NaNoWriMo 2023: First-Timer, A Recap (Not A Winner)
So I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year and accepted the challenge and commitment of writing 50,000 words in 30 days this November.
Spoiler: I didn’t make it.
I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right? Not only did I already have an idea for a story I wanted to write. I also had booked writing classes and writers’ summits in the past and decided to put the things I’ve learned there to use, and go into some details for that story, a.k.a. draft a rough outline (in Preptober). I even had been playing around with some AI tools and prompted images of my cast (which I’m not planning to use officially since I find the ethics here debatable and honestly prefer art to algorithms, but the pictures look super cute as mini-print)… Entering the stage: my Space Opera Murder Board.
Week One
November 1st to 7th went smoothly — in general. I managed to sit down every day and write between 1,731 to 1,839 words without any (real) issues. I started writing Act One and had a lot of fun. Of course, I expected it to become harder over time, but showing up for my writing felt very fulfilling and rewarding. However, I started feeling a little exhausted. It’s not my usual way of writing. I usually word-vomit as much as I can get out and then just let it rest for a while. Although I had put a lot of thought into my story outline and characters, I already started seeing some plot holes. Not editing while writing was hard, too. But editing, or re-reading what I’ve written so far, was not a realistic option if I wanted to crack that 50,000-word goal.
Week 1 Summary: 12,244/50,000 words (+577)
Week Two
On November 10th, the feeling of exhaustion peaked. I wrote nothing and was 724 words short because I didn’t manage the daily goal on November 8th and 9th either. That’s how my meager 577-word buffer from week one melted away. But I seriously needed that break.
I came back strong and wrote between 1,804 and 1,909 words the following days until the end of week two. That didn’t compensate for the low days but brought me closer to the goal. I was pretty proud of not giving up!
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Week 2 Summary: 21,647/50,000 words (-1,686)
Fun Facts:
- I’m marking holes with [Q_Q] in my text. It’s a combination of characters that should be easy to search/find in the manuscript later and an expression for my emotion when thinking about plot holes and that I am not allowed to edit, yet.
- I have a note saying “NO editing while writing!” stuck to the wall right in front of me.
- I always thought I was a pantser, but really, I am a plantser now.
Week Three
From here on, I felt it was only getting slower and slower every day. While November 15th and 16th were still promising with 1,795 and 1,844 words, it totally went downhill from there and completely plummeted on November 18th.
I don’t remember why or how, something sparked my zeal again, and I tried pushing myself on November 20th. I managed 2,346 words that day, but couldn’t keep that drive up.
Week 3 Summary: 28,587/50,000 words (-6,413)
Week Four and Five
The rest of the days didn’t go well. Seriously. I felt drained and also got sick. November 23rd marked a peak with 840 words. I was overwhelmed by my plot holes and had to admit that my characters needed way more attention and work. For many, many, many days — from November 23rd to 29th — I tried to at least reach the 30,000-work hurdle and got more and more frustrated with every day it took. I was struggling between giving up and trying to push through, as unrealistic as it was at that point.
Week 4 & 5 Summary: 30,465/50,000 words (-19,544)
Although it would have been awesome, I never expected to win. Participating was a big step for me and, I think, I learned a lot from this little self-experiment. I am still proud of what I accomplished!
Takeaways:
- I wrote 30,000+ words within a month. Although I didn’t reach the 50,000-word goal, that’s more than I have written in this short time since I started working full-time jobs.
- It was my first NaNoWriMo and I think with some more preparation, I can get closer to the goal next year.
- Not editing while writing is hard! I need to give myself permission to write an imperfect zero/first/discovery draft and stay true to it.
- Writing a fixed amount of words every day for 30 days straight is not what works for me. I have to schedule regular breaks and allow myself to write less. Every word written is better than none.
- Taking breaks is okay. Being mindful of myself and my needs is more important than being pressured by a number. Creativity is a muscle that can be trained but also exhausted.
- I met many lovely writing buddies on the NaNoWriMo platform and had wonderful conversations with them.
- It was fun, and I’m absolutely looking forward to participating in NaNo Camp (April/July) and NaNoWriMo next year.
- I’ll put my project to rest until next year. This might still involve some absolutely necessary goundwork (characters, plot, etc.), but will exclude actual writing.
For December, I’m looking forward to diving into fictional worlds created by others. I hope to find some inspiration there, but also to put some distance between me and my project. As much as I love my world-building and characters, I’m really tired now. I won’t do them any justice in this current state. So I’ll return to them in 2024 ❤️
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