Writing: what a novel idea

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month has taken place every November since 1999. The challenge is simple: write 50,000 words in 30 days. Start with an idea, leave a novelist.

Image courtesy of NaNoWriMo

It's super crunchy and hipster, and despite that, I'm really in love with the concept. I have always wanted to be an author and publish books with the voracity of Scott Hahn. So, finally, here was a community that I could learn from, that could provide me with accountability as I write. It was awesome because, I have a lot to say. But to this day, I've never finished the challenge.

The rules are simple: write fiction, write 50,000 words. So naturally, I didn't follow them.

I've started novels in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. In that first year, I started writing this saccharine storyline about a woman returning to her family's farm and 3,000 words in, I knew it was terrible and not going anywhere fast. So I stopped.

The next year, I couldn't think of a fiction topic, so I thought that it would be easier to use content from previously written gratitude emails that I had saved. That year, I wrote 11,695 words before I realized that I was just copying and pasting and not actually writing anything new except a transition sentence here or here. I admitted that was cheating and I quit.

Following that, was apparently a letter to my younger self. I'm glad I can't find a copy anywhere. Even the title was making me fall asleep. I think that I did everyone a favor by quitting.

The novel in 2019 that had the most promise was "The Art of Believing that You are an Artist." It was a topic that I was passionate about - being creative - and the content was my way of writing out all the ways that my life was being lived out as an artist, even if that meant I was an actor, a musician, a chef etc., etc.

Here is a quick summary that I wrote about it:

I've doubted that I am, in fact, an artist for as long as I can remember. That's because I don't have one craft that I get paid for, that I can sell on etsy... and mostly because I just compare myself unfairly to others. Until I met a dear friend who reminded me that because I create... I am an artist. It sparked something in me that wanted to erase my doubts. That's what I hope that this book does.

However, 2019 was the year that I met my husband and at the same time, was watching my mom die of pancreatic cancer. So in the end, I couldn't justify the idea of spending time alone in front of a screen. There was too much life happening in all the beautiful and sorrowful ways you could imagine.

So, I didn't follow the rules, life got in the way and so far, I have never finished the NaNoWriMo Challenge. Until this year... I think.

I say it every year, but this year... I am going to finish. Even if it's just a draft and it's really terrible, I am actually going to finish a 50,000 word fiction novel. There is even a game plan and schedule that the wonderful people who wear lumberjack beards and fair-trade scarves at NaNoWriMo designed for children like myself who need all the help in the world putting this plan into action.

How to Participate in NaNo Prep 101

AKA Steph- pull yourself together and get serious this year list: Step by step, here's the schedule that I'll be following:

Step 1: Develop a Story Idea (September 12-18)

Step 2: Create Complex Characters (September 19-25)

Step 3: Construct a Detailed Plot or Outline (September 26 – October 2)

Step 4: Build a Strong World (October 3-7)

Step 5: Organize Your Life for Writing! (October 10-16)

Step 6: Find and Manage Your Time (October 18-24)

And even though I tease about spectacles behind the typewriter vibe that I get from WriMos community ... I really can't pull myself away. (Yes, they really named themselves that. Hopefully, I'll be one of them someday.)

The first step is the prep work and after that, well, it will be whatever I learn during prep. After all, I can even download a super cute certificate of completion when I the prep work is done. And seriously- who DOESN'T want that?