Finishing a Novel with NaNoWriMo

This article will resound with all my fellow writers who have also repeatedly started writing a novel but never managed to complete it. Back in high school, it was my goal to write and publish a best-selling novel. The problem was, however, that I never was able to complete one. Every time I would reach half way through writing a novel, I would either get tired of the idea or simply have no time to write. If finishing a novel was difficult for me back in high school, you can just imagine how much harder it is for me to complete in college.

The other day, I was reflecting on the novels I had begun in high school and regretted not having finished any of them. When you’re writing a novel, you become attached to the worlds and characters you create. In a sense, I felt as though I had given life to all my creations and then completely abandoned them.

So I went onto Google search and began looking for similar stories of authors not being able to complete their novels. The usual “writer’s block” popped up with several cures on how to treat it. Writer’s block, however, had never been the problem for me. It was more of a lack of pressure or incentive which had led me to procrastinate the completion of the novel. Then suddenly, “NaNoWriMo” caught my eye. NaNoWriMo or “National Novel Writing Month” could finally be the solution I was looking for!

NaNoWriMo is a writing program that occurs every year during the entire month of November. The goal: complete a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days! At the end of the month, participants who have completed their novel receive a certificate and advice on how to move on with their work in the future.

Although the month of November is already halfway through, if you think that you can still complete 50,000 words by the end of the month, I would strongly encourage you to try it out and go for it! The NaNoWriMo website offers platforms for competitors to communicate and encourage each other on to reach the end. With the pressure to complete a novel in a month, who knows what kind of creativity can arise! I have already decided and committed myself to participatig in next year’s NaNoWriMo. Until then, I will continue brainstorming and looking for ideas with which to pursue my novel. If you do end up participating this month, I wish you all the best and feel free to comment below and let me know!

More information concerning NaNoWriMo can be found here or here.

 

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