Welcome to another National Novel Writing Month blog! I’m doing this series as a bit of preparation for November. This week, I’m going to go over how my experiences has changed over the past few years now that I’ve become a full time, self-published Author.
Disclaimer:
If you were following my Ko-fi blog last year, this will seem familiar to you as I’ve lifted it from there, with changes.
My first National Novel Writing Month:
The first time I tried NaNoWriMo, way back in 2014, I was intimidated, but not for the reason you’d think. Most people are intimidated by the sheer number of words. Yes, 50,000 words is a lot when you consider that the average term paper is only about 2.5-3,000 words and a short story is usually maxed at 10,000, but when you learn that the average novel is 90,000 words it puts it in perspective.
Before my first NaNoWriMo, I had already written (i.e. first drafts of) 4 books, all over 80k, so it didn't seem unreasonable. What I was intimidated by was the time limit! I thought, “I can never write 50,000 words in 30 days! My books took me a year a piece to write! How can I write 1,667 words a day…” and then there was the holidays! I tried it anyway, and I'm happy to admit that I WAS WRONG!
That first year, I was a newlywed with a puppy, and I was working part time, but I wrote "The Council Of Fire," in 21 days. The first draft was 52,520 words strong by the end of November. I was so excited about finishing that I posted it EVERYWHERE: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr... I was exhilarated. 9 years, 8 years of NaNoWriMo, & 5 published books later that hasn't changed.
the banners from all the years I've won
Last year,
I was working on a Created Angel Novel that is still unfinished, but I met the 50k word goal on the fifteenth, and I posted it to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, & here to Ko-fi. I'm still exhilarated to do it again this year where I will be writing the fifth instalment of the Kalista Chronicles.
So, What's Changed?
My confidence, focus, the speed of which I type, the friends I have cheering me on, and the fact that I don't just do this for the month of November. Since I stopped working in March of 2021 and started writing fulltime, I've challenged myself to write 75-100k words of a first draft in a single month, or less, between all the background tasks that being an Indie Author entails.
Some might think this would negatively impact my NaNoWriMo experience and make it less fun, but I’ve found that the opposite is true, especially this year when I’ve only gotten to write 2 books… Well, one and three-quarters. I’m still working on the second one. In the month of November, I get to write with Friends, fellow authors, and inspire others to do the same! I get to hype up fellow writers who are doing NaNoWriMo with me. I may be an introvert who has social anxiety, but writing is my passion, and it gives me so much joy to share it with other people in this way.
In Conclusion:
NaNoWriMo really hasn't changed that much, and if you're a writer thinking about participating in NaNoWriMo but have been putting it off. You join me this year, and yes, even after editing 4 books and publishing 3 so far, I am doing this! You can even add me as a buddy on NaNoWriMo.org so we can follow each other’s progress!
Thanks for reading this. If nothing else, I hope it was entertaining.
~Jenn, aka @BornAngelAuthor
Next week, I'm going to be talking about how I, a Pantster/discovery writer, prep for NaNoWriMo.
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If you're a fan of Paranormal Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, or Paranormal Romance, I have 2 series that are set in an Alternate Universe where Angels and Demons live Semi-Harmoniously alongside humans. You can find more information about those on the Books Page.
To Celebrate the launch of the 3rd book, A Broken Redeemer, and being 2 years published, I'm giving away free eBook/ePub copies of my debut novel!
If you'd like to read a sample first, you can find the first five chapters here on my website:
If you've read both book 1&2, and you're looking to preorder book 3, you can find all the details here:
Mark your Calendars:
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