I always thought that it made much more sense to host NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in January rather than November. Who has time in NOVEMBER to write 50,000 words? Wouldn’t JANUARY be a much better month to set aside for writing a book? For much of the country, the first month of the year brings the kind of wind and cold that encourages folks to huddle under blankets by the fire. But November finds us scurrying about with Thanksgiving and Christmas to-do lists as long as our arm. Not a very conducive atmosphere for hunkering down with a commitment to churn out a book-length manuscript in thirty days’ time.
Well, apparently many writers make it work. According
to stats posted on the official NaNoWriMo site,
more than 798,000 novelists have completed nearly 368,000 novels since the
first month-long challenge took place in July of 1999. In 2000 NaNoWriMo moved from to November “to more fully
take advantage of the miserable weather.” While I agree with the sentiment,
I still think January is a better option.
Several of my friends took up the challenge this past
November, not deterred by the approaching holidays, jobs, family
responsibilities, or sundry distractions. I determined in October that there
was no reason I couldn’t participate as well. Why not take advantage of the energy
surrounding the annual tradition to finish my resisting-completion young adult
novel? Why not indeed.
I’m disappointed to report that my good intentions failed miserably. Why? Because those “good intentions” weren’t followed up with action. I wanted to do it. I reasoned that I could do it. But I didn’t approach it with an intentional mindset. My intentions were good, noble even, but not accompanied by an action plan.
Yesterday was a perfect example of how life can and
will get in the way of the best intentions. An unexpected four-hour Zoom call
sucked up the time I’d set aside to devote to the novel. Today is another day,
offering another opportunity to devote time to my characters and their story. It
will also present more opportunities for life to interrupt. Like the one hour and
twenty-one minute phone call this morning with a friend experiencing a mega-sized medical,
emotional, and mental crisis.
The reality is this, if I don’t become much more
intentional about bringing this series to a close, it’s not going to happen. No
matter that the cover and ISBN number are ready and waiting. No matter that an
anxious teenage reader questions me weekly about the book’s progress.
In this case, being intentional will mean removing things
from my schedule and replacing them with dedicated writing time. It will mean
adopting a no excuses attitude. It will require an examination of the
distractions that shoot flaming arrows at my good intentions. It will
definitely mean being more intentional about praying for the words to string
themselves together in the way that best tells the story.
NaNoWriMo works in November because of intentional action. It would work any month of the year for those committed enough to make it happen.
Life won't stop so we can pursue our passion. People and things beyond our control will try to interfere. Only those who have wrangled with being intentional will win. Are you being intentional about your writing? What better time to assess our intentionality than at the beginning of new year. Drop your intentionality tips in the comments below.
As a genetic genealogy enthusiast, she writes and speaks about her experiences as a "foundling" who located her birth parents. Her journey to find and connect with her biological family is chronicled in the blog series "A Doorstep Baby's Search for Answers." All of her writing endeavors can be found on her website: https://bethsteury.com
Ouch! I am so guilty of this! And yet...how heartless would I feel if I ignored the needy friend, put off taking my feverish kid to the doctor, or ignored my smiling grandson on the video chat?
ReplyDeleteThere's gotta be a way to adapt our "Dream, Plan, Act" for each day.
Yes, adapting is the key! Not suggesting we be heartless or ignore the people who need us. But somehow we have to control those things that we CAN control, well enough that the people distractions/interruptions don't completely derail our pursuit of writing goals.
ReplyDeleteI wrote 53,000 words this past November with NaNoWriMo and over 60,000 in 2020. I set specific word count goals and refused to stop until I met them. To ensure I had time to write, I gave up sleep. I got up about 25 minutes earlier in the morning throughout the month of November and was able to write an average of 750 words. After dishes in the evening, I sat down and wrote until I reached 1500 words. On weekends, I wrote a minimum of 2000 words. Many days, I exceeded the minimums, but only once did I fall short. Of course, I'd already worked on the characters and basic plot before I began, and I always left myself a direction when I stopped writing for the session. Not sure if any of this is practical for the long term, but it works for a 30 day stretch. Sometimes, that's all you need to get a project finished.
ReplyDeleteA very intentional plan!! And I know you have a busy life otherwise. Well done.
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