Friends, I need a little prayer. For the past four years, I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo . . . with dismal results. This year, for once, I’d love to meet my goal.
NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. It takes place in November for some strange reason. I don’t know about other writers, but November is a super busy month for me. Added to my regular routine are holiday preparations, Georgia Bulldog football games, and end-of-year doctors’ appointments for my mom. And this week (I can’t seem to help myself), I’ve been wasting time checking news outlets to see if Georgia will be a blue or red state.
But I really want to take advantage of the writing community’s encouragement. Brilliant minds founded NaNoWriMo in 1999 as a forum where writers can set writing goals and befriend other writers to help them meet those goals. This year, I have eight writing buddies gunning for me. We can track each other’s progress and zip supportive notes to each other.
Last year, 455,080 writers around the world participated in NaNoWriMo. Everyone usually sets a goal of 50,000 words to write in November. The end result doesn’t have to be flawless final copy. A plain rough draft is acceptable. The purpose is to form the skeleton of a story. The good news is that many writers have penned entire novels during these 30 days. The bad news is that folks like me get discouraged and quit. I’ve never written more than 20,00 words during the NaNoWriMo challenge.
If you’re trying to write a novel in a short timeframe, I recommend you join the NaNoWriMo community. It’s free—fully supported by donations. You can meet like-minded writers in your region online and in person. Local groups meet in coffee shops at least once a week for writing sprints. The website offers resources, like discounts on writing platforms and editing services. Those with writer’s block can sign up to receive pep talks from notable authors. If you log a writing streak, NaNo will award you motivational badges.
This year, I resolve to do better. I’ve lowered my bar to 30,000 words. To date, I’ve tallied 2,330 words on the second book in my The Demons Among Us series. I’m not on track, but am confident that I’ll do better next week. I’ve cleared my calendar of all distractions.
Could you please help me by sending up daily prayers for my word count success?
Good luck, Jill! I am confident you can make your goal and am here cheering you on!! Keep writing!!
Thank you! I’m so glad you’re in my corner.
Jill,
I have every confidence you can do it! And, way to clear your calendar! I’m praying for you!
Thank you! I need all the prayers I can get!