National Novel Writing Month- A Force to be Reckoned With

Hello friends and family. Congratulations on completing the busy month NaNoWriMo. Wait… what do you mean you know what NaNoWriMo is? Do you mean to tell me that you aren’t all crazy writer fanatics like me?

I’m just kidding, of course! NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. Thousands of writers join the challenge to write 50,000 words (or the equivalent of a novel) in one month.

Despite all of the craziness of this month, I managed to not only hit 50,000 words, but I also finished my fourth novel (and the first of an entirely new genre for me).

NaNoWriMo was no easy thing. I had to dedicate myself to set writing times and push through my very first writer’s block.

My newest novel, Chasing Death, is about a woman who is pulled into the seedy underbelly of Calgary. After her best friend is murdered, Alyssa finds herself at the mercy of a corrupt police force. An unlikely relationship buds in the midst of chaos, and she is pulled into a complicated love triangle, all while being framed for murder.

Exciting, right? Well, it was very exciting and challenging to write. This was my first time stepping into a new genre. It was quite fun to write a story that twisted and turned, all while trying to come together into a nicely wrapped package.

But let’s talk more about NaNoWriMo. What a journey. Considering this was my first-year of writing, it was also my first year doing NaNo. It was a last-minute decision to join, and I am so glad that I did. I found a whole new community to write with, including a few authors in Red Deer.

Fun story there. I recently entered a draw for a writing program and won! When the host of the contest reached out, she mentioned that she is also from Red Deer. What a small world.

NaNo has been so amazing for bringing writers together. It was a whole community of like-minded people coming together with the singular goal of writing.

I finished my 50,000 words on November 26, and the novel was completed at 71,000 (I went in with a 20,000-word head start). Finishing felt funny. Like a huge part of my life for the past 26 days was suddenly gone. It was only made worse by the fact that I was done, yet another novel. You know that feeling when you finish reading a really good book? Well, it’s the same for writing. The last two months had been dedicated to Alyssa and her story.

Now I’m certainly not done with her. There were many rounds of editing ahead of us, and by the end, I will surely be sick of her, but that’s the life of writing.

NaNo technically comes in different stages; preparation, development, editing, etc. I finished the development phase, leaving me with my least favorite part of editing. But all in due time. I still have the rest of the Gatlin series to get through.

So, yes, that is a very quick introduction to the crazy world of NaNoWriMo. Maybe I’ll see you there next year.

Drop a comment if you like what you read.