NaNoWriMo is in the air!

We are just a couple weeks away from what many amateur writers call National Novel Writing Month! This is also affectionately dubbed, NaNoWriMo, and the people who choose to participate (choose! remember that!) are often called WriMos. What is NaNoWriMo, you might ask? It is only the greatest month of the year! Whether you've never written a single word of fiction in your life or you're a twenty-year writing pro, NaNoWriMo in November has something for you!

The challenge is to write a total of 50,000 words in the span of thirty days, creating a panic of energizing terror and a flood of other stressful emotions. It means developing a story on three to five hours of sleep each night, consuming lots of chocolate, and inhaling five cups of coffee or tea every day. It stretches the writing beyond what the majority of writers in this challenge are used to, yet provides a strange sort of inspiration to jump beyond what seems possible.

The thirty days in November bring the nervous tingles of anticipation and the time-crunching impossibility of writing even one more legible word. However, when the first day of December hits, every single writer can look back at their manuscript with pride. Whether you melded a tiny book by that time or you only had the energy to write one paragraph, December first marks the day that you have accomplished more than you did on November first!

There are three types of NaNoWriMo writers. One is a planner, who, as the name suggests, starts before Preptober (yes, it's a thing!) to make sure that they have a perfect outline, read amazing books, and talk with every other literary person that they know to develop the complex, most detailed storyline that they can before midnight on October thirty-first. They will squeeze as much creativity out of their brain to wedge into their outline, and most of the time write their story in chronological order.

The second type holds the opposite mindset: the pantser, who does absolutely everything they can to avoid planning at all. October thirty-first is all about the costumes and candy (I don't mind, as long as they bring some to me!). Back when everyone was able to meet in person for our NaNo kickoff, it was interesting to see who would come fully costumed as their favorite literary or gaming character! When the clock strikes midnight, these pantsers are just as dedicated as the planner, but they also really love their rabbit trails as they create their story!

The third type is the line of thinking that I follow, which is called the plantser, who uses an outline (maybe), creates the general background of characters (maybe; I at least have their names ready to go), and then does whatever they want when time comes to write! They may or may not actually follow their plan, but the goal is still the same as the other two groups: to write as many amazing words as possible!

Now, for the nitty gritty of the actual NaNo month! Most people try to block out specific time every day to write, whether it be thirty minutes or two hours. Others find the weekends more conducive to writing and will spend an entire day sipping bottomless coffee at a local coffee shop to catch up on their weekly word count.

So many resources are available to the WriMos, which are explained at https://nanowrimo.org/nano-prep-101 and cater to any aspect of a writer. They provide word count trackers, writing prompts, conversation forums, swag, social media videos, and motivational blogs. One of my favorites from years past are the word sprints. This can be with a group gathered online, or simply by using the timer plugged into the website. The goal is to set a specific time (I like 15 or 20 minutes, personally) and to write as many words as possible, no matter how awful. NaNo is not just a conduit to create a masterpiece, but to get your raw thoughts down on paper. For most writers, the main obstacle that keeps them from writing is the fact that they want to create the next great American novel. But NaNoWriMo's policy is to get your story out of your head, no matter the crazy way that you go about writing it! When you pour your heart and soul into those thirty days, yes, it might need major editing afterwards, but it is written down! The first hurdle is done!

I could go on for five more blogs, but before closing, I want to encourage you to find a writing community. This could be in your neighborhood or hometown, but, with the social accessibility now, you can join an online writing crew! The purpose is to surround yourself with readers and writers who will help you develop your craft even more! If you don't have a writer's forum, why not start here? https://forums.nanowrimo.org NaNo has so many good resources to use during the challenge and the other eleven months of the year to keep your writing sparkling!

Come join our crazy-fun writing crew!