It’s November. That means turkey and debates about how everybody skips Thanksgiving like it’s the  Jan Brady of holidays. November also means something else to the writing community: Nanowrimo. It stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write 50,000 words during the month which is the minimum of what is classified as a novel. It breaks down to about 4-5 pages a day. It’s a very realistic goal if one can find the right story, and has the motivation to do it. 

I’ve signed up for the past four years. I was a creative writing major and I always thought it would be a fun way to get my required assignments done, and have something to show for it other besides a grade on my report card. I have never completed 50.000 words in 30 days. I know you probably are thinking why even bother to sign up then if you aren’t even going to attempt it? 

Well let me explain to you what my brain is like when I come up with a new idea. I have a basic plot in my head. This year it’s a story about a man looking back on his relationship with the love of his life while he sits in jail after suffering from a psychotic break, and attempting to murder the person that introduced them. I’m going to tell the story through a series of flashbacks of the memories he regrets the most.  It’s a solid plot. I’m not really the type of person who has physical plot maps. I’ve made them before, but I never look at them. I just write whatever scenes won’t leave my head that particular day, and I see what gaps I need to fill in, and write those whenever I don’t have a scene jump out at me. 

During November though, My characters are jealous that I’m not giving them equal attention so they want to tell me all of their stories at once. Then when I’m working on the new project it feels like I’m struggling to form even the shortest of sentences. I stare at the dreaded blinking cursor, and debate chucking my iPad at the wall. I see people’s word counts climbing at the normal or above-average rate. I wonder if I’m really meant to be a writer because I can’t seem to finish writing the type of books I love to read. 

I try anyway though because the only way to get over my insecurities is to actually do the thing that makes me feel inadequate. It’s not as if the literary police is going to come burn all of my books, and ban me from typing another word if I don’t finish. It’s an old saying, but it’s true you can never succeed if you don’t try. 

So for all of the people who think they can’t do it now because it’s too late. The site lets you update projects even after November you just don’t get the prizes.  May the words flow freely from your fingers, and your plots have a few holes as possible Happy writing!