluring as always.

What is NaNoWriMo?

In case you don’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Each November NaNoWriMo, a non-profit organisation, hosts an event in which thousands of people try to write 50,000 words of a novel in one month or thirty days. If you are looking for community and accountability to help you reach your lofty writing goals, it’s a great place to start.

Last year, I managed to write 50,000 words, but I did not finish the novel I was working on… even though it’s been a year since. I was proud of myself for getting that far and hitting the target even though some days were a lot harder than others, but I got distracted by other writing projects. What I said last year still stands. Coming up with ideas can be easy, and even planning a novel from start to finish can be easy, but writing a novel to the last page? Near-impossible, at least for me.

Am I taking part this year?

The short answer is yes. But it’s not that simple.

I perpetually leave my novels unfinished. I have no problem starting novels and pumping in tens of thousands of words. Usually, I get to around the halfway or three-quarter mark before I either run out of steam, begin to doubt myself, or (and it’s usually this one) have a new idea that I just need to see on the page. But this year, I’ve decided to ignore the part of me that wants to start something new and use November to do something that I think will be more beneficial to me.

Throughout November, I’m going to pour those all-important 50,000 words into my unfinished novel(s). Forcing myself to have a tangible goal as well as an extremely strict writing routine will help me to get to the end of at least one of my unfinished ideas (I hope). I’m aiming for words, a lot of them, and using NaNoWriMo in this way will give me the excuse I need to focus on completing a novel as opposed to just getting down 50,000 words of one and failing to complete it.

Obviously, it might be a bit difficult to track how many words I’m writing, but I can probably make a spreadsheet for that when I start. As ever, I’m excited to get this done. I love writing, and nothing makes me happier than seeing my ideas written down in an almost coherent way. It is the first draft after all, I can’t expect too much.

Are you taking part in NaNo this year? If so, what are your plans?