Tuesday, October 21, 2014

NaNoWriMo: A Month of Insanity

I was first introduced to NaNoWriMo two years ago. One of my dearest friends convinced me I should do it.



Sure! Why not? Writing a fifty thousand word novel in thirty days shouldn't be a problem. For those who know me well, I thrive on challenges. If someone doesn't think I can do it then for some odd reason this unquenchable drive pushes me to prove them that I can. (Don’t worry, if it is a useless challenge I won’t do it. You won’t find me leaping over Niagara Falls)

It sounded crazy. Writing a novel in one month. How was that even possible? But my dear friend roped me into doing it. I returned the favor by dragging another friend to do it with me.


I had my novel all planned out. I knew how it would turn out, how many chapters there was, what was going to be in each chapter, and how many words per chapter I had to write. November 1st came and I tackled this challenge with everything I had.

My two friends and I did word wars with one another at least once a day when we could. We encouraged each other to keep going. There were a few times when we couldn't think of what to write next. We bounced ideas off one another. It was a complete blast!
Not only were we aiming to finish our novels before the month was up, we were also racing one another. With that in mind we wrote faster, and more often each day.


The deadline was up and all of us finished before November 31st.  I finished November 19th and decided to try to write the sequel in the last remaining days. (I did not finish the sequel)

We exchanged our novels with pride. We had achieved something great! We had completed a fifty thousand word novel in less than a month!!! At the ages of sixteen and fifteen this is a huge feat.


After that first time I was hooked. It became an addiction. Last November I completed my third novel with two hours to spare. (I was dealing with health issues so that slowed me down)
And in April during the Camp NaNoWriMo I wrote three novels. (Don’t panic, that’s not the norm.)


NaNoWriMo is insanity, yet it radiates awesomeness. You get up early and go to bed late, guzzling astonishing amounts of coffee, or whatever drink that keeps you going. It almost seems daunting, for first timers, but after you have completed one I almost guarantee you’ll be hooked.

The next NaNoWriMo starts November 1st. You can sign up here (it’s free!) to keep track of your word count and connect with other WriMo’s. Don’t miss out on this incredible experience!


I hope to race alongside you!



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