It’s time to stock up for November. I’m not talking about the approach of a chilly winter, but a call out that we are in the countdown hours for NaNoWriMo 2022. The time to gather your ideas is now! I, for one, have pulled out my notebook, flexed my writing muscle, and started pre-event planning. So, suppose you haven't experienced the frustration, agony, and satisfaction of participating in National Novel Writing Month. In that case, I throw down the gauntlet and encourage you to join the hundreds of thousands who do.
National Novel Writing Month (often shortened to NaNoWriMo) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization promoting creative writing worldwide. Its primary event is an annual international writing challenge in which participants attempt to write a 50,000-word manuscript during November—thirty days, 50K words.
NaNoWriMo isn’t new. In July 1999, twenty-one participants signed up, and twenty-three years later, in 2021, it attracted 427,653 writers, including over 90,000 students and educators. Furthermore, last year, participants came from 671 regions on six continents.
Writers who wish to participate register on the NaNoWriMo website where they can post profiles and information about their novels. Regional volunteers called "Municipal Liaisons" help connect local writers, hold in-person and virtual writing events, and provide encouragement. Libraries, bookstores, and community centers open their doors to novelists and offer a welcoming environment in which to write. There is a whole community rooting for your success.
The goal, of course, is to win. Or attempt to win by reaching the 50K word goal by the deadline. Meanwhile, while you strive to make your daily wordcount, you might just develop a writing regimen that fits your lifestyle and establishes a routine that will benefit you in the future. Unfortunately, there are no official prizes. Instead, anyone who posts 50,000 words is declared a winner. You might ask, who verifies the entries? But the answer is there is no moderator. It is a challenge to your writing prowess and solely vetted by you. No precautions are in place to prevent cheating. Still, since the reward is the accomplishment and the satisfaction of writing, there is little incentive to cheat. You can do this! Since 2006, nearly four hundred NaNoWriMo novels have been published via traditional publishing houses, and over two hundred books have been published by smaller presses or self-published.
I have participated four times. At my first event, I felt overwhelmed by the writing goal, and challenged myself not to a word count but to complete ten short stories. Unfortunately, the output for the stories fell short, each story 3,000-5,000-words, and not enough for a 50K accomplishment. However, I considered myself a winner and went on to publish five of the stories drafted during that NaNo experience.
Since then, I have become an annual Wrimo, a writer participating in the November challenge, and won three times. In addition, two of my NaNo novel projects have been traditionally published. This year I plan to add to that tally.
The secret to winning is preparation. The NaNoWriMo website has multiple tools to help you prepare, if not for November, then for your next writing project.
Go all in! How do you tackle the NaNoWriMo project?
1. Claim a Space: Designate a special writing place for yourself.
2. Schedule Time: ideally the same time every day or a chunk of the weekend.
3. Give Notice: Inform your friends and family that you’ll be writing in November. Interruptions are death to flow of a serious writer. So put down the phone, and disconnect the internet.
4. Find an Accountability Buddy. They don’t have to read your writing, but even a “Hey, have you written today?” text can help keep you on track.
5. Plan Your Writing Project ahead of time. Don't expect inspiration to strike at midnight on October 31st. You might get a spurt—but trust me, it won’t carry you through 50,000 words and the dawning of December.
Besides organizing your life/time in preparation, you will also need a story idea. Again, there are great, insightful tools on the NaNoWriMo website. And a plan on how to get them finished beforehand.
Make it Real!
A Short List to get you started.
Story Idea—write a story synopsis. Who, Where, Conflict, Until, Change
I like to write a story premise or a back cover blurb defining the story.
Create Main Characters—Protagonist, Antagonist, Side-kick, Mentor, etc.
Cast the characters or interview them to create a backstory
World Building—When and where to document the rules of your story society.
Even in current period pieces, research is helpful.
Brainstorm story structure:
inciting incident
plot points
midpoint
climax
resolution
And don’t forget to give it a title.
Best of luck! I will see you when I emerge from my writing cave in December.
May I add one more item to your list? Why, thank you;-) A new roll of freezer paper. You know, the white paper with plastic on one side. If you have a time line to think about, especially important in historical fiction, tear off a good sized sheet of the freezer paper and put plastic side next to wall or door. Then you can use a magic marker to make a time line you need to write to, and the ink will not go through to stain your wall. I put my historical timeline up, then use it to sketch in the action with just a couple of words.