I’m finally taking part in NaNoWriMo in 2020 because I figure there’s nothing to lose.

If you’re not familiar with the term, NaNoWriMo refers to National Novel Writing Month, an annual writing challenge, which began in 1999. During the challenge, participants attempt to write 50,000 words toward a novel during the month of November. October is usually spent planning out the details, but if you’re coming in late, don’t fret. There’s nothing wrong with jumping in and writing blindly. The point of the challenge is to set aside your inner editor and get a first draft on paper. You can save the editing for December.

Notable traditionally published novels from past NaNoWriMo challenges include Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

I’ve always loved the idea of NaNoWriMo, but the task seemed daunting. Broken out, 50,000 words is an average of 1,667 per day. These days, I can easily hit this many words between my morning pages and whatever writing project I work on, but time is easier to come by now. At one point, I worked three jobs at about 70 hours a week, so 1,667 words felt like scaling Mt Everest.

A novel seems like a huge undertaking, but I need a project like this right now. I need to prove to myself that I can commit. I’m constantly second guessing my writing ability, something I’ve discussed on this blog before (Writer’s Block). I care too much about my first draft being perfect and about what other people are going to think about my writing (or me). I’m tired of living like that. If I’m going to call myself a professional writer, I must commit to creating works I can publish. I’ve got to stop being so tentative about my writing, and giving up because only five or ten people have read my blog posts. By the way, shout out to my readers! I really do appreciate you.

I’m giving my project a working name of Legion. I’m still running through some last-minute plot details, but I know it falls within the Young Adult genre. It has supernatural elements, like magic, as well as revenge, loyalty, betrayal, and love.

I’ll be sharing updates through the month on my progress, and I’ll be getting back to finish The Artist’s Way posts soon.

Have you ever attempted NaNoWriMo? Do you plan to attempt NaNoWriMo in 2020?