It’s here! NaNoWriMo, aka National Novel Writing Month. Every November, writers from around the world take up the challenge. The goal? To draft 50,000 words of a novel, all within a span of 30 days. If you’re thinking this sounds difficult, you’re probably right! I can’t say from experience though as this will be my first time participating.
I only heard about NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago but this tradition actually began back in 1999. By asking writers to simply get words on the page, the founders hoped to create a space in which creativity, not quality, was key. The heart of the challenge asks what might happen if we budding authors set a lofty goal for ourselves, then push past our own self-doubt and critical inner monologue to write anyway. The end result will likely be kind of messy, but all sorts of amazing.
Many people choose to start a completely new project during this challenge, though the continuation of a previously begun manuscript is also allowed. I debated the merits of both choices but ultimately have decided to continue working on the novel I began writing around this time last year. I can see benefits to both paths, but given how much time and thought I’ve already invested in my current WIP (work in progress), it just feels wrong to grind for a month straight on anything else.
What is my intended novel about, you may ask? Well, I’m keeping the details a bit close to my chest at the moment (this fledgling book is kind of my baby, you know?), but I will happily share the following information for any interested persons:
| Genre | Title | Key Themes |
| Fantasy | A Mother’s Heart | God’s Transcendent Love, Self- Acceptance, Ambition vs. Justice |
I truly have no idea whether or not I’ll be able to write 50,000 words in a single month, especially when I have a busy toddler to keep up with all day and tend to be pretty exhausted at night, but I am excited to try! No matter what happens, if I show up and make good progress on my book, I’ll be pleased in the end. Hopefully I’ll have a good report come December 1st, but if you’d like to keep tabs on my journey throughout the challenge, I’ll be updating my Instagram (@evenstarl) and Facebook page (Evenstar Ink) periodically.
Wish me luck; NaNoWriMo 2023 is a go!
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