If you are a writer, you probably have at least heard about National Novel Writing Month. For the non-writers and others who may not know, NaNoWriMo (as it is known) occurs during the month of November. The idea is to start on November 1 and by the end of the month, write a 50,000 word novel. Now, there is something to note here. 50K is a short novel. It is the lowest word count that is generally considered a novel. Most genres will go longer than that. For my usual genres, science fiction and fantasy, a novel will definitely go longer. Epic fantasy will often run into the hundreds of thousands. So, what’s the deal with this month? What if I don’t want to commit to something like that?
You don’t have to. It’s an entirely voluntary thing. The thing many of us like about NaNo is that it gets us moving, and moving consistently, on a new project. It gets the story telling blood pumping, so to speak.
But it’s not for everyone. Not everyone can hold to the 1667 words a day schedule of NaNo. Not everyone’s schedule or writing style fits in well with NaNo. Yeah, sometimes it seems on the writing community social media like everyone is “doing NaNo.” But, trust me, not everyone is. If you are one of the not everyone’s, it’s fine. You need to do what works best for you. There is no one right way to write a story. If that way is not NaNoWriMo, well, it isn’t. As one of my favorite writers is fond of saying; “You do you.”
If you are doing NaNoWriMo this November, keep on writing. Pump out those words and tell that story. If you are not doing NaNoWriMo, well, you keep on writing, too. Tell your story your way. It’s the telling that counts.
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Do you like science fiction and fantasy? I would be very happy if you would check out my books and other stories. You can find more information about them all at the link below. Thank you!
And So On... 