Sometimes you just need something to help give you a boost for that big goal you simply cannot seem to get started. NaNoWriMo has been just such a thing for me in my writing journey.

What is NaNoWriMo, you ask? Well, it stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it is a nonprofit organization, primarily based online, that exists to support writers. They are most well-known for hosting a contest to see who can write 50,000 words on a fictional writing project in November.

Their mission states: NaNoWriMo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes in the transformational power of creativity. We provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page.

For as well-known as it may be in the writing community, I had never heard of NaNo until a few years ago. Sarra Cannon, a YA author and productivity vlogger I follow on YouTube, made a video about her experience with NaNo. She credits the organization with giving her a lot of support in her writing career.

I would not put myself in the same company as Cannon in terms of my writing production. After all, I have yet to write even one book. The practice of writing itself is all the same. I am putting words on paper, or, these days, into a computer application. So I was inspired to check out NaNo and see if it could give me some support on my writing journey as well.

My first attempt was two years ago. See, I've always struggled with writing consistently in addition to writing something longer than a blog post. I was hoping that a 50,000-word target on one project would help get me out of that rut. My book project for that first attempt was a patient advocacy book. It's an idea I've had sitting on the shelf for years but never quite got around to starting. In October, just before the start of NaNo, I sat down and wrote out a framework for the book and a table of contents. I knew I needed something to help keep me moving forward and somewhat organized. So that every time I sat down to the keyboard, I would at least know, "okay, today I'm working on…."

I'm proud to report that I got 10,000 words written for that book. No, I didn't finish a complete draft nor get anywhere near the 50,000-word NaNo goal. But what I did get accomplished was a personal best for me. The only time I came even close to writing that many words were for my college thesis paper. And that was a struggle for me then as well.

Aside from the challenge itself of writing 50,000 words in one month, whoever thought to put NaNo in November needs a reality check. Other than the alliterative loveliness of it, setting a disciplined writing schedule (especially if you are a newbie) in November or December has to be the worst idea ever! Competing with the demands of the holiday season makes keeping on track with writing all the more difficult. Every day that you don't make your word count, you need to make that up another day. I know for sure it was a factor that contributed to me not reaching the 50K goal. I'm not going to sit down at the computer at Thanksgiving. There is a turkey to make and a Macy's Day Parade to watch! And we can't forget the dog show. 😉

Fast forward to this year, and I revisited the NaNo website because I learned about something they have in the Spring called Camp NaNo. Based on how I understand it, it is a more free-form version of the November contest. Writers can set their own writing goals and have more latitude to work on different aspects of the writing process, like editing, and still have those words count toward their writing goal.

At this point, I should probably interject that I'm not a NaNo purist. The book I was working on a couple of years ago wasn't fiction. I have no interest in writing a novel any time soon. Also, I like to set my own word-count goals. I was never intrinsically motivated by winning a "contest." I was doing it for me. Surpassing my limitations was the goal for me. And in that, I definitely feel like I won. NaNo calls writers like me "NaNo Rebels." Sounds about right to me.

But back to this Spring. I've been feeling a calling to write a book soon. In fact, I found a program that will help guide me through that process that I want to join next year. So I figured if I want to tackle the ambitious goal of writing a whole book, I better start getting serious about this blogging thing. After all, if I can't manage blogging consistently, how do I ever think I will write a book? So I set a goal for myself to write 20,000 words. I didn't give myself a time deadline, and I was just going to keep at it and give myself a reward of my own when I reached my goal.

I'm proud to report I accomplished that goal in just a couple of months! Full disclosure: some of those words were edited words, but hey, that counts in NaNo world. The project I chose for those 20,000 words was getting my Love Disabled Life Blog off the ground. Having the NaNoWriMo website to help keep me on track with my word count helped keep me motivated.

Unfortunately, the other aspects of NaNo haven't been as helpful for me. The organization touts a strong sense of community. One where you can post on message boards with other "cabin mates," ask questions of NaNo experts who are "camp leaders," and join groups of writers who share your genre. I tried posting on some message boards in some genres closest to my own, as well as a rebels group, and even though we are in pandemic times, a couple in my region. A lot of meetup writing events that would typically be in person are now being held virtually. Even just posting a profile about yourself as a way of introduction is supposed to trigger some interaction.

But not for me. Maybe I did something wrong. Or perhaps I just don't know the secret camp handshake yet. Either way, it is okay. I don't have a lot of time in my schedule right now for different events or activities. I do check for new messages once in a while, but for now, the word count tracker with its personalized badge earning reward system is good enough for me.

Like I wrote above, NaNo is just one more tool in my toolbox. It hasn't necessarily made the process of writing itself any easier. Also, the pride of accomplishment I feel about reaching my word-count goals vastly outweighs any symbolic badge NaNo rewards me with on their website.

The other day someone (I'm assuming a writer) on Twitter asked: Why do you write? One person replied: That's like asking why do I breathe? I replied: I write to share my story and hopefully connect with others.

This blog post concludes one more piece of writing toward that purpose. Thank you for reading all 1,231 words of it. 🙂