November is National Novel Writing Month

Are you ready to write your story?

Oct 24, 2023

Thought you might appreciate a picture of my writing desk from some years ago. I no longer have this desk, but I definitely have many of the same snacks.

I have a great fondness for National Novel Writing Month. I credit it for helping me write each of my published novels - and more that are not published.

Gretchen Rubin’s research on the Four Tendencies (take the quiz here) has confirmed what I know about myself: I border on being an Upholder and an Obliger. Meaning, I get a lot done with inner accountability, but I REALLY get stuff done when accountable to someone other than myself.

Enter the magic of NaNoWriMo.

What is it?

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, empowering approach to creative writing. The challenge: draft an entire novel in just one month. Why do it? For 30 wild, exciting, surprising days, you get to silence your inner critic, let your imagination take over, and just create!

That’s right. Isn’t it fun to silence the inner critic. Isn’t it empowering to know we can?

This is how it’s done: In November, write 1667 words every day.

Guess what happens? By the end of the month, you will have a 50,000 word novel.

The first time I did NaNoWriMo was November 2008 (?) That month I flew to Omaha Nebraska to celebrate one last Thanksgiving meal in my childhood home (that was the meal I gave my sister the heimlich maneuver, but that’s another story…)

A lot was going on. But the NaNoWriMo challenge was afoot, and I had committed.

I knew that if I didn’t write early in the morning, it wouldn’t happen. Plus, who wants all those words hanging over your head all day?!

So I woke up an hour early every day, and wrote FURIOUSLY. 1,667 words.

Some mornings the words just came and my fingers couldn’t keep up with the flow. That was rare.

Other days it was a terrifying slog.

Some days I was literally writing without any idea of what the next sentence would be, and yet - the brain showed up.

The brain can think fast and WORK when under pressure. Our brains can come up with the most wild of ideas and plot points. And believe me, I wrote them down simply to get the word count in.

At the end of the month, I had a 50,000 words novel.

It was terrible and it was awesome!

My friends, this is how Guinevere St. Clair was born.

Can you feel the confidence this gives a writer? Can you feel the confidence it would give YOU?

To keep a promise to one self. To do the thing you set out to do. It’s incredibly exhilarating.

Was it a terrible draft?

Sure!

You’ll learn how to revise.

If you want to join, it’s absolutely free.

It’s super fun to join a club for a month, to know we’re in this TOGETHER.

There are a million tips and resources on the web, but don’t overcomplicate it. Too much advice and “tips” can be paralyzing.

I do have a few suggestions for this week (bc November is nearly here!), take them or leave them:

Commit. Don’t go in wishy-washy. Consider a blood oath with witnesses.
Have an Accountability Partner. Check in often. It’s fun, like a secret club! Tell your friends and family what you’re doing. You will need help, support, and cheerleading.
Pick an Idea you’re most excited about.
Outline a Quick, Rough Draft. Have some major plot points. Think about your beginning, middle, and end.
Characters. Who is your hero and who is your villain? Who are the minor characters? There are plenty of real life characters in your own life to draw from!
Setting. Where does this story take place? Dive into the lush details of your story’s environment. Channel your inner Tolkien and write a couple thousand of words on trees and fields.
Set a Writing Schedule. For 30 days, block off uninterrupted time in your calendar. Keep that appointment with yourself! Some writers only need a thirty-minute block. Some writers need two, one hour blocks. Make it a priority.

Laura Vanderkam, mother of four, and queen of time management, tracks her time - minute by minute - every day. I have a much “looser” way of doing this, but tracking time hour by the hour has been hugely eye-opening.

Perhaps giving up social media in November would give you the writing time you need to write 1667 words…just sayin’. Maybe.

I can tell you this: You Won’t Regret It.

Are you in? Let me know.

And so it begins.

My love and endless encouragement,

Amy