Hello, lovely ones! So, as you may have read during my monthly wrap up earlier this week, life has been less than kind recently. I know time is just a concept and the changing of a calendar doesn’t suddenly release magical energy to make it better. But, due to shit outside of my control, October was…well, shit. And November is a very special month: my birth month, for starters. For writers, it’s NaNoWriMo, a time where we see if we can write 50,000 words in 30 days.
So, let’s dive into why your girl is attempting this when life will (absolutely most certainly) get in her way.
Wait–What’s NaNoWriMo?
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Not to be confused with NaNoReMo, which is National Notion Revamp Month. (Shealea over at Shut Up, Shealea, can tell you everything about that. 😉)
No, NaNoWriMo (or NaNo for short) is when writers punish themselves by attempting to write 50,000 words in the month of November. That comes out to roughly 1600 words a day. It’s a huge community of writers, with prompts and sprints; words of encouragement and of comfort; Discord groups and badges to earn. You can sign up for free on their website.
You can also add me as a friend here!
My Goals
So, despite NaNoWriMo allowing different, more flexible options than the standard goal, I think it’d be really cool to hit 50,000 words. That, of course, is always an ambitious goal. I feel it’s even more ambitious for me personally, having struggled for a while now on any sort of writing routine. Not to mention not writing a new novel since BLOOD PRICE, which I finished a few years ago.
What sort of novel am I working on? I’m so glad you asked! This time, I am working on my first ever adult fantasy romance. 👀 I’ve discussed it a little bit in my Novels and Narrations series this year, but I’ll tell you more about it below, with some quick snippets and tidbits:
The Very Rough Pitch: Karra, a retired chronicler, and Cal, a lentblade, lead an unlikely group of misfits across haunted lands, tasked with discovering—and stopping—a prophesized invasion of the lessor gods, putting their lives—and their hearts—at risk to protect their realms and learn the truth.
The Tropes and Features:
- Misfits and mayhem
- DnD style party
- Queernorm worldbuilding
- Scholar as protagonist
- Angsty slow burn
- One one bed
One good thing is that I haven’t even started writing it yet and I am already in love with this story.
The Concerns
My concerns for completing NaNoWriMo are prolly not surprising, if you’re a regular reader of this blog. (If you’re not and you just found this, welcome! I hope you’ll consider staying. 🖤) Concerns include:
- Lack of time: Isn’t this every writer’s lament? Doesn’t take the truth of the sentiment away, however.
- Balancing day job and other commitments: Let me tell you, working a full-time day job while bein a part-time grad student with a second part-time job and a chronic disability? But still wanting to be a writer? OOF, friends. Just oof.
- Staying healthy: As I mentioned earlier this week, I’ve had a slew of unfortunate health instances this year (first, COVID over the summer, then a viral infection last month). Including multiple flare ups with the chronic back condition. So often, these things impact me enough that I can’t do my normal things, let alone anything extra. Writing often tends to be in the “extra” category, alas.
- Battling imposter syndrome and burn out: As always, I wouldn’t be a writer without being plagued with intense impostor syndrome. Especially since it’s been so long since I’ve written (and finished) a first draft. And, as my history of NaNo attempts will show you, I’ve only ever won NaNo once. Back in 2015.
In Sum
Yet, despite the concerns, I am pretty excited. More excited than I’ve been in the past few weeks. And honestly? If I hit 50,000 words, I’ll be absolutely floored. But if I don’t, that’s okay. If I write more days than I don’t (so what, at least 16 days?). I think I’ll be happy. Just to remind myself of why I write: because it makes me feel whole in a way nothing else can.
What about you? Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? Or completing any writing projects or goals this month I could cheer you on with? Let me know in the comments!
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![I'm so excited to stop by today and share a client highlight. This time, celebrating the publication of Veo Corva's novel, THE BEAUTIFUL DECAY, out today!
I had the pleasure of proofreading this earlier this year and when I tell you I have been dying for it to release to hype it up!! The second book in the Tombtown series, it is set in a queernorm world where our main antagonist is creepy fungi. 🍄
From the characters to the queer rep to the amazing world building of building a society surrounded by necromancy, this is a series you don't want to miss and an author you should absolutely support!!
Buy a copy here: https://veocorva.xyz/books/the-beautiful-decay-by-veo-corva/
[Image description in alt text.]](https://thoughtsstainedwithink.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
I’m sorry to hear October wasn’t great for you! Sending over all the magical glitter and I hope November treats you better. I’m also doing NaNoWriMo, this is my sixth year doing it and I feel even more unprepared than I did the last years which is honestly a miracle. I’ve done my best to do some plotting work (emphasis on some, I still don’t really know wtf this story is going to be) but this is definitely going to be a very discovery heavy “draft” if I can even call it that. It’s a sci-fi story, currently called “Nothing Here Worth Dying For” and it’s about the vastness of space, the existential loneliness of human existence, and also nuclear semiotics, somehow. Right now, I intend for my MC to possibly be an archaeologist sent on a mission to a planet to find out if it’s a possible new habitat for humanity (bc rn they live in floating space cities, as I decided today). That planet is earth, mysteries and space shenanigans ensue! There’s a bunch of options of how this story could go and I’m equally scared and excited to make my way through one possibility this month! Historically, November tends to be insanely busy for me so I’ve tried my best to implement what I’ve learned from my past NaNos. Which is mostly “do writing sprints and have a little routine and just keep going”.
wishing you the best of luck with your writing this month, I hope it’s a rewarding experience amidst the bullshit life throws at you 💜
I will take all of the magical glitter (and I think it’s working so far).
And I feel you on the discovery-heavy process of NaNo this year! But, um, HELLO, I am already hooked and interested from this pitch alone: “t’s about the vastness of space, the existential loneliness of human existence, and also nuclear semiotics, somehow.”
I really hope you’re making good progress and enjoying the hell out of writing this story! And if you aren’t where you want to be, that’s okay! Remember: November is a busy month and there is no deadline to writing and telling this story.
I believe in you!!
I’ve sent you a buddy request – I’m a pink lizard there, too 🙂 Best of luck with the month’s scribbles!
I’m rooting for you, Calypte! I hope your writing is going well!