It’s October, and that means it’s nearly time for this year’s NaNoWriMo. And this year I plan to take part.
For those of you who don’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The event takes place from 1st November to 30th November. And during this month, writers around the world aim to write 50,000 words of a novel.
As some of you may know, this isn’t my first NaNoWriMo attempt. I first took part in 2014 (see my ‘It’s NaNoWriMo Time’ post) and it was a difficult but exciting challenge.
Since then, I haven’t taken part in the original NaNoWriMo. Instead, I have done NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month), and I’ve used NaNoWriMo to work on a novella and some short stories.
So, this year, I wanted to do NaNoWriMo properly and write the first novel in my supernatural mystery series. But then I became ill, and for months I couldn’t do anything at all.
Now even though I’m recovering, I’m still unable to do much. So planning a novel and aiming to write 50,000 words in a month is too big a task for me—as hard as that is for me to admit. But I still want to take part in NaNoWriMo, so I’ve decided to do it differently again this year.
I am planning a novella, and this is what I will start writing in November. My goal is to write 10,000 words. While I want to reach this goal, I don’t want to put too much stress on myself, so my main goal is to start writing—any achievement is better than no achievement.
To keep me motivated, I will reward myself with any of the following: a book, a pen, a notebook, nail varnish, a DVD or chocolate. I have also decided on a reward system, depending on the goal I reach:
- Start writing = one reward
- Reach the 10,000-word goal = two rewards
- Surpass the 10,000-word goal = three rewards
So that’s my plan for NaNoWriMo 2019. I have also created a Facebook group called NaNoWriMo for Self-Doubters. This is the group for any writer who wants to take part in NaNoWriMo but struggles with self-doubt. Or if you want to do this challenge differently, like I am doing, then please do join. I will be sharing my NaNo journey, tips and advice and support.
Also, if you plan to try NaNoWriMo and suffer from self-doubt, then read my ‘NaNoWriMo and Self-Doubt’ post.
Are you taking part in NaNoWriMo this year? If you are, or if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below.
Keep writing, folks!
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