I participated in NaNoWriMo this year—as I have just about every year since around 2013. Some NaNo are more successful than others. And I know writing a 50k novel in a month isn’t for everyone.
To be completely honest, it isn’t always for me either.
Up until 2019, I’d generally done fairly well with NaNoWriMo.
2019 threw a lot of curveballs at my husband and me. It was a rough year. And I remember going into 2020 thinking that I hoped it would be a better year. Shall we all laugh at my poor ‘sweet summer child’ self? Better to laugh than cry, I suppose.
2019, 2020, and now 2021.
All three years that I suppose have technically been a NaNo failure. I haven’t hit the 50k goal. I got closer this year than I did the past two, so that’s something.
The difference this year is I feel better about what I accomplished. I went into November with the hopes of hitting 30k. I’d have been thrilled with 40k and stunned if I hit the 50k. I was about 1k short of 30k so I consider that a win.
Listen, if you wrote anything during a globally traumatic event, I think you deserve a medal. It is incredibly difficult to accomplish creative endeavours with so much pulling at our minds. So I’m celebrating my 29k words.
It’s 29k that I didn’t have at the beginning of November. It’s over halfway through a fun cozy mystery that I am thoroughly enjoying writing. And it’s taken less time than my last WIP, which took over four months to write.
Maybe the biggest lesson for me through the last two years is to give myself space and time.
Also, celebrate even the smallest wins.
And when all else fails, there’s always chocolate.
I’m just saying.
How about you? Did you take part in NaNo this year?
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