There’s Something About Writing 50,000 Words in 30 Days

November —National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo—is just around the corner, and it’s time I accept this fact and get myself as ready as possible to start writing 50,000 words on November 1st.

Continue reading my NaNoWriMo Introduction, or skip to:

• Week 1 Update
• Week 2 Update
• Week 3 Update
• Week 4 Update
• Conclusion

If you are unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, or are considering taking part, I recommend going directly to the NaNoWriMo website (here). The infamous purpose of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 words—or a “standard” full-length novel—in one month, but I (and, I’ve found over the past coupe of years, many other participants) want to emphasize that you will have the most fun if you make your writing goal personal, whether you can set aside one hour a week to write (as opposed to zero hours) or are able to find time to make it to the 50,000 word mark (or beyond!). 

For the past two years, I’ve taken NaNoWriMo more seriously than I ever have before. In 2018, I wrote 50,425 words of a fantasy story, which made me feel on top of the world. In 2019, I attempted to build the background/foundation of my novel and wrote 25,487 words, which led me to the realization that writing about specific details, and what is essentially the backbone of the various story threads, requires more planning if I’m going to really hit the ground running during NaNoWriMo. With that in mind, I have turned to my work-in-progress (WIP) frequently this year, and have made various outlines from which to pull inspiration during my writing sessions.

So like last year, I am not starting a new novel from square one. I really love what I’ve written over the past couple of years, and have had a lot of fun exploring different narrative avenues and improving my storytelling. But this year I am much more prepared to further develop my story.

And if you’re wondering when I”ll be getting to the part of this post where I discuss what my story/novel is about, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not going to delve into it. I have mentioned what inspired me to write this particular novel in this post and in this one, but I will not be saying more than that. I’m very protective over what I’ve written so far, in the sense that it still feels too personal to share here on the internet.

Which brings me to the state of my blog during the month of November. For the past two years I posted weekly updates on my writing progress, and I will do that once again this year: this time on November 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, and December 1st. I do have some bookish blog posts in the works for the month of November, so if you’re not interested in the NaNo updates but like my regular content, I hope you’ll still visit for that. I will also be using Twitter and Bookstagram to post more frequent/daily NaNo updates (more so on the former and less on the latter, I think).

If you are participating in NaNoWriMo, let me know! I’d love to support you and hear about your expectations and goals. Buddy up with me here (my username is kels.m) or leave your profile linked below. I’m bummed there won’t be any local write-ins (in-person meetups with fellow NaNoWriMos), but of course, that cannot be helped this year. 

And with that, I’m using the next week to – among other things – get myself fully prepped for National Novel Writing Month 2020. Best wishes to all fellow participants, and feel free to reach out here, on Twitter, or Instagram if you need a pep talk, to rant about your WIP, or just to say hi! 

– Kelsey