'Tis the Season for NaNoWriMo

In my house, the holiday season starts with NanoWriMo. It’s something I have been participating in since 2010. Every November, I spend with either laptop (in earlier days, I used a Dana by AlphaSmart) or notebook scribbling words fast and furiously. The goal, to write 50,000 words during the month of November.

In case you didn’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Writers throughout the world join in and pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. People start brand new novels with the goal of completing a first draft. Some notable novels have been born during this month of writing furiously such as one of my favorite books, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

One of the things participating in National Novel Writing Month helps me to do is ensure that I fit in my writing no matter what else is happening in a day, week or even the month of November. Think about it, Halloween just passed and there’s a bowl of leftover candy to distract me. November is a time to get ready for Thanksgiving and oh there’s holiday shopping to consider. For me, there’s also an important birthday. This year, my daughter turns twenty-six. She’s spent the last 12 years sharing her birth month with NanoWriMo. She’s always been a big supporter of my writing—even as a child—and she’s—mostly—happily shared the month with my participation in the writing challenge.

Despite all the distractions that inherently come along with the upcoming month, I am getting ready to participate again. Monday night, as soon as the clock strikes midnight, the 30 days begins. That bowl of leftover candy will be a way to divvy out little rewards for making my daily word count (1667 words a day) or even hourly goals. Why not? I love chocolate and it’s a good incentive 😊. Then once Thanksgiving arrives, there's always the promise of my favorite dessert, a piece of sweet potato pie, once I write all the words.

My overall goal is to write the final 50,000 words of my current work-in-progress. There’s no better incentive than finishing a first draft. What am I working on? More to come on that in a later post!

Until next time… let the holiday (and NaNoWriMo) season begin!

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About the Author

Minnesota-based author, Joie Lesin is a life-long fiction writer and the author of The Passenger. She has long been fascinated by anything otherworldly including ghosts. She loves to write a good ghost story—especially when it includes a touch of romance.