NaNoWriMo 2017 Report & Reflections
This year’s novel writing month is over and I’ve learned a lot. Some of the lessons were more like reminders, but I did glean some new insights.
As with last November, I didn’t ‘win’ NaNoWriMo — or more specifically I didn’t hit the goal of 50,000 words. That wasn’t a priority for me, because I was picking up a work in progress that was already ~18,000 words strong.
This November was an all-around bad month for me to try boosting my fiction goals.
My work for Stambol Studios was going to involve media relations (we had a huge win this fall; Go Stambol! )as well as regular blogging duties. I had planned to attend a destination wedding (which was amazing!) and this month was the culmination of ongoing efforts (proven effective now, woot!) to revitalize my Etsy shop, Sleepless Storyteller. I could give you more detail about my list of why-nots. But I started this post to share the wins I did take way from last month’s efforts, so here they are.
Accountability = More Writing, More Often
While the most noticeable benefit was the boost to my WIP’s word count, I feel the situation is more complicated. The self-imposed obligation to have an update for my novel’s NaNo page really did drive me back to my computer as often as possible. Being able to put up at least a couple hundred words into the count tracker compelled me to write when I would have gone to bed, read for myself, or even, gasp, watched television.
Social Networking is Good for Morale
In addition to signing up on the NaNoWriMo website, I joined the Golden Ears Writers: NaNo Support Group on Facebook. The moderator provided a generous amount of support in the form of posts and sharing. I appreciated her efforts as I’m sure many of the other members did too.
A Little Progress, A Lot of Perspective
If I knew I couldn’t win, why did I even sign up at all? Writers who’ve been at it for even a few years will know the answer. The compulsion to create can be all-consuming, in spite of increasingly daunting odds. We all get into the fiction game knowing that most projects will fail on some level. Most manuscripts get rejected. Most books don’t earn out their advances. But before I get sucked down the rabbit-hole of reasons to quit, shared positive energy was an unexpected perk of being a NaNo participant.
The single most important takeaway for me is that I’m more confident than ever about my genuine love affair with writing fiction. Love of the craft is still enough for me, no matter how it stacks up against other writers, or against my own record one month to the next.
I am now in a much better position to finish (and revise) The Electric Girl by the end of the year, which was actually my goal. And I will definitely do a properly registered NaNo again next year as opposed to just writing during November. So hopefully my next fiction update will be a pre-New Year’s celebration!
