Taking Part in National Novel Writing Month for the First Time Ever

You see this woman, pictured above? The one with the trendy outfit and the picturesque background fit for a magazine? She’s sucking up that ocean air and getting buttloads of creative inspiration directly from the sea breeze. She’s smiling as she writes. She’s got it all together. I bet she even works out consistently.

If you want to picture me working on a novel, just imagine the opposite of this put-together woman. Lots of lip-biting and bad posture. Not a hair in place. And sweatpants, mostly. Lots of sweatpants.

I’ll likely be indoors, at my new little bar table (purchased for our cozy home as a space saver) or lounging in bed with my little wooden lap desk. My inspiration won’t come from the crisp ocean air (I’m an Ohioan), but directly from the caffeine or wine I’m consuming, depending on the time of day.

I bet I’ll still be in my pj’s — no matter the time of day! And my picturesque background? A cute, cramped little house full of unwashed dishes in the sink, small mountains of unfolded laundry, and a splatter of clutter slowly growing and spreading throughout each room.

As for this stock image model’s perfect posture and gorgeous muscle tone? I can only say that I’ll try to get some workouts in. I’ll need to get off my ass at least sometimes — go running or walking outside — for the energy. But I have an inkling that I’ll often kick exercise way down on my to-do list because hey, it’s National Novel Writing Month. It’s NaNoWriMo time — and I’m working to publish a novel for the first time ever.

What Is NaNoWriMo?

NaNoWriMo takes place every November and poses a hardcore goal to novelists: write 50,000 words of a work in progress in thirty days. The online community is open to anyone and everyone who wants to participate. Doesn’t matter if you’re an award-winning seasoned author or a complete wannabe.

Grant Faulkner, NaNoWriMo’s executive director, describes the writing challenge as “one part writing boot camp, one part rollicking party.”

I see what you mean, Grant Faulkner (what a freaking badass name, by the by). I need to keep “the goal” in mind to maintain some amount of self-discipline — and I’m excited to dive in. But I also think I’d be insane to hold myself to the expectation of reaching such a lofty word count. Not with a full-time job and a teenager to raise. That would be insanity, right? Hell, I’m not sure I could do 50,000 words in 30 days even if novelist was my full-time gig.

Lucky for those who want to take part, NaNo is more about that jumpstart. It’s about taking creative action. Outlining your book and getting yourself in the habit of doing the work — procrastination be damned.

Faulkner agreed that the word goal isn’t the most salient part of the experience. (Only about 15 percent of participants end up writing 50,000 words.) Instead, he said, it’s a way of “training people to show up,” making them feel their stories are valid and providing encouragement through community. “I like to think that we are part of a movement that is making writing and publishing less exclusionary, that is opening it up to diverse voices,” he said.

— Concepción de León, The New York Times

Hundreds of thousands of people from around the world take part in NaNoWriMo each year, and I’ve discovered that the online community is a great place to find writing buddies in all genres, get motivated, shout your writerly successes (or woes) to the rooftop, and, of course, track your word count.

And I love that NaNoWriMo is an official nonprofit organization, supporting programs centered on writing fluency and education. Each year, established authors offer mentorship to participants through “pep talks.” There are all sorts of other great resources available too — for free — which is just icing on the cake.

From In-House Copywriter to Wannabe Novelist

One of my dreams has always been to write and publish a novel. I’m not saying I need to produce a best-seller turned blockbuster film (though I certainly won’t oppose that…), but I do want to write something interesting and readable. A book that readers can curl up with, kick back, relax, and enjoy.

I want to create something well-written and intriguing enough to get pages turned to the end.

Also — I want to write a story I can share with my son. At 15, he’s starting to get into creative writing. I’m a proud momma, and I love that he lets me read his work. He’s writing short stories with some pretty dark and disturbing themes, which is exactly what I did when I first got serious about honing my craft.

Funnily enough, I first started writing and submitting my short fiction to publications when I was pregnant with my son. Once I got familiar with my morning sickness/daily barf routine (which went on for months, and not just in the mornings), I felt the urge to sit down and write short horror stories. Often and consistently.

I edited them carefully and submitted them to publications, re-writing and re-submitting when I was rejected. My persistence eventually earned me eighth place in a Writer’s Digest short fiction competition — out of 5,000 entrants. That and the hundred-dollar prize (my first experience getting paid for my fiction!) gave me a little confidence boost and fed my creative motivation.

But in between the few successes, I experienced tons of rejection too. Rejection hurts, but the more you experience it, the more you build up a wall and find yourself able to keep writing in spite of it.

One such rejection was my first attempt at a young adult novel about a high-school girl who loved theater and struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder (write what you know, right?). My biggest success there was actually finishing the thing, writing in the evenings and during my son’s naps (he was a toddler at the time).

I was hyped when one of the book agencies I submitted to wanted to see a partial manuscript (three chapters), but that’s as far as that went. It’s good though, that I have a poorly written novel under my belt. It’s given me experience, and I learned a lot from it.

More recently, I worked on co-authoring a paranormal erotic romance with a previous editing client I met back when I was freelancing. But then, I started my full-time job as an in-house copywriter and project manager. Though half the book was written, I just didn’t have the desire to finish. And I felt like my interest for the genre was waning.

This time, I’ve outlined a suspense-horror-thriller with a strong female protagonist, and I think I’ve got an engaging plot — and an engaging writing style. (Right?)

At this point, I don’t have a strong preference of whether my book is published traditionally or if I go the indie route (there are pros and cons to both). Also, it’s okay with me if I don’t hit that 50k word count in November. Even 30k or 20k (or 10k!) would be a rousing success for moi, the corporate sell-out who hasn’t written fiction in ages!

What is important is that I finish the thing, and that I’m happy with the work I put out there.

Celebrate Your Creative Passion

I can see me now: a sweatpants-clad blob awash in the blue glow of her laptop every morning, noon, and night.

But I betcha I’ll skip at least some NaNo sessions during the week, because I’ll need to recharge my mental batteries after bending to that stiff and unrelenting brand voice all day at work. That’s why I want to get back into fiction — to get that creative release that corporate communications writing just doesn’t supply.

I can try to steal some alone time on the weekends for productive novel-writing sessions, turning down the slew of social invitations that come my way and disappointing my many friends. (Just kidding — I have the merest faint shadow of a social life, and few friends willing to actually spend time with me IRL).

Either way, I’m feeling a much more book-ish vibe than I’ve felt in ages, and I’ll celebrate that! I’m reading and listening to audiobooks in the genre, and I’m taking to blogging about my project in the hopes of hyping myself (and maybe other writers?) up.

I look forward to updating everyone on this so-called rollicking writing party.