NaNoWriMo - Can You Do It?

Hello awesome writers and readers! With it being November the obvious topic for this month is, you guessed it, National Novel Writing Month, better known as, NaNoWriMo. 

Now, a little about NaNoWriMo, if you aren't aware, taken from their website: "National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. On November 1, participants begin working towards the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 PM on November 30. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought about writing a novel."

NaNoWriMo was established in July of 1999 by Chris Baty, and the history of the early beginnings is quite remarkable, and if you're interested in learning about it, you can find it HERE. I'm not going to talk about all of that in this post because I'm one of the writers who have yet to take advantage of this commitment. That's right. I have yet to sign up and commit to writing 1,667 words a day.

My writing career didn't begin until 2007, and I was in the early stages of discovering my muse. It's not that I hadn't heard about NaNoWriMo back in '07. When I first heard about it, I had no clue what it meant and why EVERYONE was signing up. When I learned what the details were, I'll admit it scared me away. I guess it was the fear of me being able to commit to writing that many words each day. I found excuse after excuse and eventually forgot about it year after year. Not to mention that back in the early stages of my writing I worked a full-time job, so I was lucky to write on the weekends. Still...no excuse ;)

It's 2018, and I have yet to take part in NaNoWriMo. I'm not sure if I'm ashamed, embarrassed, or lazy, but after learning more about it and reading the inspirational tips and the different forums, it looks as though this will be a new goal I set for 2019. I almost wished I had signed up this year because I'm in the middle of a story now and there are days when I surpass that 1,667 word count.

So if there is anyone who has taken part in this fantastic endeavor, I'd love to hear your story. Just write in the comment section below. Share any inspiration you have of your own. Why you signed up for NaNoWriMo. Tips you can share, as well as anything else. 

I'd also like to hear from those who, like me, haven't signed up yet and your reasons for not doing so, as well as if you have plans to sign up in the future. If you do, don't forget to give them a donation. They're a small non-profit that need to pay for many things to keep this great endeavor going.

Whether you're a NaNoWriMo novice or an expert, as always...Keep On Writing and join NaNoWriMo!