Hello, NaNo!

We’re in the home stretch of October, and you know what that means…

NaNoWriMo is about a week away!

What is NaNoWriMo, you ask? Since 1999, it means National Novel Writing Month and it challenges you to write 50,000 words in November.

Yup. It’s a lot. It’s scary and daunting. And exhilarating. It’s doable. It’s free to participate, and there are a ton of resources to support you if you do, such as word count trackers, prompts, community motivation, inspirational speakers, and buddies. 

Do you end up with a finely crafted, publishable work at the end of 30 days? NO. You do not. Let me be clear: you don’t start writing on Nov. 1 and have a publishable book on Nov. 30. BUT you will have generated content you can work with going forward, and that, my writer friends, is priceless.

Do you have to write a novel? NO. NaNoWriMo is geared towards fiction writers, with many resources on story arcs, character development, and worldbuilding, but you can work on whatever you want. I participated in 2019, 2020, and 2021 while working on nonfiction. Last year I wrote a micro story a day (and kept myself accountable on Instagram) using Nancy Stohlman’s free daily prompts. (Here’s the sign-up for the free flash prompts for 2023!)

The thing about NaNoWriMo is that it is a challenge: it is hard but worth it.

So: are you up for a challenge?

I’m inviting you to set an intention.

Do you want to write a book-length work, either fiction or nonfiction? Why not attempt to produce 50,000 words towards that goal, with the constraint of doing it within one month?

Do you want to end November feeling like you had fun with your writing? What if you try writing 5 days a week during the month of November, like my friend, fellow writer, and book coach colleague Julie Artz (who will be posting tips over on her Instagram)?

Do you have something else in mind, and you need a little push and some accountability to get it done? Consider this post your permission slip and a gentle shove.

What would be FUN and a CHALLENGE for you this November?